Los Angeles Export Terminal
LAXT opened in 1997 as yet another emblem of the new, hyper-mechanized global port of the future. Coal from the western United States was shipped by rail to LAXT, stored in massive pads outside, then transported by a covered conveyor across the island to a giant, specialized conveyor crane, which loaded the coal onto ships, bound for power plants in the orient. Soon after opening, the global market for coal changed, and coal from Australia and other places in Asia much closer to where it was needed became available. LAXT then became bound up in law suits, conflict of interest battles, and other quarrels amongst its 37 corporate partners, which included the Port of Los Angeles.
In December of 2006 the Los Angeles City Council agreed to pay $27.7 million to settle a $400 million lawsuit that accused the city of improperly blocking expansion and changes in the site designed to repurpose it for other uses. In addition, the council agreed to waive $46 million in rent it said was overdue from the two firms that had sued the city in a over the site. As part of the settlement, the operator agreed to relinquish a permit and lease that had given it control of the 117-acre, city-owned site until 2032. [Center for Land Use/LA TImes]
