California Advances Bill for Port, Warehouse Pollution Controls

California lawmakers are advancing a bill that would empower state air regulators to impose pollution controls on ports, warehouses, and railyards, addressing a regulatory gap created by recent federal actions limiting the state's environmental authority.

Assembly Bill 1777, introduced by Assemblymember Robert Garcia, who represents parts of San Bernardino County, seeks to authorize the use of indirect source rules. These measures would require facilities to mitigate emissions from vehicles and equipment drawn to their operations, such as trucks and trains, which contribute to diesel exhaust pollution in nearby communities. The legislation responds to the Trump administration's revocation of California's waivers to set stricter vehicle emission standards and reductions in federal oversight of greenhouse gases, actions that have curtailed some of the state's key clean air initiatives.

For years, diesel emissions from shipping, rail, and trucking networks have been linked to elevated asthma rates in areas surrounding California's logistics hubs. State and local regulators have pursued various strategies to curb this pollution, but federal rollbacks have prompted new approaches at...