Diesel Pollution Reduction Initiative The West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project

and Pacific Institute

Environmental Indicators Process

Identify and provide information on key community concerns

Use this information to advocate for positive community change

West Oakland Context

Environmental Justice Community

Community faces serious environmental pollution from marine Port of Oakland

But, gains few economic benefits

Truck Traffic

• Each day ~ 10,000 trucks travel through West Oakland from the Port to Bay Area destinations

• Port of Oakland expansion means this number will reach 22,000 truck trips per day by 2010

• Other sources, including Post Office, and truck delivery businesses

Health Impacts

Diesel Exhaust from trucks, ships, and cargo equipment may cause cancer, respiratory illnesses, aggravate asthma, heart disease, and contribute to premature death

Diesel Particulate Matter is the number one toxic air contaminant in the state

DPM is responsible for 70% of all airborne cancer risk

Health Impacts

DPM may cause asthma – evidence of enhanced allergic response, immunotoxicity a concern for children;

Higher particle dose per lung SA in kids.

West Oakland children are seven times more likely to be hospitalized for asthma than the average child in the state of California.

West Oakland Diesel Truck Study

A community-based effort to characterize neighborhood diesel truck issues and potential mitigation options in West Oakland

Four interlocking studies:

Truck count

Truck idling study

Diesel Emissions inventory

Indoor Air monitoring study

Community Based Participatory Research

Undertook community driven process to determine study questions, goals, and hire a contractor

Residents undertook truck counts at key locations identified by community members and conducted an idling study

Diesel Truck Counts

Diesel Truck Counts: Findings

• 290 of 500 truck trips are container trucks going to West Oakland daily. Why?

– Fuel, truck repair, food& beverage, overnightparking

– These services are notprovided at the Portof Oakland

Solutions

Diesel Truck Idling Study

Diesel Emissions Inventory

Average Diesel Particulate Matter Emissions By Region

14.8

6.16

0.325 0.006050

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

West Oakland Alameda County San Francisco Bay AreaAir Basin

California State

Region

Tons

of D

PM e

mitt

ed p

er s

quar

e m

ile p

er

year

We found ninety times more diesel particulate emissions per square mile in West Oakland than in California as a whole

Indoor Air Monitoring

Some West Oakland homes have 5 times higher levels of diesel soot in the air than other homes in Oakland.

Translates to a cancer risk of 1 excess cancer in 1000 persons due to this exposure over a lifetime

Solutions

Increase enforcement of illegal truck traffic.

Create a designated truck route.

Electrical hook-ups at the Port so trucks don’t idle.

Provide incentives to get older, dirtier trucks off the road.

Solutions

Move truck-related businesses away from residential areas and out onto land owned by the Port and Army Base.

Development of a Community Fund

Address pollution from ships, freeways, trains, and other sources

Protecting EJ Communities throughout California

Community residents and organizations must participate in policy decisions about goods movement.

Regulate terminals as fixed sources of pollution: pollution from Ports and goods movement thoroughfares needs to be capped and regulated more effectively.

Regulate ships, trains, and railyards

Protecting EJ Communities throughout California

Address land use conflicts and require Ports to provide land for truck services and parking

Charge fees for goods movement that can be used to protect health in burdened communities

In Conclusion

We need to work together to ensure that the most affected communities do not continue to bear an unfair share of impacts from our system of goods movement and its projected expansion.

www.pacinst.org/diesel