PMSA Says California Must “Accelerate Public Investments” To Meet Sustainable Freight Goals

California’s recently announced Sustainable Freight Action Plan calls for truck, rail and waterborne transportation to dramatically reduce carbon emissions by 2030, and will require California to “accelerate public investments” in the maritime, trucking and rail sectors, according to the Pacific Merchants Shipping Association (PMSA). California Governor Jerry Brown’s executive order in support of the sustainable freight plan calls for “establishing a 2030 greenhouse gas emissions reduction target of 40% below 1990 levels…” The Plan is supported by the PMSA based in Oakland, California. However, Mike Jacob, vice president and general counsel of PMSA, has warned that California will need to make major investments to help the freight transportation industry upgrade to sustainable freight modes of transportation. Jacob noted PMSA believes that “the goals… are attainable…but only if the State of California makes an affirmative and significant commitment of public resources toward the creation of new investments in freight infrastructure.” In addition, “the creation of new infrastructure and zero-emission transition cannot occur in a manner which is mutually exclusive with continuous growth in the freight sector,” Jacob said. Jacob said that the maritime industry requires major investments and supports by the State of California to meet sustainable freight transport goals, “With respect to the maritime industry, PMSA member companies are committed to supporting the state’s economy and environment, and are prepared to continue to invest billions of dollars into the California freight system. However, in order to foster economic growth which is faster and more robust than the status quo (i.e. increase competitiveness), and to finance and underwrite infrastructure and equipment which is much more costly than under the status quo, the state must be committed to a partnership with our industry. The private sector alone cannot be relied upon to fund and finance all of the outsized investments in California’s freight and port infrastructure. As our partner, the State must be willing to accelerate public investments and incentivize private investments in our ports that go beyond our current market capacity, foster growth in intermodal volumes, and enhance California’s global competitiveness.”