Loveridge testifies on ports and impact on U.S. transportation.

As the two busiest seaports in the United States, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif., handled almost 16 million containers and close to 300 million metric tons of cargo in 2007. For California and the rest of the nation, how these goods move across the country and equitable ways to deal with the negative environmental and other infrastructure impacts of this freight will play a large role in the discussion of a new transportation program for the U.S.

NLC Second Vice President Ronald O. Loveridge, mayor of Riverside, Calif., outlined the impact of the ports on the Southern California region at a field hearing of the House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation on August 4.

Loveridge told the subcommittee that "rail traffic in the region is expected to increase 240 percent ... from 91 million tons in 1995 to 309 million tons' in 2020. More than 75 percent of the rail freight exiting the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach travels through the Inland Empire to destinations in every state."

Noting the impact on his city, Mayor Loveridge pointed out that on a daily basis, as many as 128 trains move through the City of Riverside. As a result, the residents of Riverside currently encounter the crossing gates down for an average of three hours per day and as long as six hours per day at each of the 26 priority at-grade crossings in the city. This impacts public safety, vehicle safety, air quality and economic development.

Subcommittee Chair Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) called the hearing in advance of the House Transportation Committee deliberations on the next surface transportation program.

"The need to provide infrastructure adequate to accommodate transportation demand, while protecting our environment by reducing air emissions, are central concerns of almost every facet of transportation policy in this nation today, including maritime and freight transportation," said Cummings. "Because the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach together comprise the largest port complex in the United States, as well as the largest single source of pollution in California's South Coast Air Quality Management District, their efforts to respond to these two critical challenges are of great interest to the subcommittee as well as to ports throughout the nation."

According to the California Air Resources Board (CARB), the agency that regulates air pollution in California, "Air pollution from international trade and goods movement is a major public health concern at the statewide, regional and community level. Adverse health impacts from the pollutants associated with goods movement include but are not limited to premature death, cancer risk, respiratory illnesses and increased risk of heart disease.... Adverse birth outcomes, effects on the immune system, multiple respiratory effects, and neurotoxicity are additional potential health effects."

Freight transportation has doubled every l0 years and is expected to increase within the U.S. border 100 percent by 2020. During that time, foreign trade is expected to increase by 187 percent, while contained cargo will experience an explosive 350 percent increase, according the National Association of Regional Councils (NARC).

The domestic and international freight capacity of the nation's ports, waterways, transfer facilities and highway and rail Connectors will greatly impact economic competitiveness. Keeping pace with gateway infrastructure and the movement of goods from their port of entry to their destination will impact all parts of the country.

Groups such as NARC and the American Road Builders and Transportation Association are recommending separated programs and a dedicated funding source as part of the next surface transportation bill.