Hundreds rally in Oakland to demand No Coal – No Compromise
Hundreds came out to City Hall (Oscar Grant Plaza) to call for "No Coal - No Compromise" on a sunny Saturday afternoon two days before the Oakland City Council takes up a proposed ban on coal storage and handling at the city's export terminal at a special meeting, Monday 27 June at 5pm.
No Coal in Oakland activist Michael Kaufman reminded the crowd of Monday's special meeting of the City Council, and outlined what each Oaklander can do to influence the council vote -- whether they were able to attend the rally or not. Details on how to phone and e-mail your support for ...
Call for federal investigation of Oakland coal terminal financing
A letter sent by conservation, health, and good-government organizations to Attorney General Loretta Lynch on June 20, 2016 calls for a federal investigation into potential legal and ethical violations in Utah's $53 million publicly funded loan to fund a coal export terminal in Oakland. The letter was sent on behalf of Earthjustice, the Sierra Club, Alliance for a Better Utah, HEAL Utah, the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, the Grand Canyon Trust, Living Rivers, and the Center for Biological Diversity.
As the Salt Lake City Tribune reports:
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Total Ban on Coal in Oakland Set for Vote June 27
The City announced on Friday that a ban on coal storage and handling at Oakland’s proposed bulk terminal will be on the City Council's agenda on Monday, June 27, at 5 pm. This is the City's first official confirmation that an outright ban will be put to a vote.
Activists from No Coal in Oakland are optimistic that the full City staff report, due to be published late in the week, will recommend City Council action to ban coal and not a compromise with the developer that would endanger public health and safety in Oakland and increase greenhouse gas concentrations ...
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.
