|
|
|
|
Cheap Imports and the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach
2/13/04
Johanna Bradfield, Sickoftheport writer
The problem local leaders have with the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach has many roots, but it started with the air pollution. According to the Air Quality Management Board, residents near the harbor have a risk of developing cancer 11 times the federal limit. Diesel soot and pollutants from cargo ship exhaust have put the residents near the ports at a very high risk for asthma, heart disease, and a number of other ailments. The pollution has been so incredible because the ports have been expanding non-stop for many years now. The infrastructure cannot keep up with the capacity of goods the ports are trying to handle (the two ports combined imported approx. 11.9 containers last year). The ports have a history of rushing permits so the public has little time to complain or even know about the Environmental Impact Reports before terminals are expanded up to their homes. Most people who live near the ports have a vague idea of where the pollution is coming from, but they don't know that the ports have always known how hazardous their expansion is to the people.
Most of the imports, except for petroleum products, come from countries like China ($35.7 billion), Japan ($24.8 billion), Taiwan ($10.1 billion), Thailand ($4.3 billion) and South Korea ($3.8 billion), which are not known for their fair labor practices. Products like shoes, computers, furniture, and clothing are manufactured with cheap labor overseas and sold in American stores like Wal-Mart. These days, it is very hard to buy products that are made in America. It is much cheaper for companies to use the labor overseas. Not only does it cost American jobs, but also it dodges environmental and human rights standards.
In a similar move, the ports operate in a way that is cheap and fast as opposed to safe. There are ways of operating the ports that would have far less impact on the community, but in the favor of delivering cheap goods made with cheap labor cheaply, the ports chose to expand fast instead of smart. There are rails that the ports can use, but since it is cheaper to use independent truck contractors, the rails go unused. These independent companies run older, dirtier trucks (most of the trucks used are over 15 years old), and use drivers who drive for unreasonably long hours. They drive dirtier, longer, cheaper, very close to residential areas.
The port activity will still go on without the demand for cheap goods, but if we are to stop the push to always use the fastest & cheapest means, we have to start at the consumer. Consumers need to know that their products are not only manufactured, but also shipped to stores in hazardous ways.
Johanna Bradfield
www.sickoftheport.bravehost.com
bravenet.com