With coal exports ramping up at the Levin Terminal on the Richmond waterfront, the City Council last night took an important first step towards protect the community from deadly coal dust pollution.
On Tuesday night, Richmond's city council unanimously approved a draft ordinance to prohibit new coal and petroleum coke storage or handling and phase out existing operations. The ordinance now goes to the City Attorney's office for further review, after which it will return to the council for a first reading.
Community members spoke at the hearing, testifying to the harmful health and environmental impacts of coal exports. Coal dust contains arsenic, lead, mercury, chromium, nickel, selenium, and other toxic heavy metals. Prolonged, direct exposure to coal dust is linked to chronic bronchitis, decreased lung function, emphysema, and cancer. Residents living near the rail lines and export terminal are at greatest risk of these health issues and tend to be lower income communities and communities of color.
Only three ports in the state of California export coal, including the Levin Terminal. In 2017, the Levin Terminal shipped over 1.1 million metric tons of coal — a 300 percent increase over 2016 coal shipments. The terminal is on track to exceed that amount in 2018.
Between the mines and the port, up to 500 pounds of coal can be lost in the form of toxic fine particulate matter from each rail car. Once the coal reaches the waterfront terminal, it's heaped in massive open-air piles that the wind and rain can carry into the air and Bay waters.
The Sierra Club applauds the City of Richmond for taking action to end the harmful impacts of coal and petroleum coke. The Levin-Richmond Terminal Company has been profiting by shipping coal and petcoke overseas while the Richmond community suffers the consequences. With its unanimous vote, the City Council took a strong stand to declare that transitioning our community away from dirty fossil fuels to a clean and renewable energy future.
The Sierra Club is part of a coalition of environmental, environmental justice, and public health advocates committed to preventing the Bay Area from becoming the West Coast’s largest coal exporting region. Ports in Richmond and Stockton currently export coal overseas, while Oakland and Vallejo are being targeted for future coal export terminals.
Photo: Sierra Club members and allies at the Richmond City Council vote. Photo courtesy Minda Berbeco.