Demand a Strong Clean Air Action Plan for Southern California

It’s a simple fact -- port pollution kills. And it's about to get worse, unless we act now.

Port Pollution Poisoning from the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach affects the entire Southern California basin - from the San Fernando Valley to Orange County, from West L.A. to Riverside, from Long Beach and San Pedro to Downtown L.A.

The costs are staggering: 2,400 premature deaths per year; cancer-risk rates up to 19 times higher than federal clean air standards; childhood asthma-related diseases at nearly double the national average; kids missing school and parents missing work; and health costs alone totaling $19.5 billion a year.

Proven, cost-effective alternative fuels and clean technologies can be adopted today - for cleaner trucks, cargo-handling equipment (“yard tractors”) and ships - to dramatically reduce pollution from port-related industries. And since it's a profitable $300 billion industry, they can afford it.

The Ports' Clean Air Action Plan is a historic opportunity to immediately and dramatically begin reducing the devastating effects of port pollution. And we applaud those leaders pushing for the strongest, most aggressive plan. However, it can only succeed if key decision-makers have the courage to implement it immediately and without influence from the powerful interests who want to protect the status quo.

Trade is about to triple -- sending pollution levels even higher -- which means the time for action is now. Our lives, our livelihoods and our quality of life are at stake.

We strongly urge you to support a strong, aggressive Clean Air Action Plan -- and to implement it immediately. We don't have time to wait.

We will be watching closely.

Signed,
[Your name]
[Your address]