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The Port of Oakland, a deep water port, was the first major port on the Pacific Coast of the United States to build terminals for container ships. The port is now the fifth busiest container port in the United States, behind Long Beach, Los Angeles, New York/New Jersey, and Savannah.
September 21, at an Oakland City Council coal export hearing, the Sierra Club's San Francisco Bay Chapter and the Beyond Coal Campaign partnered to send a strong message with speakers, local residents, business owners, and many others (674 signed up), in opposition to coal export industry plans for the Port of Oakland (where a multi-commodity bulk terminal is currently under the first phase of construction). The proposed 360-acre facility is being buit on the site of a decommissioned army base.
Construction of the "Oakland Global Trade and Logistics Center" and commodity export "Oakland Bulk and Over-sized Terminal" would be financed by a loan for $53 million (in public funds, with a 3,000 page lease document) from four counties in Utah.
The proposed California Capital & Investment Group maritime terminal would handle approximately 9 million tons of Utah coal, annually.
Developer Phil Tagami, an Oakland native, had originally proposed plans to Utah and Oakland officals which denied that coal would be a short-listed commodity. Former Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, who was in the room when the deal was signed, reportedly commented that the approval process and funding decision proceedings would have been "very different" due to liabilities inherent to coal transport. A southern Utah publication, the Richfield Reaper, broke the Utah Permanent Community Impact Fund Board story on April 7.
Speakers included engineering expert Dr. Phyllis Fox; UC Davis Professor Debbie Niemeier; three epidemiologists with expertise in public health and climate change; Alameda County Public Health Officer Dr. Muntu Davis; environmental justice project officer for U.S. EPA Region 9, Richard Grow; former Oakland Mayor Jean Quan; bussinesswoman and former four-term member of the Oakland City Council, Nancy Nadel; Berkeley councilmember Linda Maio; a spokesperson for assemblymember Tony Thurmond; heads of both the Oakland and Port Chapters of SEIU 1021; four representatives of ILWU Local 6 and 10 (including a worker and former nurse who handles coal at the Port of Stockton); Former Black Panther leader and community leader Elaine Brown; founder of Sungevity, Danny Kennedy; California Nurses Association; San Francisco Baykeeper; NRDC (Natural Resource Defense Council); Earthjustice; program director for California Interfaith Power and Light, Rev. Will Scott; Asian Pacific Environmental Network; Communities for a Better Environment; ACCE (Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment); West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project; West Oakland Neighbors; CREDO, and the Sierra Club.
Dirty energy opposition (450 people) testified for 4.5 of the 6.5 meeting hours, overwhelming the evidently hired supporters.
The Oakland City Council passed a resolution to do research and take action by December 8.
Coal, found in 17 of Utah's 29 counties (concentrated in the Counties of Emory and Carbon), is Utah's state rock!
#BeyondCoal