California Lawmaker Seeks To Replace PierPASS at Long Beach, Los Angeles

California Assemblyman Patrick O’Donnell, D-Long Beach, introduced legislation that would replace PierPASS at the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, he said in a news release (here). The bill (AB 531) would create "the Southern California Joint Powers Authority (SCJPA), which will have the power to implement policies that alleviate port congestion, expand port infrastructure, and reduce air pollution at the two ports. SCJPA will be governed by a board of representatives from the two ports, the Cities of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and other community stakeholders." PierPASS, a not-for-profit company owned by the ports' marine terminal, "is a lot like the typewriter, having once served a valuable purpose, it is now an outdated relic,” said O’Donnell, chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Ports. “The neighboring Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles are one of our greatest assets, with billions of dollars’ worth of goods passing through the gates. We have a duty to ensure they remain a competitive and environmentally-friendly fuel for California’s economy.”

The Pacific Merchant Shipping Association objected to the bill as "an unnecessary measure which would overlay a new level of government onto existing tariffs, lease agreements, regulatory structures, tidelands trust grants, and port governance authorities in ways which would result in marketplace confusion, additional supply chain costs, and inevitable litigation." The bill's treatment of off-peak operations, which PierPASS currently handles through a system of extended operations and associated fees, is also troubling, the group said in a letter to the state's Senate Transporation Committee. "With respect to off-peak operations, AB 531 proposes an extreme public policy overresponse to commercial issues which are still evolving within the supply chain," PMSA said.

Email ITTNews@warren-news.com for a copy of the PMSA letter.