By Andrew Christie, Chapter Director
On May 10, 1869, the directors of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroads celebrated the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad at Promontory Point, Utah, connecting the nation from coast to coast with a pair of steel rails.
The Golden Spike driven into the final rail tie was engraved: “May God continue the unity of our Country, as this Railroad unites the two great Oceans of the world.”
Railroads are now creating a new kind unity, in a manner not foreseen in 1869. Specifically, the proposed use of the Union Pacific main line to haul millions of gallons of crude oil into San Luis Obispo as part of the North American boom in the shipment of oil by rail – outstripping the ability of governments to effectively regulate hazardous freight and straining the capacity of an aging rail system that was not designed for such duty – has united communities against the proposal statewide.
The Phillips 66 Santa Maria Refinery rail spur project has redefined the meaning of the term “local land use decision.” The communities along the line to the north and south of us are becoming keenly aware that a vote by the San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission could drastically change the lives of their citizens, and not in a good way.
Others have gotten confused by the idea that this local land use project would have impacts ranging far beyond the local area. A befuddled Paso Robles City Council recently demonstrated that they don’t get it.
Originally, no one was more confused about the vastly expanded scope of the potential impacts of this local project than Phillips 66. Their first attempt at drafting a review of potential environmental impacts pretended this was simply a construction project, its impacts restricted to the immediate vicinity of the Santa Maria Refinery on the Nipomo Mesa.
The Tribune is also struggling with the new concept of “local” – reporting only that the City of San Luis Obispo has asked the County to deny the project, and Paso Robles has asked the feds to impose more safety regulations on rail transport of hazardous substances. The Trib has never been able to bring itself to list all the communities that are begging the County to deny the project. As of today’s date, that list looks like this:
Richmond
Oakland
Albany
Sacramento
San Leandro
Martinez
Davis
San Jose
San Luis Obispo
Moorpark
Oxnard
Camarillo
Ventura
Simi Valley
Santa Cruz County
Monterey County
Santa Barbara County’s 3rd District
Ventura County
Oakland School Board
San Leandro Unified School District
Ventura Unified School District
Pleasant Valley School District
Phillips 66 and Union Pacific are making a game attempt to turn the tide with presentations at local city councils. It hasn’t gone well for them so far, as the Mesa Refinery Watch Group and local residents have been turning out to smack down their vague reassurances and carefully couched statistics. You should probably join them. The next opportunities to do so will be:
Monday, April 20th at 6:30 pm, Grover Beach City Council Meeting , 154 S. Eighth Street, Grover Beach
and
Tuesday, May 5, at 5:30 pm, Pismo Beach City Council Meeting, 760 Mattie Road, Pismo Beach.
And if you’d like to get more informed beforehand, do stop to chat with the canvassers who will be on the streets of SLO, Paso Robles, Atascadero and Templeton this Saturday and Sunday. Also on Sunday, drop by any of the several tables spreading the word on the SLO oil train project at the Earth Day Festival at Rancho El Chorro.
Mesa Refinery Watch Group volunteers will be joining the Sierra Club at our table. Hope to see you there!