Make Port a Safer Neighbor

Twenty-five years ago, a city task force recommended that waterfront tanks storing jet fuel and other flammable cargo be relocated away from the Port of Los Angeles’ cramped inner harbor and, not incidentally, away from family neighborhoods in San Pedro and Wilmington. The impetus was the explosion of an oil tanker at a Union Oil terminal that killed nine crewmen, caused $21.6 million in damage and jolted the then-president of the Los Angeles City Council--a San Pedro resident--out of bed.

The recommendations made it into the 1979 port master plan but no further, at least until Sept. 11 sounded another alarm.

As this bit of history attests, the renewed call to move the tank farms is no mere knee-jerk reaction to the terrorist attacks. It was a good idea two decades ago when accidents were the port’s main concern and it is a better idea now. But it is still just a notion that has lost momentum before and could again.

The encouraging news is that even before September port officials were talking about moving at least two major cargo terminals that handle gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel and additives for glues, paint and solvent. With the election of San Pedro’s own James K. Hahn to the mayor’s office and his sister, Janice Hahn, to represent the port area on the City Council, community members feel that their concerns about the port are getting a more sympathetic hearing than they have in years. The port is financially self-sufficient and presumably able to finance the proposed relocation.

Like Los Angeles International Airport, the Port of Los Angeles plays a vital role in the city’s and region’s economy. It moves $101 billion worth of cargo each year, employs up to 25,000 workers and indirectly supports countless other jobs throughout Southern California, from international trade to the fashion industry. And like LAX, this economic engine can be a noisy and polluting neighbor.

The long-promised relocation of tank farms would benefit residents and also keep the port itself operating more smoothly and increase the safety of those who work there.