LA-Long Beach Eye Fuel Subsidy.(Brief article)

BYLINE: Bill Mongelluzzo

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- --The Los Angeles and Long Beach harbor commissions are expected to approve a one-year subsidy program to encourage vessel operators to burn low-sulfur fuel in ships' main engines within 40 miles of the harbor.      The ports would pay the difference between the costlier low-sulfur fuel and the high-polluting bunker fuel that vessels now burn in their main engines.

It is estimated that use of low-sulfur fuel will cut sulfur oxides, which contribute to soot, by as much as 11 percent. Also, particulate matter would be cut by 9 percent.      In order to qualify for the …