By Jacob Klein
Regional Coal Organizer
Thanks to reporting from the Lost Coast Outpost and other outlets, news came to light about a shadowy corporation from outside the state attempting to take over the North Coast Railroad Authority’s line in order to transport coal from the San Francisco Bay Area to Humboldt Bay.
The Wyoming-based company, North Coast Railroad Co (NCRCo), claims it has the funds and precedent to rebuild the abandoned line that runs through the geologically and ecologically sensitive Eel River Canyon, among other places, in order to ship the coal out of the Port of Humboldt Bay.
Coal companies in the West have been vying to get their coal out even as the coal economy continues to decline. Burning coal for energy is a well-documented high contributor to climate change, and beyond that, coal dust contains Particulate Matter 2.5, which can cause respiratory illnesses, cardiac disease, fetal development disorders, and has been co-indicated with COVID-19 mortality.
Trains moving from San Francisco Bay to Humboldt Bay would release coal dust along the corridor, poisoning communities and potentially contaminating the drinking waters of the Eel River and the Russian River watersheds.
Claims that the trains would be covered and deemed “clean coal” are hard to believe, considering this is a practice that is barely used.
On top of the environmental and environmental concerns about coal trains, the Eel River Canyon is geologically unstable.
Between the necessary work to repair the railroads, build a connection to a port, and then build a bulk cargo terminal for the coal to be exported through, the project would be incredibly costly—money that could instead be invested in communities that have been dependent on coal as their primary source of economy.
Rep. Jared Huffman and State Sen. Mike McGuire have already announced their opposition to this proposal, especially McGuire who aims to convert the 320-mile long old rail line into the Great Redwood Trail through SB 69, which passed through the legislature and awaits the governor’s signature or veto at the time of publishing.
In fact, McGuire called the coal train proposal “one of the largest environmental threats to hit the North Coast in decades.”
In the Lost Coast Outpost article published Sept. 2, McGuire said “The people behind this toxic coal train have been operating in secret, meeting with local officials here on the North Coast. They’ve been operating anonymously through the LLC in Wyoming, and they are intentionally hiding behind these corporate laws that hide individuals behind these types of toxic operations.”
Redwood Chapter is unequivocally opposed to this proposal, as confirmed by a unanimous vote of the chapter executive committee on Sept. 14. This position has also been taken by other groups including Humboldt Baykeeper, the Friends of Eel River and the Environmental Protection Information Center.
Elsewhere in California, Sierra Club has been heavily involved in campaigns to stop coal from coming through communities and sensitive habitat.
In Oakland, the community has successfully prevented the Oakland Army Base from becoming a coal export terminal for years. And in Richmond, the city council passed an ordinance last year phasing out the storage and handling of coal in that city, citing the health impacts that coal dust has on its residents, particularly communities of color that bear the brunt of environmental racism.
Redwood Chapter leaders look forward to working with our allies and officials to determine the swiftest and most effective response to this threat and protect the air, water, and land we breathe, drink, and reside on.
If you’d like to be involved in stopping coal coming through Humboldt, contact organizer Jacob Klein at jacob.klein@sierraclub.org