Planning Commission delays recommendation on Richmond Coal ordinance
The challenges of just transition played out dramatically at the Richmond Planning Commission on July 18. The commission was considering a proposal to recommend that the City Council adopt an ordinance phasing out the use of the Richmond Levin Terminal (RLT) for storage and handling of coal and petroleum coke (pet coke). The meeting chambers filled to overflowing, with environmental activists outnumbered by members of the building trades unions. Dozens of people spoke passionately about the health impacts of these commodities; and others, equally passionately, about ...
Coal Miner Pays Visit to East Bay: “Putting the ‘Just’ in the Just Energy Transition”
Nick Mullins, a former underground coal miner whose family has lived in Appalachia for generations, spoke in the East Bay about the desperate conditions in those communities, helping us understand their hostility toward environmentalists and their support for Trump. He emphasized the importance of respecting local experience and leadership and focused on the absolute priority of jobs in a mono-economy where life is tightly controlled by the coal industry.
Nick, who is on a seven-week tour of the United States, spoke at both the Bobby Bowens Progressive Center in ...
Court Puts Developers’ Quest for Damages on Hold
Second Lawsuit Stalls as Court of Appeal Weighs Anti-SLAPP Motion
An Alameda County Superior court judge has issued a stay of developer Phil Tagami’s lawsuit seeking millions of dollars in damages against the City of Oakland and a reinstatement of the terminal’s lease which Oakland terminated in November. The case will be on hold until the California Court of Appeal can decide whether the lawsuit is barred by California’s Anti-SLAPP Statute. The stay could last as long as two years as the Court of Appeal reviews the City’s argument that the lawsuit is a ...
Planning Commission considering steps to stop Port of Richmond coal
The City of Richmond may soon take steps to stop the handling of coal and petroleum coke (known as pet coke) at the Port of Richmond. Richmond’s Planning Commission will consider the Richmond Coal Ordinance at a hearing we expected on June 20 which will be held on Thursday, July 19.
WHAT: No Coal in Richmond rally & Richmond Planning Commission hearing
WHEN: Thursday, July 18: rally & press conference 5:30, Planning Commission 6:30
WHERE: Richmond City Hall steps, 450 Civic Center Plaza, Richmond CA 94804
(more info)
Coal in Richmond
The ...
Utah Coal Company’s $53 Million Money Grab for the Oakland (or Ensenada!) Coal Terminal
For two years, $53 million of public funds have been sitting in limbo in Utah while the City of Oakland’s ban on coal is being tested in the courts. Utah legislation is designed to free up the money for developers of a coal export terminal, but will it be in Oakland or in Baja California?
SF Baykeeper Honors No Coal in Oakland With Blue Rivet Award
San Francisco Baykeeper presented No Coal in Oakland with a Blue Rivet Award at their annual dinner on March 3.
City of Oakland and Allies Fire Opening Salvos in Appeal to Restore Coal Ban
The City of Oakland and its allies have filed the first round of briefs in the legal battle to overturn U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria’s May 2018 decision striking down Oakland’s resolution banning the storage and handling of coal at a West Oakland site near the Bay Bridge.
Richmond City Council aims to phase out coal shipment
On December 18, the Richmond City Council took its first step toward ending the shipment of coal and petroleum coke (pet coke) through the city. These toxic commodities are shipped overseas from the privately-owned Richmond Levin terminal.
The Richmond City Council is considering legislation to phase out and ultimately end the use of the terminal for coal and pet coke. At the council meeting yesterday, about a dozen people spoke in support and no one spoke in opposition to an initial draft of the legislation. Councilmembers voted unanimously to submit the proposed ...
More than forty community members contribute to December 6th NCIO meeting
Over forty people gathered for a lively discussion of next steps in the campaign to make sure that coal is never shipped out of Oakland, on the evening of December 6 at the West Side Missionary Baptist Church.
lora jo foo and Ted Franklin reported on the status of both cases currently in progress: the appeal of the federal judge’s decision that reversed the ban, and the suit filed by coal developer Phil Tagami on Tuesday in the state court. The appeal will take years to resolve. The timeline for the state case is less clear at this point. NCIO is closely watching both ...
Tagami Sues Again Claiming City’s Liability May Reach Hundreds of Millions of Dollars
As his plan to build the West Coast’s largest coal export facility falters, developer Phil Tagami has launched a second lawsuit against the City of Oakland, blaming the City for his inability to meet construction deadlines set forth in his lease and claiming the City may owe his companies Oakland Bulk and Oversized Terminal (OBOT) and Oakland Global Rail Enterprise (OGRE) hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.
In a 50-page complaint filed in Alameda County Superior Court today, OBOT and OGRE allege that the City unlawfully interfered with Tagami's efforts to ...
