9/30/04-A bill that would have put strict controls on emissions at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach – including emissions produced by trucks – has been vetoed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
AB2042 would have required the ports and the South Coast Air Quality Management District, which regulates air quality in that part of California, to agree on a “baseline” level of pollution, based on the amount at the ports in 2004. It would then require the ports and agency to develop a plan to control pollution based on that baseline level.
The bill passed a final vote before the Assembly 46-31 in late August; it passed the Senate earlier that month by a vote of 21-16. Schwarzenegger vetoed the bill Sept. 29.
In his veto message, the governor indicated that he supported the ideas behind the bill, but thought that the measure would not accomplish those goals.
“This bill will not reduce pollution in any way,” the governor wrote in the veto message. “We need to focus our scarce resources on substantive, prompt action that will make real progress toward our shared air quality goals.
“Ports and federally regulated sources of air pollution must do more to reduce emissions in order for California to meet its mandates and to reduce negative air impacts in the communities in which these facilities operate.”