Supertankers Cashing In on Loophole in AMP Rules
Neighbors Want to Offset Supertanker Air Pollution with Solar Roof and Electric Car Subsidies Paid by Windfall Profits from Supertankers Not Ready for Shore-side Power
Residents of the Harbor Area are caught in a Catch-22 with
regard to the new Plains All American supertanker berth: No air quality agency
regulates the plugging into shore-side power by the supertankers that will soon
dock in Los Angeles; not the South Coast Quality Management District (AQMD) nor
the California Air Resources Board (CARB).
Despite protests, the Port of Los Angeles has agreed to
allow dirty docking of three per week of these supertankers for the next 10
years, and 40 annually forever after. As a result, these massive ships will run
their auxiliary engines night and day while at dock, instead of plugging in to
use shore-side electric power (also called alternative marine power--AMP). For
the first 10 years of operations, fully 85% of all tanker calls (up to 170 a
year) will not plug in.
Residents who live in the Diesel Death Zone around the Port
of L.A. say that if the project proceeds under current dirty-docking rules,
then shippers should share their windfall profits by paying an AMP-offset fee
to fund a clean-energy jobs project. The project would reduce air pollution and
build sustainable energy solutions in the region by subsidizing residential
solar installations and electric car purchases.
The Supertanker berth is a cash machine for the berth’s
builder, shippers and the port. In addition to the profit made from importing
and sales of the foreign crude oil, each call at the dock will provide an
additional windfall of $2 million per trip. That’s because the supertankers
will not have to lighter, or off-load, the crude into smaller tankers off the
coast to bring the crude to Los Angeles.
During the lightering process, which takes place at sea off
Catalina, the supertanker unloads crude into as many as five smaller tankers,
which in turn bring the crude to shore. The specialists in lightering charge up
to $2 million a trip to unload the supertankers at sea.
The AMP-offset fee would create a fund to subsidize electric
cars and solar roofs in the Harbor Area and beyond. This will create thousands
of jobs, help clean up our air, and build a more sustainable green-energy
future, while providing for importation of crude oil. The tanker facility will
employ fewer than 50 people once it is in operation.
During offloading, the ships run their engines 24 hours a
day to heat crude and to pump it over the side, where shore-side pumps will
take over. This will cause additional air pollution in the local area, a diesel
death zone that is already a federal non-attainment zone for air quality. Diesel
emissions have been tied to increased risk for lung cancer, asthma, respiratory
disease and premature deaths.
As approved by the harbor commissioners, even in the year
2026, fully 50% of the supertankers (100 vessels) unloading at the terminal
will NOT be required to use AMP while docked. Even in the 16th year
of operations and beyond, 40 vessels (20% or more than one a week) will not be
required to use AMP.
Residents want the AMP-offset fee to support a residential
solar and electric car subsidy program with funding from Plains or tanker firms.
It would create thousands of permanent local jobs, build green business, create
a green energy future, encourage cleaner air and build it on our dependency on
imported oil. It will recognize that gasoline and diesel are needed for some
transportation needs for decades, but uses that “addiction” to help us build
solar and electric car use in Los Angeles. It will create jobs and benefit
residents. It would also advance Los Angeles as a green region, transition us
from total reliance on gasoline and coal-fired electric power, while providing
the petroleum needed to run local refineries.
The subsidy would be a huge boon to the solar industry,
reducing the price of a residential solar system to about $5,000, while making
residential solar affordable and providing some offset for the additional
pollution. The electric car subsidy would help build the state fund that
promotes zero-emission car sales.
The AQMD does not regulate these ships because the
supertankers are considered mobile sources of pollution. AQMD only regulates
stationary polluters such as refineries and auto painting shops. Supertankers
are exempt from AQMD rules when off-loading crude even though off-loading
engine operations (and associated pollution) takes place when the ships are
docked.
Plains says that business realities make it impossible to
require that all VLCC using the terminal have AMP capability because some ships
will be making infrequent calls in Los Angeles. Currently, because of lax or no
AMP requirements at ports worldwide, there is a limited availability of
AMP-capable VLCCs.
Plains has refused to consider the plan, saying it prefers
to contribute to local charities. Shippers are notoriously resistant to any
green proposals, yet they profit at the expense of the health of area residents
while reaping the savings of not having to either lighter their VLCCs or equip
them with AMP
Officials estimate that (depending on crude price) the
project will import annually between $20 billion and $70 billion worth of
crude. If Plains receives 1%of that as a fee, it will gross between $200
million and $700 million a year. In addition, it creates a second profit stream because each tanker docking at Pier 400
will save at least $2 million per shipment; that is in the reduction in the cost
of transferring the crude from supertankers to smaller vessels offshore, the
current method of offloading crude from VLCCs.
The plan would create a green community beside the port. It
would be a plus for Plains, for the port, the city and residents. This is a 21st
century approach to a new energy future, where refined products are saved for particular
uses, and petroleum funds energy technologies that preserve crude oil for its
large, specialized niche.
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Neighbors had hoped CARB, which does regulate ship
emissions, would step in, but while CARB does regulate ship emissions, it will
not propose any regulations governing the AMPing of supertankers.
The supertanker docking facility would be built at berth 408
on the southwesterly face of Pier 400, which is nearest to Angels Gate entrance
to L.A. Harbor; a mile from Cabrillo Beach. The project includes several crude
oil tank farms, as well as pipelines facilities. Construction would take up to
three years.
The project is owned and operated by Houston-based Plains
All American Pipeline, LP. Under the proposed 30-year lease, Plains would
annually dock and unload up to 201 supertankers or Very Large Crude Carriers
(VLCC) at Pier 400. Each supertanker would carry about 2.5 million barrels of
crude
Residents and others have sharply criticized the port
authorities for failing to require that all Los Angeles-bound supertankers turn
off their engines and plug into dockside electricity. AMP significantly reduces
pollution from vessels in port. Air pollution from docked ships is reduced 88
percent to 98 percent by AMP, according to the environmental impact report
(EIR) on the project.
Diesel emissions have been tied to increased risk for lung
cancer, asthma and respiratory disease. A 2005 CARB study at the ports of Los
Angeles and Long Beach found that the more than 2 million people living in
areas around the ports have an increased cancer risk and a substantial
increased health risk due to emissions from docked ocean-going vessels. From
that study and other data, CARB estimates that about 61 premature deaths per
year can be attributed to exposure to diesel exhaust generated from ships in
port.
Peter M. Warren
Port & Environment Chair, Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood
Council
pmwarren@cox.net
310-519-1585
