Oakland doesn’t need an oil train disaster

The Lac-Mégantic oil train derailment disaster. Photo by Sûreté du Québec, via Wikimedia Commons.
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.

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Jerry Brown Remains Silent on Coal as His Financial Ties to Developer Are Exposed

Edgewater Park Plaza
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 ...

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City Council Sets June 27 Date for Vote on Coal

Mockup of an Ordinance
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 ...

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Senator Loni Hancock: 92% of constituents oppose Oakland coal-export terminal

Northern California Climate Mobilization rally at Oakland City Hall, November 2015
California Senator Loni Hancock (District 9) reports that 92% of respondents to her office's survey oppose the proposed coal-export terminal in Oakland.

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11 East Bay Mayors Condemn Oakland Coal Plan

Coal train
Mayors of 11 East Bay cities have sent a letter to Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and the Oakland City Council urging them not to allow coal to be shipped from a marine terminal under development at the former Oakland Army Base.

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Health Care Leaders Speak Out Against Coal

A delegation of health care providers spoke at the Oakland City Council meeting on Tuesday.

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City Council Defers Hiring of Private Consulting Firm to Weigh in on Coal

On February 16, 2016, the Oakland City Council removed an agenda item about coal that was scheduled for discussion and possible vote that evening. This was a proposal to have an environmental consulting firm review all the documents submitted regarding the use of the Oakland Bulk and Oversized Terminal (OBOT) for the storage of coal. Coal campaign activists were concerned about this proposal for many reasons: We do not believe such a review is necessary in order to establish that “substantial evidence” has been submitted that the storage and associated transport ...

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