Groups Support CA Bill Requiring Full Environmental Review Of Large-Scale Coal Terminal

Today, California Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Oakland) introduced a bill in the state legislature that would require a full environmental impact report (EIR) before any local agency may grant approval for a new or expanded coal handling, storage, or export facility. The Community First Coal Review Act also requires an updated environmental review when the type or quantity of coal changes or when a previously completed EIR is 10 or more years old.

“The beautiful people of West Oakland, Alameda, and Emeryville have fought for clean air, for their children’s health, and for their right to breathe for generations. Donald Trump used a Cold War emergency law to try to override all of that. He will not succeed. As a mother, a legislator, and Chair of the Assembly Health Committee, I am fighting to protect our community,” said Assemblymember Mia Bonta. “That’s why I’m introducing AB 40, to ensure that no large-scale coal terminal is allowed to open in California without an Environmental Impact Report that actually reflects the type and quantity of coal being shipped, grounded in current science, and honest about the impacts on the people who live here. Donald Trump cannot declare West Oakland a sacrifice zone. California will not allow it.”

Statements in Support: 

“We’re proud of the decades of hard work we and our neighbors have invested to clean up West Oakland’s air. We’re not going to let this coal facility move forward without a thorough examination of how it might impact our health and drag our progress backward,” said Veronica Eady, Executive Director of West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project. “We stand with Assemblymember Bonta–because we refuse to let the coal industry sacrifice our community for their profits.”

“Communities in Oakland and all around the Bay deserve to know exactly how a dirty shoreline coal project would impact our water, air, and health,” said Ben Eichenberg, Senior Staff Attorney at San Francisco Baykeeper. “The Trump administration is pouring millions of tax-payer dollars into an unwanted and unneeded coal plan in Oakland. Assemblymember Bonta’s bill is an important first step to fully vetting the potential harm this project poses to our community.”  

“We are grateful that Assemblymember Bonta is moving quickly to ensure environmental review of the potential coal storage and handling facility,” said Colin O’Brien, Deputy Managing Attorney of Earthjustice’s California Regional Office. “The outdated CEQA reports for the project did not contemplate a facility that handles dirty and toxic coal, let alone analyze and disclose the dangers of such a facility. West Oaklanders should not be blindly subjected to more air pollution and a multitude of health harms so the Trump administration can prop up the failing coal industry. We stand with West Oakland residents who demand to know exactly how this project may harm their community.”

“The Oakland community continues to fight the federal government’s desperate attempts to revive the dying coal industry,” said Asha Sharma, Deputy Director of Sierra Club California. “We applaud Assemblymember Bonta for introducing a common-sense bill to ensure serious and thorough environmental review of the proposed coal project in Oakland, so the community can understand the health impacts and the tools available to fight against additional pollution in their community.” 

 Background 

Earlier this month the Trump administration announced it is directing $75 million for construction of the Oakland Bulk and Oversized Terminal, with an intended capacity of 9 to 10 million tons of coal annually and set to go into operation in 2028. The most recent environmental report prepared for the project in 2012 does not evaluate the possibility that coal would be one of the commodities handled at the site.

Groups previously released a statement on the Trump administration’s wasteful announcement.