Carrix Supports Bill to Reduce Air Pollution

President & CEO Offers Comments in Favor of New Solutions for

Air Quality Improvement at Ports

Media Contact:

Mark Johnson, Vice President

SSA Marine                                                                                                                    

202-463-2517

 Washington, DC – Carrix President and CEO, Jon Hemingway, submitted testimony to the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee today in support of the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act of 2005 (S.1265).

All industries must monitor themselves and take an active role to improve air quality. For the transportation and logistics industry, emissions from inefficient older diesel truck engines is the obvious place to concentrate. Port truck drivers are enormously important to the efficient movement of containers and represent a critical component to the supply chain and the U.S. economy. Yet, a great many of these truckers are small businessmen and women, so-called owner operators, who often lack the financial means to retrofit engines with newer, more efficient models.

This bill will affect reduced emissions by making grants and loans available to states and other organizations to implement voluntary programs that improve air quality by reducing emissions by retrofitting diesel engines with newer models. The bill was sponsored by U.S. Senator George V. Voinovich (R-Ohio) and enjoys a broad-base of support in Congress.

SSA Marine, an affiliated company of Carrix, has been at the cutting edge of many efforts to reconcile truck congestion and air quality problems, particularly at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach represent the largest gateway for international trade in the United States. Combined, the two adjacent ports are the world’s fifth busiest port complex.

“Because America’s economy and countless jobs depend on the movement of goods through California’s ports, we believe the federal government shares responsibility for improving air quality at these ports,” said Hemingway. “American

efficiency and competitiveness depends on efficient transportation of international trade, federal leadership to reduce pollution from aging diesel engines at the ports is a vital component to the ongoing vitality of these gateways.” 

 “We believe a voluntary, incentive-based initiative is the most cost effective, expedient, near-term strategy that will provide measurable results by helping to phase out older diesel engines from ports,” Hemingway said.

S. 1265 will distribute more than $1 billion over five years to establish voluntary national grant and loan programs for diesel emission reduction projects and programs that improve air quality and protect public health.

About Carrix and SSA Marine

SSA Marine, a subsidiary of Carrix, Inc., is the largest privately held container terminal operator and cargo handling company in the world, handling approximately 20 million container TEU's per year at its marine and rail terminals. The company has 150 operations worldwide, including port operations throughout the U.S. as well as internationally in Panama, Mexico, Chile, Costa Rica, Iraq, South Africa and New Zealand and more than 13,000 employees.

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