Green-leaning Long Beach Airport still needs to get the lead out

LONG BEACH -- While aviation officials are planning to make Long Beach the greenest airfield in the nation through innovative renovations and modernization, the airport remains among America's largest emitters of poisonous lead pollution.

A study by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2008 showed Long Beach was the second-highest emitter of aircraft-related lead air pollution in California and the sixth-largest in the country.

The emissions are largely caused by the high number of general aviation aircraft using the airport daily, which include small single-engine planes, private jets and helicopters, along with cargo jets and commercial aircraft.

Long Beach Councilman James Johnson, whose 7th District borders the airport, has recently begun pushing for stricter standards on the hundreds of thousands of aircraft visiting Daugherty Field each year.

"The time has come to study how we can decrease airport emissions for the health of our residents," Johnson said. "We need to look at the science, study the options and begin leading the push for a national standard on aircraft (engines) and fuel to help reduce the impact on residents in airport cities. We have one of America's busiest general aviation airports, and it only makes sense we help take the lead on this issue."

Long Beach Airport Dir. Mario Rodriguez agrees with Johnson's position and has helped organize funding for green initiatives at the airport since taking the helm more than two years ago.

Rodriguez is overseeing a 5-year, $136 million modernization program at the airport that includes solar energy paneling, electrification of cargo-handling equipment and the installation of new jet ramps allowing aircraft to "plug in" while visiting the city.

The latter initiative permits jets to cut off their auxiliary engines while in Long Beach, cutting toxic diesel fumes from wafting into neighborhoods around the airport.

According to a 2005 study at Zurich Airport in Switzerland, these onboard engines contribute up to 50 percent of smog-forming nitrogen oxide emissions at airports.

Long Beach Airport is also installing low-flow toilets expected to save 1 million gallons of water annually, with the solar panels estimated to eventually generate 13 percent of overall airport electrical needs.

"Long Beach has initiated a greening program that includes solar, water and reduction in energy use," Rodriguez said. "When we complete our airport modernization program (in 2014), we expect to be the greenest airport in the nation."

Johnson said airport noise and pollution are one of the most common issues he's heard from constituents since taking office in 2010.

"One thing I kept hearing over and over was the airport and air pollution, and wherever I went, it was an issue people were concerned about," Johnson said. "I decided to look into it, and was amazed at what I found."

The South Coast Air Quality Management District lists aircraft as the fifth-largest source regionally of air pollution in the Los Angeles Basin, nearly the total emitted by cars, trucks and SUVs.

The AQMD estimates about 25 tons of nitrogen oxides will be spewed into local skies by aircraft annually within 10 years if no changes are made.

"It's obviously an issue that needs to be addressed, and my position is that we should get together with other airports, pilots, general aviation, airlines and the federal government and come up with a plan that makes any rules standard at airports everywhere, but especially in a city like ours that suffers from terrible levels of air pollution," said Johnson.

Johnson plans to use his platform as a member of the Long Beach City Council's Airport Advisory Committee to work on a program with other regional airports by fall.

"We have a big (city) budget issue ahead of us, but this aircraft pollution issue is something I'm going to devote some time to in the coming months, probably after we're done with the budget," Johnson said.

The federal government has announced they are considering stricter regulations on aviation fuels, which still contain lead, an additive largely banned from automotive fuels in the United States in the 1980 s.

Rodriguez said he will use his positions on several regional and national airport associations, including the Association of California Airports.

"On the federal level or aircraft level, we -- and consistent with city policy -- support efforts at the federal level to produce a safe and greener general aviation fuel that will replace the current fuel used by piston-driven propeller aircraft," Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said the airport is waiting on a study by the EPA in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration to study aircraft emissions from piston-driven propeller aircraft and their impact on airport cities large and small.

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