Port of Oakland Unveils air Pollution Inventory

The US Port of Oakland has released its 2005 Seaport Air Emissions Inventory for public review and comment.

This inventory estimates the amounts of certain types of air pollutants generated by ships, trucks, trains, harbour craft and cargo handling equipment at the Port of Oakland during 2005.

"The inventory is necessary for the port, our tenants, air quality regulators and the community to understand exactly what the sources of air pollution are from maritime-related activities. This is a very important step in the work we are doing to improve air quality," said port director Omar Benjamin.

The Port of Oakland said in a statement that it voluntarily chose to launch an air emissions inventory of its seaport. The effort was lead by its team of environmental scientists.

The inventory is intended to allow the Port of Oakland to more accurately understand emissions sources related to seaport activities; help the port, its tenants and the community prioritize emissions reduction efforts; and provide the port and the community a baseline of emissions for tracking progress in reducing pollution.

According to two recent emissions inventories for other US west coast ports, the Port of Oakland contributed the smallest percentage of diesel particulate matter to its region.