Public health experts expose coal hazard ‘protection’ fallacies
Coal proponents have advertised they will use new technology to shield port workers and their West Oakland neighbors from the toxic, corrosive, and explosive dangers of transporting coal through the former Oakland Army Base. But fantasies can't protect Oakland's workers and families from coal's frighteningly real threats.
Up to 620 tons of dirty coal dust blown into West Oakland every year? That's what a Public Health Advisory Panel on Coal in Oakland figures in their report, An Assessment of the Health and Safety Implications of Coal Transport through Oakland [1].
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Public Health Experts Highlight Risk of Coal Trains
A public health experts panel today released the results of an independent inquiry into the health and safety hazards of the proposal to ship coal through Oakland.
WOEIP Says Coal Scheme Violates Civil Right Act
In a letter to federal and Utah officials, Ms. Margaret Gordon and Brian Beveridge, co-directors of the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project (WOEIP), have identified potential violations of federal civil rights law in connection with the State of Utah's funding of a plan to ship Utah coal through a terminal to be constructed in West Oakland. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects people from discrimination based on race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.
The State of Utah has passed ...
State Senate Approves Bills to Slow Coal But Will Jerry Sign?
This week the state Senate passed two bills sponsored by Sen. Loni Hancock that could present significant roadblocks for developer Phil Tagami’s plan to build a $250 million bulk commodities terminal and turn Oakland into a major coal export hub.
SB 1277 – which the Senate approved Wednesday on a 25-13 vote – would require additional environmental review for the plan to ship up to 10 million tons of coal per year through Oakland.
A companion bill, SB 1279 – which the Senate approved Thursday on a 25-9 vote – would prohibit the California Transportation ...
TLS deception on coal dust exposure: uncovered
Terminal Logistics Solutions (TLS), the company that aims to transport dirty coal through Oakland at perilous risk to public health, has been spinning fictions about safety measures they claim will mitigate health risks -- measures which have never been tested for effectiveness, contrary to repeated claims by TLS.
In a thorough and well-documented investigation, NCIO's Lora Jo Foo has unmasked the truth that the "proven technology" TLS claims it will use to cover rail cars carrying coal have never been tested for effectiveness in controlling fugitive coal dust.
Wo...
“Ban Coal Now!” Yard Signs: Help Oakland Say No To Coal!
Oakland needs you to put up a "Ban Coal Now!" yard sign.
As the City Council's June 27th vote approaches let's show council members, Mayor Schaaf, and our neighbors that 92% opposition to a coal export terminal found by State Senator Loni Hancock in a recent survey was and remains Oakland's final answer.
Our communities -- especially in West Oakland -- have suffered too long and too deeply from highly-polluting transportation technology. Coal dust, a product of the dirtiest fossil fuel on Earth, would imperil the health of workers and endanger communities along ...
Oakland doesn’t need an oil train disaster
Oakland's Mayor Schaaf and councilmembers' know how dangerous it would be to permit oil transport through a port surrounded by communities they were elected to protect and serve. NCIO provided them a partial list of tanker car spills and pipeline explosions that have occurred over the past three years.
Jerry Brown Remains Silent on Coal as His Financial Ties to Developer Are Exposed
Jerry Brown has a six-figure investment in Edgewater Park Plaza, an East Oakland office park that is owned and managed by CCIG, the company leading the charge to transport dirty coal through Oakland.
Despite his preening declaration that "90% of the coal must stay in the ground" at the Vatican and in Paris last year, Jerry Brown is a "climate pretender," not the climate hawk he purports to be, say activists from No Coal in Oakland. Despite entreaties from Jesuit priests, health care providers, NCIO supporters, the San Francisco Chronicle, and other opponents of ...
City Council Sets June 27 Date for Vote on Coal
Above: Artist's rendition of an ordinance regulating coal.
On May 3 the Oakland City Council took major steps towards adopting an ordinance relating to the threatened use of the Oakland Bulk and Oversize Terminal (OBOT) for storage and export of coal.
The Council unanimously agreed to hold a first vote on a ordinance at a special meeting on Monday, June 27, starting at 5:00. It will be the only item on the agenda. Any ordinance must be voted upon at two separate meetings, and holding a first vote in June means the ban on coal sought by No Coal in Oakland could be ...
Senator Loni Hancock: 92% of constituents oppose Oakland coal-export terminal
California Senator Loni Hancock (District 9) reports that 92% of respondents to her office's survey oppose the proposed coal-export terminal in Oakland.
