WHY OAKLAND MUST SAY NO TO COAL EXPORTS

WHY OAKLAND MUST SAY NO

TO COAL EXPORTS

Updated Special Edition of Oakland News, September 2015

Oakland City Hall Rally -- Photo from National Resources Defense Council

The fight against coal exports is not only an issue of health and safety for our city; it is at the heart of critical issues for our planet and global warming.

Oaklanders are proud to live in one of the nation's greenest cities and to be pioneers for environmental justice. We have made substantial progress on our city's ambitious Energy and Climate Action Plan; but helping to expand coal exports counteracts our work to reduce global warming. One of the broadest coalitions in recent memory is coming together to oppose coal exports from Oakland. Please take a few minutes to look at what is at stake, take action, and share this newsletter with friends and neighbors.

PACKED CITY COUNCIL HEARING ON PROPOSED COAL EXPORTS

HEALTH & SAFETY ISSUES

Good Summary of the September 21st hearing by Darwin BondGraham, the EBX Reporter that broke this story.

Additional comments will be accepted up to October 5th, see Council Members Information at bottom. Council vote expected December 8th.

1. Coal Is Toxic and Puts Our Community's Health At Risk

The proposal to build a coal exporting facility on land leased from the City would allow Bowie Resources of Utah to export up to ten million tons of Utah coal each year through Oakland for over 60 years. The mining, transport, and burning of this coal would create over 12.5 million tons of greenhouse emissions each year. To offset these emissions more than two million passenger cars would have to be removed from the road each year.

The export of coal is a significant change that demands a much more extensive Environmental Impact Study and Plan.

Coal contains mercury and arsenic. Port and rail facilities are adjacent to major waterways. Mercury and other contaminants already make it unsafe to eat fish from the Bay. In the Bay Area the very small Richmond facility exporting coal shows how difficult it is to hold these facilities accountable after they are established.

Coal dust is clearly linked with pulmonary diseases like emphysema, asthma, etc. Any additional risk caused by this plan in our dense urban area is an unacceptable risk.

The Bay Area already has some of the highest asthma rates, and Alameda County has double the state's rate. West Oakland and Emeryville have triple the county rate. Our children are the most vulnerable and they do not need even one more ounce of air pollution.

Map by the Bay Area News Group

The developers claim they will have "clean coal transportation," but as the excellent series by Darwin BondGraham in the East Bay Express points out:

"the Port of Oakland rejected a similar proposal last year based on environmental concerns. Earthjustice's letter notes that there are no covered rail cars currently shipping coal in the United States, and there do not appear to be any scientific studies on the safety of shipping coal via this method. Furthermore, the letter states that 'there is no way to evaluate the efficacy of covered rail cars as a proposed mitigation, because the developer has not posted design plans for the facility or transportation infrastructure and there are no enforceable conditions in place for the facility or trains.'"

Chart by Courtney Flat, Oregon Public Broadcasting

The amount of coal dust polluting the nation's railways and the waterways and communities along them is astounding. Currently the most effective mitigation is spraying a surfactant on the coal, reducing dust pollution by 85%. This sounds impressive until you realize that the remaining 15% means 100 pounds per rail car instead of 645 pounds lost in the process ! Just one 50 car train would generate 5,000 pounds.

2. Coal Would Gamble With the Port's Long Term Success

As Mayor I worked hard to save and secure funds for the expansion of the Port of Oakland, especially this bulk loading facility. In numerous conversations with city officials, and labor and community leaders, the developers denied that coal was going to be part of this project. I also spent significant effort promoting California agricultural products in China. Oakland is now the largest exporter of food to Asia, and these exports grow our regional economy and provide more local jobs. The inevitable environmental lawsuits generated by this project will delay our development and this project, tying our shipping capacity to a "dirty" out-of-state product that puts our future at risk.

The International Longshore & Warehouse Union, whose jobs are most tied to the future of the Port, has a clear policy refusing to load coal for export. "Waterfront space is in short supply on the West Coast, and it would be a mistake to lock Oakland into a decades-long lease with a coal industry that many say is dying. Coal proposals have failed up and down the West Coast, and Oakland shouldn't become the dumping ground for dirty, low value cargoes that no one else wants." >>Rally at Longview, Washington

This week, the Alameda Labor Council also came out against coal exports in their resolution: "Jobs involving coal are unhealthy and unsafe due to dust emissions."

The coal industry is facing a steady decline and coal markets are historically cyclical and unstable. Other West Coast ports, including Los Angeles and Portland, have gambled and lost millions. Abandoned coal export facilities have wasted millions of public dollars, left expensive clean-up expenses, and ports have missed opportunities for more profitable, durable economic development.

In planning for the bulk export facility, the main discussion was around agricultural exports which has a steady record of increasing volume.

Washington State, in a historic decision, denied permits for a coal export facility last year. More lawsuits based on the Clean Water Act are being planned for other existing and proposed sites in the Northwest.

Click this photo for a short video on the Northwest fight against coal exports.

3. These Mines Threaten Our National Heritage

The

The La Sal mountains from Arches National Park

Bowie mines are located in the Manti-La Sal National Forest which borders the Canyonlands (think classic cowboy movies) and Arches National Parks -- two of our national treasures.

The current Bowie mine has less than 10 years of coal and they are seeking new leases in federal lands that Native American and environmental groups oppose. A new suit against the US Interior Department's sale of 42 million tons of coal to Bowie was filed just last week.

The underground coal tunnels here are already undermining streams and ground water and the fish and other living things dependent on the region's scare water. Not only is there pollution, but creeks are literally sinking and disappearing as fissures spread (see photos below).

Last month l ocal Utah groups, including the Mormon Environmental Stewardship Alliance, came together to challenge the efficacy of diverting $53 million of funds set aside supposedly for mitigation to local communities to a private company in California with almost no public review (no Brown Act in Utah). One county supervisor noted that these funds have been used for school, nursing homes, and other local community infrastructure. The East Bay Express has also uncovered that one local Utah official seems to have a conflict of interest and will profit from these bond sales. Sounds like a lots of legal challenges ahead.

Fissures on mountain above mine

Collapsed creek and fallen trees. Photos by WildEarth Guardians

4. Coal Exported to Asia Comes Back to Us In Air & Water Pollution

Beijing smog nearly hides Tianmen, the national symbol of China.

A new U CB study says that air pollution is killing about 4,000 people a day in China or 1.6 million annually. Another Chinese study finds that in the coal burning north, Chinese live about 5 years less than those who live in the south. This has put huge political pressure on China's leaders. The recent necessity to close over 20,000 plants around Beijing for weeks to clear the air for the celebration of the 70th Anniversary of the end of WWII has only increased the national focus on air and coal.

A new NASA study finds that air pollution from China is undermining West Coast efforts in reducing smog and protecting the ozone levels.

Last year another UCB study estimated that 29% of the Bay Area's air pollutants originated in Asia.

A distressing less publicized study from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found that airborne mercury from China's coal burning was the second largest source of mercury pollution in the Great Lakes, about 14%. While most of the pollution came from local industries, it is clear that mercury pollution is an international issue. Nationally, the lack of EPA regulation of water pollution caused by mining is a major emerging issue in Utah, Montana, and Wyoming battles over federal lands.

>> This very nice clear chart comes from the State of Alaska. It offers advice on fish consumption given the levels of mercury contamination in fish.

5. This Deal Extends Coal Use Just As US & China's Use is Declining. Keep Coal in the Ground & Reduce Global Warming Before Its Too Late!

Record numbers of US coal-fired power plants are set to close this year in the US. Bloomberg estimates that 7% of US coal capacity will come offline due to a combination of low gas prices, new mercury emission standards and the closing of power plants -- resulting in the cleanest year since data has been collected (60 years.

Our own University of California (headquartered here in Oakland) just divested $200 million in coal and tar investments. Stricter regulation and drop in global demand made investments too risky, says university chief investment officer.

This month US and big city Chinese mayors, state and national leaders agreed to work towards a shared goal of limiting GHG emissions to 2 tons per capita - or 80 percent below 1990 levels - by 2050. This is a more advanced goal for Chinese cities than the national plan announced in June to produce at least 20 percent of its energy from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030 and to reduce carbon emission by 60 to 65 percent from 2005 levels.

Keep Coal in the Ground: The US has been urging China, the largest user of coal (we are second), to reduce burning of coal to reduce global warming. It is insane that the Department of the Interior is increasing coal leases on publicly own federal lands! This report by WildEarth Guardians makes the case to end coal leasing.

Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, former CEO of REI, opened up the discussion of federal land use. We need to ask our federal representatives to support a major change in how our national lands are being managed, especially in relation to an energy and climate plan that makes sense for all of us.

We must invest in jobs with a future. Ironically while Utah state officials seem to be rallying around coal owners who probably employ less than a thousand miners, SolarCity (headquartered in Berkeley) is opening its regional offices in Salt Lake City, employing up to 4,000 people. China is the largest producer and consumer of solar panels in the world; it is a critical part of their strategy to reduce carbon emissions.

HOW TO CONTACT YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER

Click here to find your City Council district. The at-large representative is citywide.
District	Name	Phone	Fax	Email
1	Dan Kalb	238-7001	238-6910	[email protected]
2	Abel Guillen	238-7002	238-6910	[email protected]
3	Lynette Gibson McElhaney	238-7003	238-6910	[email protected]
4	Annie Campbell Washington	238-7004	238-6129	[email protected]
5	Noel Gallo	238-7005	238-6129	[email protected]
6	Desley Brooks	238-7006	238-6129	[email protected]
7	Larry E. Reid	238-7007	238-6910	[email protected]
At Large	Rebecca Kaplan	238-7008	238-6910	[email protected]

HOW TO CONTACT OUR FEDERAL REPRESENTATIVES

http://www.whitehouse.gov

President Barack Obama (D)
Email: [email protected]/contact
The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500 (202)456-1111 (comments) TDD (202)456-6213 (comments)
Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell
Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street Washington DC 20240 (202) 208-3100 Email: [email protected]

THE CONGRESS (202) 224-3121
U.S. SENATE http://www.senate.gov
Barbara Boxer (D)
70 Washington Street, Suite 203, Oakland, CA 94607 (510) 286-8537 (202)224-0454 Fax http://boxer.senate.gov
Washington office: 112 Hart Senate Bldg, Washington, DC 20510 (202) 224-3553 (202)224-0454 Fax
Dianne Feinstein (D)
1 Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, Ca 94104 (415) 393-0707 (415) 393-0710 Fax http://feinstein.senate.gov
Washington office: 331 Hart Senate Bldg, Washington, DC 20510 (202) 224-3841 TTY: (202) 224-2501 (202) 228-3954
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
http://www.house.gov
District 13 Barbara Lee (D)
Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland, Piedmont and San Leandro 1301 Clay St., Suite 1000 N, Oakland Ca 94612 763-0370 763-6538 Fax Email Congresswoman Lee at her website http://www.lee.house.gov
Washington office: 2267 Rayburn House Office Bldg Washington DC 20515 (202) 225-2661 (202)225-9817 Fax

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