Seattle and other Pacific Northwest ports this past year recorded reductions in pollution from maritime sources, including vessels, marine terminal operations and trucking.

The ports of Seattle, Tacoma and Vancouver, B.C., in 2008 adopted the Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy. The program is designed to reduce health-risk pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides and particulate matter, as well as greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming.

According to the program's 2009 Implementation Report, pollution is being reduced in a number of areas. For example, under Seattle's At-Berth Clean Fuels program, 63 percent of the vessels in 2009 switched to low-sulfur fuel or plugged into shore-side electrical power while at berth.

Also, 77 percent of the trucks calling at the Port of Seattle met or exceeded 2010 performance measures. More than 200 of the dirtiest trucks have been scrapped or recycled.

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