[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 185 (Wednesday, December 5, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H14212-H14218]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY YEAR OF THE FOUNDING OF THE PORT OF 
                              LOS ANGELES

  Ms. RICHARDSON. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree 
to the resolution (H. Res. 822) recognizing the 100th anniversary year 
of the founding of the Port of Los Angeles, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 822

       Whereas on December 9, 1907, the Los Angeles City Council 
     approved City Ordinance No. 15621, creating the Board of 
     Harbor Commissioners and officially founding the Port of Los 
     Angeles;
       Whereas the Port of Los Angeles's earliest history was 
     recorded by Portuguese explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo who 
     named this natural harbor ``Bahia de los Fumos'' or ``Bay of 
     Smokes'' on October 8, 1542, when he noted that the bay ``is 
     an excellent harbor and the country is good with many plains 
     and groves of trees'';
       Whereas in the 1850s, a spirited entrepreneur named Phineas 
     Banning began the first of a lifetime of ventures that would 
     eventually earn him distinction as the ``Father of Los 
     Angeles Harbor'' by leading the evolution of the harbor from 
     a trading center for fur and hides to a hub for more diverse 
     commerce, largely through a freight and passenger 
     transportation business that grew into a shipping firm with 
     15 stagecoaches and 50 wagons serving five western States;
       Whereas the Los Angeles and San Pedro Railroad began 
     service between San Pedro Bay and Los Angeles in 1869 as a 
     21-mile stretch of track comprising the first railroad in 
     Southern California and marking the beginning of a new era of 
     development for the harbor region;
       Whereas proposals for new ports in present-day Santa 
     Monica, Marina del Rey, and Redondo Beach began surfacing in 
     the late 1800s until 1897, when a five-man board of 
     engineers, chaired by Rear Admiral John C. Walker, settled 
     the great free-harbor fight by recommending continued port 
     development in San Pedro Bay, resulting in additional 
     improvements to the harbor including the first 8,500-foot 
     section of the Federal breakwater that was completed in 1911, 
     widening and dredging of the Main Channel to accommodate the 
     largest vessels of that era, and completion by the Southern 
     Pacific Railroad of its first major wharf in San Pedro, 
     allowing railcars to efficiently load and unload goods 
     simultaneously;
       Whereas the Port was involved in World War II on a massive 
     scale, with every vessel building operation assisting in the 
     construction, conversion, and repair of vessels for the war 
     effort, and shipbuilding quickly became the Port of Los 
     Angeles's prime economic activity, with California 
     Shipbuilding Corp., Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp., 
     Consolidated Steel Corp., Todd Shipyards, and other 
     enterprises collectively employing more than 90,000 workers;
       Whereas in August 1958, the HAWAIIAN MERCHANT delivered its 
     first shipment of 20 cargo containers to the Port of Los 
     Angeles, marking the beginning of the containerized cargo 
     revolution in California;
       Whereas the Port was a principal partner of the 
     $2,500,000,000 Alameda Corridor project which opened in April 
     2002 as a 20-mile rail expressway that reliably and 
     efficiently connects the Port to America's transcontinental 
     rail system, a project which epitomizes the Port's 
     involvement in developing robust regional transportation 
     infrastructure solutions by working in partnership with 
     local, regional, and statewide agencies to improve goods 
     movement systems;
       Whereas the Port's 2004 completion of the nearly 500-acre 
     Pier 400 container complex as the largest single-user 
     container terminal in the world has been acclaimed as an 
     engineering marvel and model of operational efficiency;
       Whereas the Port of Los Angeles has long recognized its 
     responsibility for infrastructure and operational 
     improvements that are supportive of sustainable growth 
     compatible with environmental stewardship, the most recent 
     example being a historic November 2006 action by the Boards 
     of Harbor Commissioners of Los Angeles and Long Beach in 
     approving an aggressive plan to reduce air pollution by 
     nearly 50 percent in 5 years, making the San Pedro Bay Ports 
     Clean Air Action Plan the world's first program addressing 
     all port-related emission sources to significantly reduce 
     health risks posed by regional air pollution from port-
     related operations;
       Whereas the Port of Los Angeles is located in San Pedro 
     Bay, California, and is part of the Southern California port 
     complex which handles more than 43 percent of all goods 
     arriving in the United States, impacting over 1,000,000 jobs 
     nationwide;
       Whereas as a premier international gateway, the Port of Los 
     Angeles is the leading container handling port in the United 
     States, with more than 8,500,000 TEU's (twenty-foot 
     equivalent units) recorded in 2006, thus retaining its 
     stature as the leading United States containerport for the 
     seventh consecutive year;
       Whereas the Port of Los Angeles as part of the San Predro 
     Bay Port Complex has grown 246 percent over the past 11 
     years, tripling its trade-related jobs, generating 
     $256,000,000,000 in commerce, and producing $28,000,000,000 
     in tax revenue, and is expected to triple again the amount of 
     cargo handled by 2030;
       Whereas in 2007, under the leadership of Los Angeles Mayor 
     Antonio Villaraigosa, President S. David Freeman and the 
     Board of Harbor Commissioners, and Executive Director 
     Geraldine Knatz, the Port is celebrating its Centennial, 
     commemorating the great strides made in its 100-year 
     tradition of service as an international trade hub and 
     maritime industry leader; and
       Whereas from its tradition of handling fishing, lumber, and 
     hides at the turn of the century to today's reputation for 
     expeditiously moving a diverse, unprecedented global cargo 
     mix, the Port of Los Angeles now looks toward its next 100 
     years with a legacy as an undisputed international leader in 
     setting global standards for industry-leading environmental 
     initiatives, terminal efficiency, and sustainable growth: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) recognizes the 100th anniversary year of the founding 
     of the Port of Los Angeles, which is the Nation's largest 
     containerport;
       (2) congratulates the Port of Los Angeles for its 
     achievements as a leader throughout its history in 
     implementing modern and innovative transportation and goods 
     movements systems that are compatible with responsible 
     environmental stewardship; and
       (3) wishes the Port of Los Angeles continued success during 
     its next 100 years as it strives to remain the Nation's 
     largest and most successful conveyor of the Nation's and the 
     world's commerce.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Richardson) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. 
LaTourette) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.


                             General Leave

  Ms. RICHARDSON. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend 
their remarks and to include extraneous material on House Resolution 
822.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. RICHARDSON. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, I'm proud to honor the Port of Los Angeles today with 
the passage of House Resolution 822, which recognizes the port's 100th 
anniversary. I was pleased to undertake this effort with my colleague 
from the Republican side of the aisle, Representative Dana Rohrabacher.
  The Port of Los Angeles enjoys a meaningful history, Madam Speaker, 
starting in the mid-19th century as a trading center for furs and hides 
serviced by stagecoaches and wagons and transforming over time into a 
distinction today as the Nation's largest container port.
  In 1911, Rear Admiral John C. Walker helped push for greater 
development in the San Pedro Bay, and his efforts resulted in the first 
Federal breakwater.
  In World War II, the Port of Los Angeles played a large role in our 
Nation's ability to respond to the shipbuilding challenge and to arm 
the U.S. Navy. This effort also quickly became a part of the Port of 
Los Angeles' prime economic activity.
  More recently, in 2004 the port completed the 500-acre Pier 400 
container complex as the largest single user container terminal in the 
world, which has been acclaimed as an engineering marvel.

[[Page H14213]]

                              {time}  1615

  The Port of Los Angeles is located in the San Pedro Bay in California 
and is a part of the Southern California port complex. In California, 
both ports, Los Angeles and Long Beach, process approximately 85 
percent of the State's goods movement program. For the Nation, the 
Southern California complex additionally handles more than 45 percent 
of the entire Nation's cargo arriving in the United States, impacting 
over 1 million jobs nationwide. As a premier international gateway, the 
Port of Los Angeles has been recorded as the number one largest 
container handling port in the United States for the last 7 consecutive 
years.
  My colleagues, the impact of the Port of Los Angeles is monumental, 
and the numbers are staggering. The port has grown 246 percent over the 
last 11 years, tripling its trade-related jobs, generating $256 billion 
in commerce, and producing $28 billion in tax revenue. This growth is 
not likely to slow, as the port is expected to again triple the amount 
of cargo it handles by the year 2030.
  With this progress comes great responsibility, however. In 2006, the 
historic Clean Air Action Plan was agreed to by the Boards of Harbor 
Commissioners, which seeks to reduce air pollution by 50 percent in the 
next 5 years.
  With House Resolution 822, the House now has an opportunity to bestow 
the appropriate recognition on the Port of Los Angeles that it deserves 
after 100 years of successful operation and service to the American 
public and our economy.
  I urge my colleagues to support House Resolution 822.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, House Resolution 822 recognizes the 100th anniversary 
of the Port of Los Angeles. The Port of Los Angeles is the busiest port 
in the United States in terms of maritime cargo volume and, when 
combined with the adjoining Port of Long Beach, is the fifth busiest 
commercial seaport worldwide.
  This trade is a critical component to our national economy, and 
directly and indirectly supports millions of jobs nationwide. The port 
has also taken action to lessen impacts on the surrounding areas and 
the environment by recently implementing a comprehensive strategy to 
reduce emissions from ships and port operations.
  I join the resolution's sponsors, Congresswoman Richardson of 
California and Congressman Rohrabacher of California, and all of the 
cosponsors in recognizing the Port of Los Angeles' first 100 years and 
wishing the port continued success in the future.
  I urge all Members to support the resolution. And I want to 
congratulate one of our newest Members in the House, Congresswoman 
Richardson, on guiding this legislation to the floor in such a quick 
manner.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. RICHARDSON. Madam Speaker, I wish to recognize for 3 minutes a 
strong ally of the Port of Los Angeles and my friend from Los Angeles 
County, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Harman).
  Ms. HARMAN. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding to me and commend 
her for her leadership on this legislation, along with Mr. Rohrabacher. 
In 2 months in Congress, you have hit the ground running, and we're all 
very proud to serve as your colleagues.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution congratulating 
the Port of Los Angeles on its 100th anniversary.
  When I first came to Congress in 1992, the Port of L.A. looked far 
different than it does today. It wasn't quite the sleepy port of 100 
years ago, with mule-driven trains and wooden ships. It was a regional 
presence. But today it is the largest container port in the United 
States and part of the fifth busiest container complex in the world. It 
supports over 250,000 jobs at the port and adjacent communities and 
nearly 1 million jobs worldwide. It is an economic powerhouse whose 
importance to Southern California and the Nation cannot be overstated.
  In recent years, the port has taken great strides to address the 
challenges that come with being a major port in the 21st century. It 
has dedicated millions to ensuring the quality of life for the 
surrounding communities, many of which are located in my congressional 
district. It has also taken on groundbreaking environmental initiatives 
to reduce the air pollution that it generates. Maybe most importantly, 
100 years ago there was no such thing as a maritime security strategy. 
Today, the issue is of paramount importance, and the port has been a 
national leader.
  In the hours after the September 11 attacks, port officials, the 
Coast Guard, and local law enforcement executed a pre-approved plan 
that quickly and efficiently secured the port. The planning, 
communication and execution we saw that day became the inspiration for 
many of the security initiatives that have come since, including the 
SAFE Port Act, which I coauthored with my California colleague, Dan 
Lungren, and which became law last year.
  As I mentioned, Congresswoman Richardson deserves enormous appraise 
for her leadership on an issue that was very timely but which the rest 
of us had overlooked. I don't think this resolution would have come to 
the floor without her initiative. And it really is a big deal to the 
San Pedro community.
  I look forward to working with her as her partner when we celebrate 
the next 100 years. We may be feeble, but we will be here.
  And at this time, I would like to insert into the Record an article 
from today's edition of the Daily Breeze.

                 [From the Daily Breeze, Dec. 5, 2007]

         Port of Los Angeles Marks 100 Years Since Its Creation

                           (By Art Marroquin)

       San Pedro Bay had been struggling as a port for nearly a 
     half-century, but the mud flats surrounding the inland harbor 
     failed to excite railroad magnate Collis P. Huntington.
       So rather than run his Southern Pacific Railroad down to 
     San Pedro, Huntington bought more than 200 acres in Santa 
     Monica in the hope of bolstering his vision for a ``Port Los 
     Angeles.''
       He built a wharf that extended 4,720 feet into the Pacific 
     Ocean, attracting more than 300 cargo ships during its first 
     year in 1893.
       ``He wanted people to think his port was close to Los 
     Angeles, when in fact it wasn't,'' said Ernest Marquez of 
     West Hills, who chronicled Huntington's efforts in his 1975 
     book ``Port Los Angeles: A Phenomenon of the Railroad Era.''
       ``If he was successful, then the region's economy would 
     have been at the mercy of Southern Pacific and that would 
     have been disastrous,'' Marquez said.
       While Huntington tried to get his Santa Monica port 
     recognized as the official harbor for the Los Angeles region, 
     efforts were already under way to bulk up the port in San 
     Pedro.
       U.S. Sen. Stephen M. White, the Los Angeles Chamber of 
     Commerce and Los Angeles Times Publisher Harrison Gray Otis 
     believed the port should be a city-operated enterprise and 
     pushed efforts to build a ``Port of Los Angeles'' in San 
     Pedro Bay.
       ``Those men saw potential for the mud flats in San Pedro,'' 
     Marquez said. ``They believed the harbor could be developed 
     by lots of digging and dredging.''
       To a lesser extent, interests in Redondo Beach and Playa 
     del Rey had tried to enter the fray, but those efforts 
     quickly fell by the wayside, setting the scene for an epic 
     battle that became known as the ``Free Harbor Contest.''
       Congress established the River and Harbor Act of 1896, 
     which created a commission to decide whether federal funds 
     should go to Santa Monica or San Pedro.
       Three years later, Congress put its money on San Pedro and 
     breakwater construction began a short time afterward.
       ``There was no way a harbor of this magnitude could have 
     been developed in Santa Monica because there are too many 
     cliffs on the beach, and it was wide open to the ocean,'' 
     Marquez said. ``San Pedro was favored because the harbor went 
     inland and protected ships from the open seas.''
       The city of Los Angeles then annexed a 16-mile strip of 
     land to connect to the port in 1906. The communities of San 
     Pedro and Wilmington were annexed three years later.
       The city's newfound ownership of the port gave rise to a 
     new harbor commission, a three-member panel appointed in 1907 
     by then-Mayor A.C. Harper.
       The 100th anniversary of the harbor commission's creation 
     will be marked during a celebration at 4 p.m. Sunday.
       The bash will include historical displays, refreshments, 
     boat shows and a performance by Taiwan's Evergreen Symphony 
     Orchestra. A fireworks display is set for 7 p.m.
       The first commissioners--George H. Stewart, Frederick 
     William Braun and T.E. Gibbon--regularly met in downtown Los 
     Angeles and made ``big news'' during the rare occasions they 
     traveled about 20 miles south to San Pedro, according to 
     Geraldine Knatz, executive director for the Port of Los 
     Angeles.

[[Page H14214]]

       The panel didn't have a budget and its members often had to 
     pay for expenses out of their own pockets, she said.
       ``When the voters approved the annexation and bond 
     improvements for port improvements, the money went to the 
     Board of Public Works, not the harbor commissioners,'' Knatz 
     said. ``It got so bad that all the commissioners resigned in 
     disgust by 1913.''
       The first harbor commission faced many of the struggles 
     that persist today, such as building new infrastructure and 
     bolstering regional economic development, Knatz said.
       ``When you read through the meeting minutes from 100 years 
     ago, you learn that nothing really changes,'' Knatz said. 
     ``There will never be enough money, you'll be lobbied by 
     different interest groups, and you'll always have to deal 
     with residents who live near the port. It's always going to 
     be hard.''
       The port has come a long way since those early years, with 
     the arrival of cargo container ships in 1937, the advent of 
     towering gantry cranes during the late 1960s and, more 
     recently, an environmental push aimed at reducing diesel 
     emissions from ships and trucks.
       About 15.8 million cargo units passed through the ports of 
     Los Angeles and Long Beach last year, accounting for more 
     than 40 percent of the nation's imports. That number is 
     expected to double by 2020 and nearly triple by 2030, 
     according to local economist John Husing.
       Additionally, some 500,000 people in Southern California 
     are employed directly and indirectly by port-related 
     businesses, Husing said last month.
       ``The port is a vital part of our national economy, but it 
     is just as important locally, providing good jobs for 
     generations of local residents,'' said Los Angeles City 
     Councilwoman Janice Hahn, whose 15th District includes the 
     port.
       To remain competitive, the port must continue to grow while 
     also keeping the environment in mind, Husing said.
       Several shipping companies operating at the Port of Los 
     Angeles are studying expansion options that call for 
     environmentally friendly accommodations, such as AMP 
     technology that allows container ships to ``plug in'' to a 
     generator and operate on electrical power while docked, 
     rather than idling on their diesel engines.
       China Shipping was the first company to use the technology 
     at the Port of Los Angeles, resulting in the elimination of 
     300 tons of pollution-forming nitrogen oxides since 2004, 
     according to port officials.
       ``Growing green is imperative if any kind of expansion is 
     going to happen,'' Knatz said. ``It's always difficult to be 
     out front on these issues, but we can't afford to be a 
     follower.''
       Indeed, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach approved a 
     clean air plan in 2006 aimed at reducing emissions by 50 
     percent over the next five years.
       The ports are poised in 2008 to roll out the plan's first 
     provisions, including a so-called Clean Trucks Program that 
     calls for replacing or retrofitting about 16,000 diesel-
     spewing big rigs with cleaner-burning vehicles by 2012.
       ``The time has come for us to truly commit to cleaning up 
     our air and limiting emissions from the port,'' Hahn said. 
     ``It is my hope that working together, we can finally have 
     both a productive and efficient port, but also clean and 
     healthy communities.''

  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Madam Speaker, at this time it is my pleasure to 
yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from California 
(Mr. Rohrabacher).
  Mr. ROHRABACHER. Madam Speaker, next week, on December 9, as we have 
mentioned today, the Port of Los Angeles, which I am proud to say is 
located in my district, will celebrate its 100-year anniversary.
  Yes, the Port of Los Angeles has had a long and distinguished 
history. It was the location of one of the first railroads in Southern 
California. We are also proud of the crucial role played by the Port of 
Los Angeles in the battle for the Pacific during the Second World War.
  Throughout its history, the Port of Los Angeles has been a harbinger 
of prosperity and economic growth, as well as an impetus for the 
engineering and technology development that we have noted. In August of 
1958, for example, a cargo vessel named the Hawaiian Merchant delivered 
its first shipment of 20 cargo containers to the Port of Los Angeles, 
ushering in a cargo container revolution that has had an enormous 
impact on the world economy.
  Let us note on this 100th anniversary that there was someone who 
played an important role in providing the infrastructure to the ports 
and to the transportation systems that serve the ports. Let us pay 
homage to Congressman Glen Anderson, who helped provide, with his 
influence in this House as chairman of the Transportation Committee, 
such support that gave us the infrastructure we needed to have the 
great port complex of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
  When I first was a Member elected here, Glen Anderson was still 
serving here, and I was proud to call him my friend. He has left us a 
legacy that he can be proud of.
  We've come a long way in these last 50 years, with the help of people 
like Glen Anderson. Those initial 20 cargo containers have grown to 
over 8.5 million cargo containers just last year. And as we noted, the 
combination of the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach represent the 
fifth largest port complex in the world. More than 43 percent of all 
goods arriving in the United States enter through this port complex. 
And I guarantee you that in every congressional district represented in 
this Congress, there is something there that has been brought through 
the international gateway, which is the Port of Los Angeles.
  There is a challenge in this new century, several challenges, 
however. Madam Speaker, our greatest challenge is to improve the way 
that containers are moved through the port complex of Los Angeles and 
Long Beach. Over 70 percent of the containers now arriving in our ports 
are headed inland from Southern California to destinations and 
localities within the United States. Every day, thousands of these 
containers are hauled by truck from the port to inland rail depots. 
This results in unsafe road conditions, traffic jams, dangerous health 
conditions, pollution, and our freeways and our roadways are 
unacceptably crowded. And yes, that is unacceptable now. As container 
traffic grows, the situation will get worse unless we act.
  If we continue with the current method of transporting those 
containers individually by truck system, the whole system will collapse 
as it pollutes and clogs Southern California's roads and freeways. That 
said, however, there is a new solution on the way, a new clean and 
efficient way of moving containers through the ports through inland 
railroad depot, a way that will revolutionize the process. This new 
approach has bipartisan support. That bipartisan support ranges from 
myself and Governor Schwarzenegger to my Democratic colleagues, 
Representatives Richardson and Oberstar.
  The cutting-edge technology to which I refer is an electronic cargo 
conveyor system. Instead of being loaded onto trucks to sit in traffic, 
containers will be quickly sent to an interior rail depot utilizing 
clean electric mag-levlike technology, an electronic conveyor belt 
system of sorts. With container traffic being removed from our roads 
and our freeways, traffic and health conditions will dramatically 
improve. We will be able to quickly and cleanly move the cargo out of 
our ports and to consumer outlets throughout the United States. And the 
best part, Madam Speaker, is that it will cost less to build and run a 
new system like I have just described than to continue to pay to have 
containers shipped individually by truck.
  The ports in Southern California will continue to prosper and lead 
the way as long as it is willing to innovate with the type of 
creativity reflected in the mag-lev system that I just discussed. I 
congratulate the Port of Los Angeles and its board of directors on 
their anniversary and the tremendous success of the last 100 years.
  We have other issues as well, and let me just note one other issue as 
we know, and Ms. Harman has played a major role in trying to develop 
the security that we need at our ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. 
There are security needs and other infrastructure needs that will cost 
money. Whenever you have any benefit, it will cost. We need to face the 
cost of these improvements with the same creativity that I just 
discussed technologically that we need to do in the cargo movement.
  The way that I would suggest, and I hope that on this anniversary 
that we note that, yes, Glen Anderson played an important role in 
getting Federal money for the ports. That is not an unending source of 
revenue. But if we were to charge a container fee and base our 
improvements in the ports, instead of on the taxpayers of the United 
States channeling money to our ports, that we instead charge those 
using the ports a reasonable container fee so that those who have set 
up manufacturing facilities in China and elsewhere will pay to utilize 
the ports, that container fee will not only be fair, but it will be

[[Page H14215]]

something that will provide us a new source of revenue in order to 
provide the security and infrastructure needs of the future.
  So these two combination things, the new mag-lev technology conveyor 
belt system I described, and a new container fee which is basically a 
user fee for those using the ports, will be the type of innovation that 
will ensure that the Ports of Los Angeles, and yes, the port complex in 
Long Beach, has a great second 100 years, and that, again, this port 
complex will provide us with an example of innovation and forward 
thinking and economic prosperity that will serve all of the people of 
the United States.
  Again, I congratulate the Port of Los Angeles on their 100th 
anniversary.
  Ms. RICHARDSON. Madam Speaker, I wish to recognize for 2 minutes my 
good friend and representative who covers the Port of San Diego, our 
sister port, the gentleman from California (Mr. Filner).
  Mr. FILNER. I thank the gentlelady, and I thank you for your 
leadership, which has come very early in your congressional career. 
It's nice to be here. Thank you for allowing a Congressman from San 
Diego to join you in this celebration of the 100th anniversary of the 
Port of Los Angeles.
  As a representative of San Diego, there are a lot of things we don't 
want to imitate about Los Angeles, but we look with envy at the 
economic engine that the Port of Los Angeles represents. It is truly, 
and I say this with some envy, Southern California's gateway to 
international commerce, maintaining its competitive edge with record-
setting cargo operations, groundbreaking environmental issues, 
progressive security measures, and diverse recreational and educational 
facilities.
  The port's economic contributions are far-reaching. The port is 
connected directly and indirectly with tens of billions of dollars in 
industry sales each year in the Southern California region and in the 
Nation, translating into hundreds of thousands of local jobs and 
billions of dollars in wages, salaries and State and local taxes.
  One out of every 24 jobs in Southern California is generated by the 
port. That's almost 260,000. One out of every $23 paid in wages and 
salaries, almost $9 billion, comes from the Port of Los Angeles.

                              {time}  1630

  Almost 1\1/2\ million jobs are generated nationwide, and the port 
generates almost $1.5 billion in State and local taxes.
  So this economic engine is far-reaching. We marvel at what you have 
produced there. We hope to take away sometime some of the congestion 
that the previous gentleman talked about by expanding our Port of San 
Diego, but we look at you again for a model of how to do these things. 
At least one business in every congressional district in this Nation 
imports or exports goods through the Los Angeles port complex. It is 
truly America's gateway, and we have an opportunity provided by you to 
recognize the 100th anniversary, and we hope there is unanimous support 
for your resolution.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Madam Speaker, it's my pleasure to yield such time as 
he may consume to another gentleman from California (Mr. Daniel E. 
Lungren).
  Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. I thank the gentleman for the 
time.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the resolution. As one who grew 
up in the City of Long Beach and spent a great deal of time as a child 
being taken by parents down to the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach 
and having as a college student in the summertime worked in the Port of 
Los Angeles, I have had the opportunity to see that port grow, along 
with its sister port, the Port of Long Beach. The progress that has 
been made there, the advances that have been made there, the jobs that 
have been created there, the tremendous economic engine that that port 
is, is an example to not only California and the country but to the 
rest of the world how you can take a natural resource and in some ways 
refine it and in some ways make it better than it was before so that it 
enhances the entire area or the entire region.
  The Port of Los Angeles has a distinguished record. It is one that is 
marked with achievement. It is one that is marked with advances in 
technology, and it is one that has always contributed to the health of 
the region that I used to represent in this body some 20 years ago.
  I congratulate the gentlewoman for bringing this forth, and I would 
suggest to my colleagues not only that they support this, but if they 
ever have the opportunity to be in California and they want to see a 
magnificent engine of economic vitality, they ought to come by and see 
the Port of Los Angeles. It is a credit to the people of the region. It 
is a credit to those who had the foresight to develop it as a working 
port. And I join everyone else in congratulating those who now are 
responsible for its continued operation.
  Ms. RICHARDSON. Madam Speaker, I wish to yield 2 minutes to my good 
friend from Los Angeles and a fellow member of the Transportation 
Committee, the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Napolitano).
  Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Madam Speaker, I certainly want to thank 
Representative Richardson for introducing House Resolution 822, and I 
join my colleagues in their accolades on the Port of Long Beach's 
reaching their 100th anniversary and on their accomplishments, as they 
are a tremendous asset to California. Their leadership has been, as 
you've heard, exemplary. It has provided hundreds of thousands of jobs 
over the 100 years. Many of the longshoremen and stevedores are 
immigrants and live in our districts in Los Angeles.
  The fact is these ports and their workers are vital to all of our 
U.S. economy. As you have heard, they provide movement of 8.5 million 
containers, and 1 million jobs throughout the United States, not just 
in Los Angeles and in California. And my district is home to many 
factories and companies and distribution centers that import and export 
their products through these ports. The $8 billion in trade from 
imports impact my district tremendously, and it is expected to triple 
by the year 2030, undertaking, you've heard, the $2 billion Clean Air 
Action Plan to reduce emissions by 50 percent in 5 years, replacing 
dirty diesel trucks from the ports, and requiring low sulfur gas to be 
used by the incoming ships.
  We congratulate and are joined by many other members of the Los 
Angeles delegation, including David Dreier, who just stopped by and 
said that he too joins us on congratulating the Port of Los Angeles on 
the great strides to improve our environment and in strong support of 
this bill.
  I also request my colleagues to join us in passing this resolution 
honoring the Port of Los Angeles on their 100th anniversary.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. RICHARDSON. Madam Speaker, I wish to yield 2-1/12 minutes to my 
dear friend also from the Los Angeles County area, the gentlewoman from 
California, Ms. Roybal-Allard.
  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of House 
Resolution 822, recognizing the 100th anniversary of the founding of 
the Port of Los Angeles, and I commend Congresswoman Laura Richardson 
for her leadership and introduction of this resolution.
  When the port opened in 1907, the population of the City of Los 
Angeles stood at only 300,000 residents. Today the City of Los Angeles 
is a thriving metropolis of more than 4 million residents, the second 
largest city in the Nation. This transformation into a sprawling urban 
giant was enhanced by the ever-growing global trade that passes through 
the Port of Los Angeles.
  As a major gateway to the Pacific Rim, the L.A. port handles an 
estimated $225 billion worth of cargo a year, and with its neighboring 
Port of Long Beach, it is the largest container port complex in the 
Nation and the fifth largest in the world.
  The Port of Los Angeles plays a critical role in our local and State 
economy. It contributes $1.4 billion in State and local tax revenues, 
provides 259,000 jobs, and pays $8.4 billion in wages annually. Equally 
as important, if not more so, the Port of Los Angeles is also a strong 
economic engine for our national economy.
  Goods arriving through the port complex account for more than 40 
percent

[[Page H14216]]

of our Nation's total import traffic and 24 percent of its total 
exports. In fact, more than 60 percent of arriving cargo has 
destinations outside of Southern California.
  In 2005, the number of direct and indirect jobs associated with the 
trade activity generated by the L.A. ports was 3.3 million jobs 
nationwide. This is a 200 percent increase over 1994 data.
  On this historic 100th anniversary, I salute the Port Authority; the 
City of Los Angeles; the communities of Wilmington and San Pedro, which 
host the port; and I especially want to salute the thousands of 
hardworking men and women who ensure the port's daily operations and 
its reliable movement of goods. And I urge all of my colleagues to 
support this resolution.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. RICHARDSON. Madam Speaker, I wish to recognize the next three 
speakers that you will hear for 2 minutes, but in particular I want to 
yield 2 minutes to my dear friend from Oakland, who represents another 
sister city port, the Port of Oakland, the gentlewoman from California 
(Ms. Lee).
  Ms. LEE. Madam Speaker, first let me thank the gentlewoman from Los 
Angeles for her leadership and for giving me the opportunity to speak 
for a few minutes on behalf of this resolution, H. Res. 822, 
recognizing the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Port of Los 
Angeles.
  The Port of Los Angeles, and we are hearing this over and over again, 
and many of us who represent ports have known this for a long time, but 
it has a long and distinguished history as a training hub in 
California. Today, the fifth largest container complex in the entire 
world along with the Port of Long Beach, the cargo that comes through 
the port reaches every congressional district throughout the country. 
The Port of Los Angeles is an economic engine, not just for Los Angeles 
but for the region, for our entire State and our entire country. The 
economic benefits that it provides to the Nation are impossible to 
measure but assuredly are immense, just as is the Port of Oakland 
located in my congressional district.
  So I want to commend my colleague from Los Angeles, California, our 
newest Member from California, for introducing this resolution. I could 
think of no Member who has come to Congress who has hit the ground 
running, who has done the hard work, and who has been able to bring 
forth a resolution such as this as Congresswoman Richardson. She 
recognizes the economic opportunities, the job creation aspects, the 
trade benefits of the Port of Los Angeles.
  So I salute you, Congresswoman Richardson. From the Port of Oakland 
to the Port of Los Angeles, happy anniversary.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. RICHARDSON. Madam Speaker, I wish to yield 2 minutes to my sister 
colleague and dear friend who also represents the Port of San Diego, 
Congresswoman Susan Davis.
  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this 
resolution. As a representative with a bustling port in San Diego, I 
fully recognize the importance of this historic occasion, and I am very 
proud to join my colleague in honoring the Port of Los Angeles and 
celebrating its 100th anniversary.
  As my colleagues have cited, the Port of Los Angeles is a bastion for 
commerce and the economy for the region, and it provides one out of 
every 24 jobs in Southern California.
  Madam Speaker, we know that seaports are gateways for domestic and 
international trade connecting us to the rest of the world. And because 
ports are naturally located on coasts and inland waterways, they really 
play a special opportunity to act as environmental stewards and 
caretakers for our precious coastal resources. Just last year the Ports 
of Los Angeles and Long Beach jointly released the San Pedro Bay Ports 
Clean Air Action Plan, which aims to reduce emissions by 50 percent 
over the next 5 years.
  It's true, every single one of our districts benefits from the 
imports and exports that flow through the Port of Los Angeles.
  So I want to urge my colleagues to join me in bestowing this well-
deserved honor on the Port of Los Angeles after 100 years of successful 
operation, and I particularly want to commend my colleague for bringing 
it forward.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. RICHARDSON. Madam Speaker, I wish to yield 2 minutes to my dear 
friend and sister from the great area of Santa Barbara. She also has a 
port in her district, Mrs. Lois Capps.
  Mrs. CAPPS. Madam Speaker, I join several of my colleagues in strong 
support of House Resolution 822.
  It's a pleasure to honor the Port of Los Angeles on your 100th 
anniversary and to commend our new colleague from California, 
Congresswoman Richardson, for calling attention to all of us the 
importance of our ports and for signaling this specific anniversary of 
the Port in Los Angeles, our Nation's largest container port. And when 
you include its neighbor, the Port of Long Beach, this complex is the 
fifth largest in the world.
  I also represent a deepwater port, a neighboring port up the coast 
from the Port of Los Angeles, the Port of Hueneme, so I also know how 
important the maritime industry is to the health of our Nation's 
economy. And ports like the Port of Los Angeles are the gateway into 
the vastly interconnected global economy.
  In fact, 95 percent of all international overseas trade moves through 
our Nation's ports, and much of it, $1 billion a day of economic 
activity, happens at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. In fact, 
at least one business in every congressional district in this country 
imports or exports goods through these ports.
  Madam Speaker, I also want to acknowledge the port's work to improve 
the region's air quality. This is a big deal. This is a busy port with 
lots of traffic and has in the past produced lots of congestion. 
Recently, the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach announced a proposal 
to reduce diesel pollution from trucks at the facilities by overhauling 
their dockside trucking systems. This is a model that the rest of the 
Nation would do well to watch and then copy. This is good news for the 
people working and living near these busy complexes. And I hope other 
ports in California and around the country will follow their lead.
  Again, I'm glad the House can recognize the important contributions 
of this port. I congratulate all its employees, its Members of 
Congress, and its successful operation of the last 100 years.

                              {time}  1645

  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Madam Speaker, may I inquire of the Chair the time 
remaining on each side.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Ohio has 9 minutes 
remaining. The gentlewoman from California has 2\1/2\ minutes.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Madam Speaker, I am going to continue to reserve. But 
I do see the distinguished chairman of our subcommittee on the floor, 
and if 2\1/2\ minutes isn't enough time for his observations, I would 
be happy to inquire to see if the gentlewoman needs time.
  Would you like me to yield to the chairman?
  Ms. RICHARDSON. Madam Speaker, actually as the manager of this bill, 
I was prepared to give the honor of closing this bill to the dear 
chairman. So since he is our last speaker, I am prepared to close at 
that point once you have yielded the remaining time.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. I would yield 2 minutes of our time and ask unanimous 
consent that it be added to the gentlewoman's time so they have 4\1/2\ 
minutes.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Ohio?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. I yield back the remainder of my time.
  Ms. RICHARDSON. Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I have 
the opportunity to introduce the distinguished chairman of the Coast 
Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee, on which we both serve. 
His leadership I have had an opportunity to work with in a very quick 
fashion, and I am very pleased to have him join us in this effort. 
Please welcome the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings).
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to 
adopt House Resolution 822 and to recognize the 100th anniversary of 
the

[[Page H14217]]

Port of Los Angeles. I want to thank you, Mr. LaTourette, for yielding 
time, and you, Ms. Richardson, for your very, very fine work which I 
will get back to in a moment.
  During its first century, the Port of Los Angeles has grown to become 
a massive freight processing complex encompassing 27 cargo terminals 
which handle more than 43 percent of all the goods arriving in the 
United States. By any metric, the size of operations at the Port of Los 
Angeles is simply staggering. Over just the past 11 years, as part of 
the San Pedro Bay Port Complex, the port has grown 246 percent, 
generating $256 billion in commerce and $28 billion in tax revenue. 
That is simply astounding.
  Already the largest container terminal in the United States, the port 
handled more than 8.5 million 20-foot container units last year alone. 
By 2030, the port complex is expected to triple its cargo handling 
activities again.
  Not surprisingly, the port is an industry leader in all aspects of 
transportation. In 2002, the port was a principal partner of the $2.5 
billion Alameda Corridor project, which connected the port to America's 
transcontinental rail system with a 20-mile rail expressway. Created 
through a partnership with local, regional and statewide agencies, this 
project epitomizes the multi-modal connections that are essential to 
speeding and easing freight movements through our Nation's ports.
  The port has also undertaken a dedicated effort to address the 
impacts of its operations on the local environment through the San 
Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan, which is intended to reduce air 
pollution from port activities by nearly 50 percent in 5 years.
  The action plan is the world's first program proposed to 
significantly reduce health risks around a major port by combating 
regional air pollution from port-related operations.
  I also want to take a moment to salute Ms. Richardson. She has, 
without a doubt, I think it was Ms. Lee that said that she came in and 
hit the ground running. I say she hit the ground flying, including her 
work just recently with me. When we visited San Francisco, she was the 
only other subcommittee member who attended the special field hearing 
convened by our subcommittee to examine the terrible oil spill in San 
Francisco Bay. Ms. Richardson ably represents California's 37th 
Congressional District, including the interests of the Port of Los 
Angeles as evidenced through her work on the resolution before us 
today. I shall never forget in her opening statement on the floor in 
the well of this House, one of the things that she mentioned, Madam 
Speaker, was that she wanted to make sure that the port and the port's 
interests in her district were well situated and that they were made 
better by her presence in this great House. And so I want to applaud 
her for her efforts.
  I want to thank her for her insight, and I am so, so excited that she 
is part of the subcommittee which I chair. And with that, Madam 
Speaker, I thank her and I thank my ranking member on our subcommittee.
  Ms. RICHARDSON. I yield myself the balance of my time.
  The Port of Los Angeles now looks forward to its next 100 years with 
a legacy as a leader in terminal efficiency and setting environmental 
standards. It is indeed the Nation's largest and most successful 
conveyor of the Nation's and the world's commerce.
  Madam Speaker, I urge all the Members to support the Port of Los 
Angeles and House Resolution 822 and applaud the efforts of Mr. 
LaTourette, our chairman, as you heard, Mr. Cummings, and also our 
chairman of Transportation, Mr. Oberstar.
  Mrs. TAUSCHER. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 
822, which recognizes the 100th anniversary of the Port of Los Angeles.
  I would like to commend my colleague from California, Congresswoman 
Richardson, for bringing this important resolution to the floor. I am 
proud to serve with the Congresswoman on the Transportation and 
Infrastructure Committee. One hundred years ago, the Los Angeles City 
Council created the Port of Los Angeles, and it has since developed 
into one of the largest in the world. More than 43 percent of all goods 
arriving in the United States travel through the Port of Los Angeles. I 
appreciate the impact that goods movement plays in our Nation's 
economy, and the port has an important role in that process.
  I would like to congratulate the port for reaching its 100th 
anniversary and congratulate it for being a strong provider of jobs in 
California. I commend my colleague on the Transportation Committee for 
her diligent work.
  Mr. OBERSTAR. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 822, 
which recognizes the 100th anniversary year of the founding of the Port 
of Los Angeles.
  The Port of Los Angeles is located in San Pedro, California and is a 
part of the Southern California port complex. This complex handles more 
than 43 percent of all goods arriving in the United States. The complex 
has grown 246 percent over the past 11 years, and trade-related jobs at 
the complex have tripled. The amount of cargo handled by this complex 
is also expected to triple by the year 2030.
  Although the earliest history of the Port of Los Angeles dates back 
to the 1500s, the Board of Harbor Commissioners was created on December 
9, 1907, which officially founded the port. In 1542, a Portuguese 
explorer named the natural harbor ``Bahia de los Fumos'' or ``Bay of 
Smokes,'' when he stated the bay ``is an excellent harbor and the 
country is good with many plains and groves of trees.''
  In 1869, a new era of development for the harbor region was marked 
when Los Angeles and San Pedro Railroad began service between San Pedro 
Bay and Los Angeles, becoming the first railroad of Southern 
California.
  In 1958, the containerized cargo revolution began on the west coast, 
when the Hawaiian Merchant delivered its first shipment of 20 cargo 
containers to the port.
  A principal partner in the $2.5 billion Alameda Corridor project, 
which opened in April 2O02, the port worked with local, regional, and 
statewide agencies to develop a robust regional transportation 
infrastructure. The project is a 20-mile expressway that connects the 
Port of Los Angeles to America's transcontinental rail system, 
improving the transportation systems that move goods throughout the 
region.
  Last year, the Port of Los Angeles handled more than 8.5 million 
twenty-foot container units, making it the leading container port in 
the United States for 7 consecutive years. The port has the largest 
single container terminal in the world. The nearly 500-acre container 
complex, operated by Maersk Sealand and APM Terminals, was completed in 
2004 and has been acclaimed as an engineering phenomenon and a model of 
operational efficiency.
  The port has implemented modern and innovative transportation and 
good movements systems, has set global standards, and is a leader in 
terminal efficiency and environmental initiatives. I congratulate the 
Port of Los Angeles on its achievements for the past 100 years and wish 
the port continued success in national and world commerce for the next 
century.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Madam Speaker, House Resolution 822 recognizes the 
100th anniversary of the founding of the Port of Los Angeles. The Port 
of Los Angeles is the busiest port in the United States in terms of 
maritime cargo volume and, when combined with the adjoining Port of 
Long Beach, is the fifth busiest commercial seaport worldwide. This 
trade is a critical component to our national economy and directly and 
indirectly supports millions of jobs nationwide.
  The port has also taken action to lessen impacts on the surrounding 
areas and the environment by recently implementing a comprehensive 
strategy to reduce emissions from ships and port operations.
  I join the resolution's sponsor, Congresswoman Richardson of 
California, and all of the cosponsors in recognizing the Port of Los 
Angeles' first 100 years and in wishing the port continued success in 
the future. I urge all Members to support the resolution.
  Ms. RICHARDSON. I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Richardson) that the House suspend the 
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 822, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Ms. RICHARDSON. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

[[Page H14218]]



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