AB40 signed into law: mandates new EIR for proposed coal terminal
Responding to a vigorous campaign by climate, environmental justice, faith, labor, and public health advocates, as well as the urging of County Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas and city governments in Richmond, Emeryville, and Berkeley, Governor Gavin Newsom today signed the Community First Coal Review Act (AB40) into law.
Before a lead agency or air district can grant discretionary approval of a large coal storage, handling, or export facility, the new law mandates an Environmental Impact Report (EIR), California's “gold standard” environmental review.
This ...
Emeryville, Berkeley, and Richmond Urge Stringent Regulation of Proposed Coal Facility
East Bay Cities Stand Strong Together
The momentum of East Bay cities pushing back on the proposed West Oakland coal terminal continues to grow with each passing week: No Coal in Oakland stands with Richmond, Emeryville, and Berkeley as those cities reiterate their longstanding opposition to the terminal and urge the Air District to fully exercise its permitting, regulatory, and enforcement authority to prevent PM2.5 emissions from coal transport through the planned Oakland Bulk and Oversized Terminal (OBOT).
Richmond and Berkeley City Councils passed unanimous ...
Energy Analysts Call Utah Coal Terminal Funding “A High-Risk Gamble”
A new report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) calls a plan to spend $54 million of Utah public funds on coal export terminals in Oakland, California, and Longview, Washington, “a high-risk gamble to spend … money on out-of-state projects that could leave rural Utah with limited economic benefits — even if the coal terminals are eventually built.”
EEFA analyzed a recent report commissioned by the Rural Utah Infrastructure Coalition (RUIC) which recommended investing 80% of the funds ($43.2M) in Oakland and the remainder in ...
Five Reasons Labor Opposes Coal
Labor's leadership is crucial in building the movement against a coal export terminal in West Oakland.
Berkeley Passes Resolution Against Toxic Coal Threat
Last night, over 125 people rallied outside Berkeley City Council in support of a resolution opposing coal handling, storage, and transport in the Bay Area while dozens of No Coal advocates made their support known to the City Council with signs and comments.
The Berkeley City Council passed the resolution unanimously.
The resolution is a response to the deadly Trump-funded coal terminal planned in West Oakland. The resolution also calls for the Bay Area Air District to strictly regulate coal facilities, and affirms the City’s support of Assembly Bill 40, which ...
Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas urges Gov. Newsom to sign AB40 into law
Emphatic support for AB40, the Community First Coal Review Act, was conveyed to Governor Newsom by Alameda County Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas (District 5) in an eloquent and detailed letter dated September 9, 2026.
Supervisor Fortunato Bas represents a district that includes the West Gateway site where developers plan to build the proposed coal terminal, as well as the West Oakland neighborhoods adjacent to the site. District 5 also includes Emeryville, Berkeley, and Albany, three of the East Bay cities through which “unit trains” of 100 cars would pass if the ...
Utah Study Blesses Investment in Oakland Coal Terminal But Leaves Key Questions Unanswered
Will open piles of coal in Oakland replace the open pile in Richmond? A new report reveals lastest plan for the West Oakland coal terminal.
Why a West Oakland coal terminal matters to Berkeley
On Tuesday evening next week – September 15, 2026 – the Berkeley City Council will vote on the adoption of a resolution “in opposition to the handling, storage, and transport of coal and petroleum coke in the San Francisco Bay Region, urging stringent regulation of such facilities by the Bay Area Air District, and in support of Assembly Bill (AB) 40.” Starting at 6:00 pm outside the City Council meeting, the Keep Coal Out of the East Bay campaign will stage a rally and – we hope – a celebration of the resolution’s passage (event details here).
Join ...
State Legislature passes AB40: to require environmental review of coal projects
"Today, the California legislature passed Assembly Bill 40, the Community First Coal Review Act by Assemblymember Mia Bonta, a bill to protect Californians from dusty, toxic coal pollution. The bill now heads to the Governor’s desk to await his signature. If signed into law, developers of enormous bulk coal facilities, like the one proposed in West Oakland, will have to fully disclose their projects’ impacts and develop effective mitigation measures before they are granted approval."
That's today's great news, courtesy of Earthjustice's press release. The bill was ...
Richmond City Council urges strict regulation of coal facilities by the Bay Area Air District
This evening the Richmond City Council unanimously passed a resolution “opposing facilities that engage in handling and storage of coal and petcoke in the San Francisco Bay region and urging stringent regulation of such facilities by the Bay Area Air District.”
The measure adopted by the Richmond City Council can be found (still in draft form as of this evening) on pub-richmond.escribemeetings.com.
The resolution “urges the Air District to ensure that any air permit it issues to the OBOT facility fully protects Oakland and other Bay area residents from exposure ...
