Port officials have given a green light to US$35 to $70 per loaded container green tax on truckers to the Port of Long Beach, reports the Associated Press.
The tax will take effect by June and is expected to raise $1.6 billion to replace or retrofit 16,800 trucks to reduce emissions. The nearby Port of Los Angeles is expected to copy the initiative soon.
The cost is expected to be passed on to consignees for all containers leaving by truck with a future aim to include containers leaving by train.
The Clean Truck Programme under Long Beach and Los Angeles Clean Air Action Plan aims to ban trucks without clean-burning engines from the port by 2012. The plan sees an 80 per cent reduction in air pollution from short-haul trucks within five years.
The method of collection of the tax by terminal operators is yet to be decided, but optical character readers that comply with the programme are being considered. Exemptions or credits for owners of green-compliant vehicles have been discussed.
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