Project Number:
08-06
Research Project:
Regulation and Response at the San Pedro Bay Ports
P.I. Name & Address:
Genevieve Giuliano
University of Southern California
School of Policy, Planning, and Development
Ralph and Goldy Lewis Hall, Room 214
Los Angeles, CA 90089
Email: redfearn@usc.edu
Website: http://www.usc.edu/schools/sppd/faculty/detail.php?id=31
Phone: (213) 740-3956
Fax: (213) 740-0001
Project Objective:
The purpose of this research is to analyze responses by the ports and other industry stakeholders to the growing pressures to mitigate the air pollution impacts of port-related trade. Historically the ports have enjoyed significant independence and support from local and state government because of the large economic benefits generated by port-related trade. Public perceptions of port-related trade have changed dramatically since 2000, however, primarily due to growing evidence of health damages associated with particulate emissions, and continued rapid growth in trade volume. Faced with growing public discontent, state and local political leaders have proposed increasingly aggressive mitigation requirements. The ports, terminal operators, steamship lines, and other stakeholders have responded with both resistance and pre-emptive actions.
We suggest two explanations for the changed policy environment. The first is the imperative for social legitimacy: in an era of raised environmental sensibilities, the ports, like other large organizations, conform to changing norms of behavior. The second is the institutional structure of port-related trade, in which outcomes are determined by the relative market power of different stakeholders. Studying responses to the changed environment in the context of organizational motivations and institutional relationships will lead to a greater understanding of the nature of the port-related trade industry and the challenges associated with adapting to increasingly ambitious environmental goals.
This research builds on several previous METRANS studies, most importantly one on AB 2650 (04-06), the other on the PierPass program (05-12). We conduct our analysis by 1) documenting the recent history of local and state legislative efforts and stakeholder responses, 2) interviewing industry stakeholders, 3) evaluating specific operational changes intended to mitigate environmental externalities
Results of this research will add to our understanding of the behavior of the port-related trade industry and assist in designing effective policies and incentives for solving environmental problems.
Task Descriptions
Our research will include the following tasks: 1) literature review, 2) events history, 3) stakeholder interviews, 4) media analysis, 5) field observation, and 6) data analysis.
1. Literature Review: Review literature on quasi-public organizations, organizational change, environmental policy and policy implementation, regulation, environmental mitigation at ports in the US and elsewhere, role of institutions in regulation policy outcomes. The literature review will help to refine our conceptual framework and structure our data collection.
(Months 1-2)
2. Events History: Develop a detailed and comprehensive history of events related to the San Pedro Bay ports over the past 10 years. Events will include local and state legislation, release of major studies, events that raise public visibility of the ports (e.g. major truck accidents), actions of key stakeholders, changes in port operations, advocacy actions, lawsuits, etc. A careful study of event history is necessary for understanding the sequence of key events and verifying stakeholder accounts, and ultimately for drawing conclusions about effective environmental mitigation strategies.
(Months 1-3, 6, and 9)
3. Stakeholder Interviews: Interviews are the primary source for exploring the motivations and perceptions of stakeholders. We will conduct extended, open-end interviews with port and related industries, community representatives, public officials, and elected officials, both state and local. Port and related industries include port leadership, representatives of steamship lines and terminal operators; drayage trucking companies, shippers, and cargo consignees. Open-end interviews may be supplemented with written surveys for port staff and for drayage truck operators. Environmental managers and planners from other ports will also be contacted.
(Months 5-8)
4. Media Analysis: The frequency, tenor, and topic of media coverage provides information on the extent to which port activity is perceived as newsworthy. Media coverage may reflect the image of organizations or the perceived importance of specific environmental issues. Given that media coverage of port activity is extensive, we will use content analysis for this task.
(Months 3-6, and 9)
5. Field Observation: We will attend public meetings, workshops, task force meetings, as possible, in order to observe the dynamics of interaction between stakeholders and document the process of implementing specific mitigation efforts. In previous research we have found such observation to be very valuable in understanding policy outcomes.
(Months 1-10)
6. Analysis: Our research methodology is an explanatory case study. Using data from interviews, event history, published documents, the media, and our own observations we will develop our explanations and conclusions.
(Months 7-11)
7. Final Report
(Months 11-12)
Milestones, Dates:
September 1, 2007 – August 31, 2008
Total Budget:
$90,000
Student Involvement:
One student at 50% for 12 months
Relationship to Other Research Projects:
Related to 04-06 and 05-12; part of the goods movement focus area
Technology Transfer Activities:
Project report will be posted soon
Potential Benefits of the Project:
This research will add to the understanding of the port-related trade industry and assist in designing effective policies and incentives for solving environmental problems.
TRB Keywords:
Port of Los Angeles, Port of Long Beach, Goods Movement, PierPass, Terminal Operators, Regulation, Drayage
