Environmental Groups Rally for Clean Air on Day of the Dead, Push for Port Pollution Controls

DIAMOND BAR, Calif. — Environmental and community groups gathered today at the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) headquarters, marking Día de los Muertos with calls for stronger air pollution controls at Southern California ports.

Wearing traditional skull makeup, activists created an altar displaying photos of loved ones and pre-development Southern California, highlighting the human cost of air pollution in communities near ports. Southern California has some of the most polluted air in the country, and the San Pedro Bay port complex—which receives 36% of all U.S. imports—is the region's largest single source of smog-forming pollution. 

“A Port ISR is necessary to alleviate a community health crisis that has become an emergency,” said Theral Golden, an Organizer at West Long Beach Association. “The 617 community surrounding the ports—consisting of West Long Beach, Wilmington, and Carson—is losing more than three residents a day from the pollution released into the atmosphere by the ports. Over the past twenty years, more than twenty-four thousand residents of the 617 communities have lost their lives to the port’s pollution. We need clean air today. We’re tired of AQMD showing concern but doing nothing.”

The rally follows T.H.E. Impact Project coalition's submission of a letter to SCAQMD advocating for a strong Indirect Source Rule (ISR) for ports, building on their successful campaign for new rail yard emissions rule which was approved by SCAQMD in August 2024. Building on that momentum, the EPA announced on Tuesday a $412 million grant for zero-emission infrastructure at the Port of Los Angeles—the largest grant in the Biden-Harris administration’s new Clean Ports Program.

“A strong rule would be life-saving for port-adjacent communities,” said Jennifer Cardenas, Campaign Organizer with the Sierra Club. “We've already won crucial protections for communities near rail yards, and this week’s historic investment by the EPA shows that momentum for clean ports is growing. For the sake of dockworkers and communities alike, it’s time to seize the moment and pass a strong Port ISR.”

The environmental groups are pushing SCAQMD to require the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to achieve zero-emission operations by 2040, with specific interim targets for reducing NOx and diesel emissions at both the port and terminal levels. The new proposed rule would require ports to take responsibility for cumulative pollution from ships, trucks, and cargo-handling equipment.

Both the Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach have experienced record-breaking cargo volumes in 2024, with the Port of Los Angeles moving 5.67 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) and Port of Long Beach handling 5.17 million TEUs through July – representing increases of 18% and 20% respectively over 2023 levels. 

“The Ports of LA and Long Beach are seeing unprecedented growth in 2024, with cargo volumes up nearly 20% over last year. But while port executives celebrate record profits, our families continue paying the price with their health,” said Whitney Amaya, T.H.E. Impact Project Coordinator and community member with East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice. “Right now, our communities are struggling with asthma and heart disease caused by port pollution. We need the ports and SCAQMD to work with us to implement enforceable emissions targets now.”

Participating organizations included the Natural Resources Defense Council, East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice, People's Collective for Environmental Justice, Earthjustice, Sierra Club and other members of T.H.E. Impact Project coalition.