Alec Fisken: City Port Commission #5, Seattle

We STRONGLY support Commissioner Fisken and appreciate the work he has been doing as Port Commissioner. Alec is the Port's leader in cracking down on air and water pollution -- enforcing existing standards and working along the West Coast for tough, uniform standards. From cruise ships and freighters to airplanes, Alec is committed to protecting our environment.

Alec Fisken understands the important consequences of air and water pollution. He is particularly focused on reducing greenhouse gas and diesel particulate matter emissions. He takes seriously the Puget Sound Air Emissions Inventory (the first study of its kind to measure greenhouse gases).  The inventory measured air pollution from oceangoing vessels, cargo-handling equipment, trucks, rail, and harbor craft during 2005. The inventory found that maritime activities produced more than 1,444 gross tons of diesel particulate matter, as well as an additional 3,109 gross tons of fine particulate matter such as smoke, dirt, soot, and dust.

An earlier report from the Puget Sound Air Agency found that the port and its related industries account for a large part of the diesel particulate that accounts for 78% of the potential cancer risk from all air toxins in the Puget Sound area.

We have the technology to dramatically reduce air emissions for port activities. Some ports (particularly Los Angeles and Long Beach) are already establishing the legal framework for applying that technology. Alec would like the Port of Seattle to join them. He tells us that, "We can reduce noxious emissions from ocean- going ships by 80%-90%, reduce emissions from trucks serving marine terminals by at least that much, and the same for some locomotives and terminal handling equipment."

We need Alec Fisken to remain a Port Commissioner because he will demand that the Port of Seattle take a leadership role in protecting our environment. His work can make a huge difference for Puget Sound and a huge difference for all the large port cities in the U.S. and Canada.

This fall, you have the opportunity to return Commissioner Fisken to the Port of Seattle. Please help make a difference by voting for Alec Fisken.

http://alecfisken.com/  and  www.seattleportwatch.blogspot.com