Pacific Environment amplifies the voices of supporters like you to force those in power to pay attention to local concerns.

Here are a few ways you can get involved, just click on each photo below to be directed to our Action Center:

Tell the Mayors of Los Angeles and Long Beach: Be Environmental Justice Leaders and Clean Up Ports and Railyards

Sign the petition to call on Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson to champion South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD)’s Ports and Rail Indirect Source Rules and follow through on their 100% zero-emission Port operations and climate commitments to stop life-shortening pollution at the San Pedro Bay ports.

From the ships leaving from our backyards or coming from overseas, to the trucks and trains driving daily through our communities, the burning of fossil fuels is present at every step in the movement of goods — and often Black and Brown, working-class frontline communities are left to deal with the negative impacts.

President Biden, be the Solution! Sign an Executive Order to END Ship & Port Pollution

In recent weeks, the Biden administration has made tremendous strides in combating climate change pollution. Now, with the stroke of his pen, President Biden can prioritize the health of portside communities and fight the climate crisis by signing an executive order accelerating action to end ship and port pollution.

Ocean shipping plays a key role in the global economy, yet shipping emissions can be deadly: contributing to 6 million childhood asthma cases and more than an estimated 250,000 premature deaths globally each year. That’s why we need President Biden to use his federal power to take a stance now and help eliminate toxic shipping emissions, advance environmental justice, create good-paying union jobs and — most importantly — save lives.

Tell the EPA: Approve Life-Saving Protections to Safeguard California’s Health & Air Quality

In a victory for people and climate, the California Air Resources Board amended the Commercial Harbor Craft Rule in 2022, setting the first zero-emissions mandate for ferries in the U.S and requiring cleaner engine upgrades for tugboats and other regulated vessels. However, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has yet to approve these lifesaving amendments. (Under the Clean Air Act, the state of California must get approval from EPA in order to enforce any regulation related to emission control from nonroad vehicles such as boats.)

Harbor craft vessels such as ferries, tugboats and barges cause serious health issues like asthma, lung disease, cancer and decreased life expectancy and are one of the largest sources of cancer-causing emissions at the ports. San Pedro Bay port-adjacent communities — predominantly working-class Black and Brown people — experience higher rates of breathing problems, health and respiratory diseases and shorter life expectancies than the Los Angeles County average.