Planning Commission considering steps to stop Port of Richmond coal

Coal Train photographed from Carlson Blvd in Richmond, California. Photo credit: Sierra Club.
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 ...

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Utah Coal Company’s $53 Million Money Grab for the Oakland (or Ensenada!) Coal Terminal

Port of Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
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?

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SF Baykeeper Honors No Coal in Oakland With Blue Rivet Award

San Francisco Baykeeper Fundraiser @ The Dolphin Club March 3, 2019 Drew Bird Photography San Francisco Bay Area Photographer Have Camera. Will Travel.
San Francisco Baykeeper presented No Coal in Oakland with a Blue Rivet Award at their annual dinner on March 3.

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City of Oakland and Allies Fire Opening Salvos in Appeal to Restore Coal Ban

Ninth Circuit San Francisco Courthouse Circa 1905
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.

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Richmond City Council aims to phase out coal shipment

Ariel view of Richmand Levin coal terminal, from Richmond Mayor Tom Butts e-mail forum, http://www.tombutt.com/forum/2018/18-5-10a.html
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 ...

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More than forty community members contribute to December 6th NCIO meeting

Westside Missionary Baptist Church, Oakland, California
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 ...

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Tagami Sues Again Claiming City’s Liability May Reach Hundreds of Millions of Dollars

Grand Lake Theater marquee deploring Tagami's lawsuit against the City of Oakland
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 ...

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City Says Coal Terminal Lease Is Dead; Tagami Threatens New Suit

In a dramatic new challenge to developer Phil Tagami’s plan to build a marine coal terminal in West Oakland, the City of Oakland has given notice that he will soon lose his 66-year lease on the West Gateway for failure to meet critical milestones for beginning construction. Although Tagami’s lawyer asserts that the lease has not been terminated, City Attorney Barbara Parker notified Tagami that the lease will automatically terminate on November 22, 2018 without any further notice. In response, Tagami is threatening a new lawsuit against the City demanding $26 ...

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Barbara Lee refuses support from coal developer Tagami

Barbara Lee (official photo)
Congresswoman Barbara Lee, representing California's 13th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives, including northern and western Alameda County, recently joined No Coal in Oakland's pledge to refuse any support from coal developer Phil Tagami until he makes a legally binding commitment not to use Oakland's proposed marine terminal for coal. Congresswoman Lee is the most prominent candidate and elected official to endorse NCIO's campaign so far. The pledges are intended to demonstrate to Phil Tagami that he is politically isolated as long as he ...

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No Coal in Vallejo launches

No Coal In Vallejo image
No Coal in Vallejo launched on Saturday, October 6, 2018, when more than two dozen people crowded into the VStudio community space to hear about the campaigns against coal in Oakland and Richmond, ask questions, and think about how to move a campaign against coal forward in Vallejo. Many of the people who attended on Saturday are activists in Fresh Air Vallejo, a group that has been fighting for 3-1/2 years to prevent the construction of a cement factory on the Napa River. The cement factory poses serious environmental hazards. Cement dust is toxic, linked to asthma and ...

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