The Region : AQMD Board Retains Port of L.A. Case

The South Coast Air Quality Management District hearing board has declined to disqualify itself from a sensitive case involving the Port of Los Angeles, despite complaints that the board may have been unfairly influenced during a private luncheon hosted by the port. The board unanimously voted to decide next week whether to shut down Kaiser International, the port’s largest exporter of petroleum coke and coal, because of complaints about black dust from the facility. Pleasure boaters who want the facility closed asked the board to remove itself from the case because four of its members attended the luncheon, which included a slide presentation about the facility. The board was criticized for attending the meal by the district’s top executive, James M. Lents, but both Kaiser International and Lents’ representative agreed that the board should remain on the case.