In West Long Beach, where container ships tower over neighborhoods, a child with asthma struggles to breathe, suffering from frequent nosebleeds and headaches. Her family and many others live in the shadow of the toxic air produced from two of the world’s largest ports — Los Angeles and Long Beach. 

While local groups fight for healthy communities and clean air, powerful oil and gas companies are pressuring the Trump administration to roll back crucial clean air protections in California. If successful, these rollbacks would endanger the health and safety of millions of Californians — especially for people living near ports where ship emissions are the leading source of cancer-causing pollutants. If the oil industry is successful, families will continue to breathe some of the dirtiest air in the country.

Ship emissions are the number one source of air pollution at the ports of Oakland, Long Beach and Los Angeles. Communities adjacent to the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, such as West Long Beach, Wilmington and San Pedro, experience life expectancies up to eight years lower than the Los Angeles County average. The City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services reports that Black residents are hospitalized with asthma at eight times the rate of white residents, and Latino residents at twice the rate of white residents living farther from the port. This week, the American Lung Association just released a report showing that once again the Long Beach-Los Angeles region tops the list of our nation’s  smoggiest areas. Globally, shipping emissions were projected to cause 265,000 premature deaths in 2020.

What is Pacific Environment’s role? 

Pacific Environment and our partners are leading efforts to support, implement and defend life-saving clean air regulations: the At-Berth Regulation,  which requires certain ships, such as cruise and cargo ships, to use shorepower when ships are idling at the ports and the Commercial Harbor Craft Regulation, which requires boats to shift to cleaner engines. These regulations are essential for reducing harmful vessel pollution and preventing early deaths.

California’s At-Berth rule is projected to reduce cancer risk by 55% for millions of Californians living near the ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Richmond. 

Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA) is trying to take away these important public health benefits. WSPA filed a lawsuit challenging EPA’s authorization for the At-Berth Regulation, which allows California to enforce this lifesaving regulation. But they filed this lawsuit far too late — the deadline to challenge EPA’s authorization passed in December 2023. If the oil and gas industry succeeds in undoing the At-Berth Regulation, it will jeopardize the health of over 2 million Californians. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) estimates that between 2021 and 2032, the updated At-Berth Regulation will save 237 lives, yield $2.31 billion in public health benefits, and reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions by 17,500 tons.

In addition, Pacific Environment led a coalition in support of California’s first-in-the-nation zero-emission ferry standard. In January 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved the majority of CARB’s authorization request for the Commercial Harbor Craft Regulation, paving the way for zero-emissions harbor craft such as ferries, tugboats and workboats. This regulation will significantly improve air quality and health for Californians living near ports. According to CARB, this regulation will save 530 lives and protect 9.7 million residents from elevated levels of air pollution. 

We are already seeing the technology become reality. Last June, Crowley, ABB Marine, CARB Board Member Diane Takvorian, and others christened the first fully electric tugboat in the U.S. at the Port of San Diego. And last July, the first hydrogen fuel cell ferry in the world launched at the Port of San Francisco.

While California leads the effort to reduce harmful port pollution, the work is far from over. Industry groups tried to block the EPA approval; when they failed, they filed a lawsuit to block the implementation. As the federal government and the oil industry continue to attack and dismantle clean air policies, all eyes are on California to lead the way in protecting public health and the environment. We must fight to keep these life-saving rules in place because Californians deserve better. 

Local government officials, Pacific Environment staff and community members experience the world’s first hydrogen-powered ferry in San Francisco.

While continuing to safeguard these important regulations, Pacific Environment is also focusing on regulating emissions from ships in transit. Frontline Black and Latino communities have suffered from port pollution for far too long. Achieving zero-emissions shipping by 2040 is crucial for our health and the fight against climate change.

California can either lead the world into a cleaner, safer future — or let its frontline communities keep paying the price. The time to act is now.