California’s smog-fighting agency on last Thursday was approved a sweeping plan to reduce air pollution caused by ports, rail lines and the roadways that move goods around the state.

The Air Resources Board’s plan sets out a very long-term goals and strategies to roll back air pollution levels from the cargo movement to what they were five years ago. Diesel-related pollution were alone would be reduced 85 percent.

With the amount of goods entering California port also expected to triple in 15 years, “now is the time to take action,” board Chairman Robert F. Sawyer said during a public meeting.

“This problem did not occur overnight and it won’t be resolved overnight, either,” Sawyer said. “The emission reduction plan represents a starting point and a vision of where we need to be.”

The board is under pressure to meet federal and state smog standards.

The plan suggest purely on using a combination of new anti-pollution regulations and business incentives to get shipping companies, railroads and the trucking companies to adopt cleaner fuel, engines and the procedures.

Reducing pollution could eliminate 1,500 premature deaths statewide each year by 2020 along with thousands of cases of asthma and other health problems, ARB staff told the panel.

It will cost around $6 billion to $10 billion to achieve the goals (estimation). To work, the plan will need guaranteed funding and approval of new federal regulations to govern pollution by the oceangoing ships and interstate train traffic.