180 results for author: No Coal in Oakland

Judge Allows Sierra Club and Baykeeper to Intervene in Coal Lawsuit; Denies Motions to Dismiss

City's forces bolstered On Tuesday, June 6, United States District Judge Vince Chhabria granted Sierra Club and San Francisco Baykeeper’s motion to intervene in developer Phil Tagami’s lawsuit against the City of Oakland. The lawsuit challenges the City's  ban on coal storage and handling at a marine terminal to be located on the City's West Gateway waterfront property near the foot of the Bay Bridge.  The move granting intervenor status was foreshadowed by comments Judge Chabbria made at a hearing on April 20, but, until Tuesday's written order, the environmental groups did not know for sure if they would be parties in the lawsuit with the ...

No Coal Meets at West Side Missionary Baptist Church

About thirty people attended No Coal in Oakland’s community meeting on Monday, May 15, at West Side Missionary Baptist Church.  The discussion included the status of the lawsuit filed against Oakland's 2016 coal ordinance, possible strategic directions, and current activities. The meeting kicked off with members of Occupella leading the audience in spirited renditions of “This Little Light of Mine” and “Bye Bye Coal” (to the tune of “Bye Bye Love”). Lyrics to the anti-coal anthem by Bill Pinkham and Bonnie Lockhart can be found at http://www.occupella.org/environmentalJustice.html. City Administrator Claudio Cappio attended the ...

From Earth Day to May Day

From Earth Day to May Day, No Coal in Oakland activists were in the streets (and at Lake Merritt and the Brower Center) to talk about our campaign and to support the resistance against attacks on both the environment and our communities. NCIO folks were visible in our new red tee shirts, with our old yellow banner, at the April 22 March for Science and the May Day Fruitvale march. We tabled at the April 29 festival at Lake Merritt and the April 21 Climate Expo at the Brower Center. And several of us joined the climate justice rally at the Environmental Protection Agency on April 21. At all of these events, NCIO speakers reminded the crowds of our ...

Federal Judge Denies Motions to Pare Down Developer’s Lawsuit

Yesterday, in the first major court skirmish in developer Phil Tagami’s lawsuit against the City of Oakland, United States District Judge Vince Chhabria indicated he was likely to deny the City’s motion to dismiss a breach of contract claim, he is inclined to allow Sierra Club and San Francisco Baykeeper to intervene as parties in the lawsuit, and he will defer consideration of the would-be intervenors’ arguments for partial dismissal of Tagami’s claim that the City’s ordinance banning coal storage and handling violates the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Forty supporters of No Coal in Oakland, many decked out in red No Coal ...

Oakland Strikes Back Against Developer’s Lawsuit; City Files Motion to Dismiss

Labor, Faith, & Community Leaders Announce Campaign to Support City of Oakland in High-Stakes Legal Battle with Coal Terminal Developer Today, the City of Oakland filed a motion to dismiss the high-stakes lawsuit, Oakland Bulk and Oversized Terminal LLC v. City of Oakland, brought by a developer seeking to build a $250 million coal export facility on Oakland's waterfront. Last summer, the City Council voted unanimously to bar the use of a marine terminal on City-owned land for the storage and handling of coal.  If the proposed bulk terminal is used for this purpose, up to ten million tons of coal could be transported through Oakland ...

Demonstrators Rain on Tagami’s Pro-Coal Parade

Braving rain,  a spirited group gathered at the Federal Building in Oakland, including half a dozen young children, a dozen high school students, parents, grandparents and community members to protest Phil Tagami's lawsuit against the City of Oakland. The first public action against Phil Tagami’s lawsuit was organized by Families Against Fossil Fuels in coordination with the national #DayAgainstDenial.  Throughout the country on January 9, demonstrators called on our representatives to reject the climate deniers Trump has nominated. In early December, Phil Tagami sued the City of Oakland, seeking to overturn its ban on coal at the marine ...

Developer Files Federal Suit Seeking to Overturn Coal Ban; Community Vows to Fight Back

On Wednesday, December 7, developer Phil Tagami filed a federal lawsuit seeking to overturn Oakland's ordinance banning storage, handling, and transhipment of coal through a new terminal to be built on the Oakland waterfront near the Bay Bridge toll plaza. The lawsuit against the City of Oakland was filed on behalf of Tagami's shell company Oakland Bulk and Oversized Terminal LLC (OBOT LLC).  Tagami's complaint is online here.  A letter sent to the City is here.  And a press release issued by Tagami's local lawyer is here. No Coal in Oakland will be updating this post with further information and analysis as well as our plans to fight back ...

West Side Missionary Baptist Church Honored for Role in No Coal Campaign

West Side Missionary Baptist Church and its pastor, Rev. Ken Chambers, were honored for their outstanding contributions to the No Coal in Oakland campaign at California Interfaith Power & Light’s 10th annual awards ceremony on November 15.  CIPL is an interfaith group responding to climate change, with members from Islamic, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Unitarian, and many other spiritual traditions.  At this year’s annual awards ceremony, attendees shared food, offered prayers, and celebrated climate care and advocacy work being done by congregations all over California from Humboldt County to El Cajon. Speakers at ...

No Coal Coalition Receives Eco-Warrior of the Year Award

At a party that drew many to downtown Oakland last night, Oakland Rising presented Townie Award for Eco-Warrior of the Year to the No Coal in Oakland coalition.  On hand to accept the award were Katy Polony of Sunflower Alliance and Brittany King of the Sierra Club.  Oakland Rising is a five-year old organization that aims to build and wield mass-based progressive political power, align and coordinate social justice forces, and develop new leaders in Oakland. Oakland Rising also named the Committee to Protect Oakland Renters as Townie of the Year, Nicole Lee as Youth Advocate of the Year, Black Youth Project 100 as Townie Volunteers of the Year, ...

National and Local Press Reports Oakland’s No Coal Vote

Numerous articles have appeared in the local and national press concerning the Oakland City Council's historic vote on coal: Oakland City Council votes to ban coal — from Utah or elsewhere — at its new port (Salt Lake Tribune, June 27, 2016) Utah counties determined to find port for coal (Deseret News, June 27, 2016) Oakland Votes to Block Large Shipments of Coal (New York Times, June 28, 2016) Oakland bans coal shipments in a blow to planned export facility  (Los Angeles Times, June 28, 2016) Oakland Council Bans Coal Shipments, Citing Health Risks (ABC News, June 28, 2016) Oakland City Council Votes to Ban Coal Exports in Big ...