2015 – Public comments DEIR, RDEIR

PUBLIC COMMENTS ON VALERO CRUDE BY RAIL – 2015

Documents are listed most recent at top.

Public Comments on the RDEIR (period closed on October 31, 2015)

0.4MB, 16 pages.  This PDF starts out with an important letter opposing the project from the City of Oroville, CA, followed by 12 identical CREDO Action letters from individuals all over California, also opposing Valero CBR (including one from a Benician).

Index to comments 31-10-15 - 2-12-15

2.1MB, 103 pages.  (Comments index, click here)This PDF document includes:

  • An important letter from Fire Chief John Heilmann, writing on behalf of the City of West Sacramento (pages 2-10).  The letter strongly endorses the Sacramento Area Council of Governments’ October 30 critique of the RDEIR. 
  • 86 identical CREDO-generated letters from individuals far and wide (including 3 from Benicians), “Reject Valero’s dangerous oil trains project.”  These 86 can be added to 1976 such letters received previously, for a total of 2,062.  There is WIDESPREAD and growing opposition to Valero’s dangerous and dirty proposal and to oil transport by rail in general.
  • 3  identical VALERO-generated letters (2 from Benicians), “I support the Valero Crude by Rail project.”  These 3 can be added to 133 such letters received previously, for a total of 136.  Nearly half of these are from Benicians, no doubt primarily Valero employees, their families and friends.
Public Comments October 24-30, 2015 – The following links go to the City’s website – all are large PDF downloads.

Public Comments index Oct. 24-30, 2015(2)INDEX TO PARTS 1 – 4The City of Benicia’s comment pages do not make it easy to find a letter from a particular agency, organization or individual. The only “index” provided is at the beginning of Part 1, and it does not show page numbers or Part numbers. CLICK THE IMAGE ABOVE OR HERE FOR A ONE-PAGE INDEX (PDF download).

– Natural Resources Defense Council
– Communities for a Better Environment
– San Francisco Baykeeper
– Center for Biological Diversity
– Sierra Club
… and others

Public Comments on the DEIR (period closed on September 15, 2014)

  • Public Comments December 16, 2014-August 28, 2015  (This 9.8 MB 227-page document appeared on the City’s website on an undetermined date; I am posting it here after the fact on 2015-11-12.  Note also that the City displayed a link to this document with a typo, showing a wrong date, “December 16, 2015” rather than “2014“.    The document is indexed and arranged rather oddly, and includes without attribution a number of documents, including the US Department of Transportation’s “Draft Regulatory Impact Analysis – Hazardous Materials: Enhanced Tank Car Standards and Operational Controls for High-Hazard Flammable Trains; Notice of Proposed Rulemaking” dated July, 2014 [pp. 21-226].  I am assuming that the unattributed documents were included in the record at the request of Planning Commissioner Steve Young, because his name shows up in the index on p. 1 and nowhere else.  – RS)

For safe and healthy communities…