New proof: coal trains spread toxic PM2.5 pollution in Richmond, CA
Coal trains passing through a Richmond, California neighborhood on their way to the Levin Terminal add significantly more toxic particulate matter (PM2.5) to the atmosphere than other freight or passenger trains, according to a new, peer-reviewed scientific study published this month in Springer Nature’s Air Quality, Atmosphere, and Health, an international, interdisciplinary journal. The term PM2.5 refers to particles in the air that are two-and-one-half microns wide or smaller. There are one million microns in a meter; one micron is approximately 1/25,000 of an ...
Oakland moves to streamline trial seeking eviction of coal terminal developers
On March 17, 2023, the City of Oakland filed a motion to streamline the upcoming trial of developer Phil Tagami’s lawsuit against the City and the City’s countersuit against Tagami. The City’s motion would split the proceedings into two separate trials: an initial bench trial without a jury and a second trial with a jury. Under the “bifurcation” plan, the second trial would occur only if issues remained that could not be decided by the judge.
The City’s proposal to “bifurcate” the trial rests on a distinction between equitable issues that judges must ...
Coal Trial Updates: a new Judge, a flurry of motions
Since our most recent update, judicial wheels in the Alameda County Superior Court have continued to grind, slowly but surely, toward the coal trial formally known as OBOT & OGRE v. City of Oakland. New developments include: a different judge, a motion to disallow a major category of the developers’ claims for damages, and a motion to settle legal issues (as opposed to questions of fact) before the judge rather than involving a jury on those points. The trial is set to begin on April 21, 2023 if developers refuse to return to settlement talks with City Attorney ...
Some Oakland Candidates Declare Opposition to Coal. Others do not.
The ongoing battle over a proposed coal terminal on the Oakland Waterfront
Local developer Phil Tagami has been angling to build a coal terminal next to the Bay Bridge toll plaza for nearly ten years now, at the West Gateway site on the former Oakland Army Base. In 2016 the Oakland City Council voted unanimously to ban the storage and handling of coal in the city, including at the proposed marine terminal on the city’s waterfront. Tagami sued the City in Federal court, then filed another suit in Alameda County Superior Court weeks after the City of Oakland announced ...
Coal developer donations to Ignacio De La Fuente pollute 2022 Mayoral Race
Would-be Oakland coal terminal developers appear to be shopping for influence in the Mayor’s office, by making major contributions to an “Independent Expenditure Committee” to support the mayoral candidacy of Ignacio De La Fuente. According to the latest reports, de la Fuente hasn’t raised a whole lot of other funding for his 2022 mayoral bid.
To help the struggling De La Fuente, two contributions of $50,000 each were made in early September to an “Independent Expenditure Committee” set up by longtime coal lobbyist Greg McConnell (described as “a front man ...
Tagami breaks off settlement talks, blames city
News is breaking that would-be coal-terminal developer Phil Tagami has walked away from negotiations with the City of Oakland. The developer has filed a motion with Judge Delbert C. Gee to resume litigation in California state court. The case, OBOT & OGRE vs. City of Oakland, was paused while the parties met to negotiate a settlement. It is currently set for trial in April 2023.
According to a city staffer who is part of the team negotiating with Tagami, the city has been negotiating in good faith, the parties have exchanged numerous drafts of a settlement agreeme...
Settlement framework to scuttle Oakland coal threat announced
A “settlement framework” has been announced by Oakland City Attorney Barbara Parker to resolve ongoing lawsuits filed by and against OBOT leaseholder Phil Tagami and allied parties under terms that are expected to meet No Coal in Oakland's longstanding, core demand: to keep coal and pet coke out of Oakland.
This could be the end of Oakland’s long battle to keep developers from building a coal export terminal on the West Oakland waterfront.
The framework, agreed to by the City of Oakland and West Gateway leaseholders who are parties to two lawsuits filed in ...
Richmond coal exports to end by 2026; EJ advocates celebrate agreement
The days of coal passing through the port of Richmond, California, are numbered thanks to a settlement of federal and state lawsuits. The settlement gives the Levin-Richmond Terminal until Dec. 31, 2026, to end storage and handling of coal and pet coke. Richmond's City Council voted in 2020 to phase out these toxic commodities, allowing Levin-Richmond three years to comply. Fossil fuel interests responded by filing five lawsuits, claiming Richmond’s coal ban violated the U.S Constitution and other laws.
In settling, the fossil fuel plaintiffs dropped their fight ...
Legislation introduced to stop shadowy bid to ship coal out of Humboldt Bay
In early September, the Lost Coast Outpost posted an article titled "Aiming to Ship Coal Out of Humboldt Bay, Shadowy Corporation Makes Bid to Take Over NCRA Line," reporting that "Unidentified coal companies appear to be behind a new backdoor effort to acquire the North Coast Railroad Authority’s right-of-way between Eureka and Willits and rehabilitate the defunct railroad, all so they can export coal to Asian markets via the Port of Humboldt Bay."
This morning, California State Senator Mike McGuire posted a press release describing a bill, SB 307, to put a nail in ...
AD 18 Candidates hold starkly different views on preventing a West Oakland Coal Terminal
On August 31, voters in Assembly District 18 (most of Oakland, including West Oakland, as well as Alameda and San Leandro) will decide who represents them in Sacramento now that Rob Bonta has been appointed state Attorney General.
The two candidates, Janani Ramachandran and Mia Bonta, appeared on KQED’s August 16 Forum. Longtime NCIO campaign member lora jo foo called in to ask their positions on the Oakland coal terminal controversy. The following is a transcript of her question and the candidate’s responses:
lora jo foo: I’m lora jo foo, and I’m a ...
