Benicia Herald, Benicia Planning Commission, Crude By Rail, Public permitting, Valero Benicia Refinery, Valero Crude By Rail

Benicia publishes Notice of Availability & Public Hearings on Valero Crude by Rail

By Roger Straw, Editor, Sunday, August 30, 2015

An official notice appeared in the Benicia Herald today regarding the proposed Valero Crude By Rail project.  The newspaper notice details plans to release and recirculate the Revised Draft Environmental Impact Report and to hold hearings on the new report.

The City of Benicia arranged for the Benicia Herald to publish this in its Sunday 8/30/15 edition, but it is not yet available online.  I am providing a scanned version is available here .  (UPDATE: See the City’s  online version here.)

SIGNIFICANT HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE TEXT

  • In response to requests made in comments on the DEIR,  the City is issuing this RDEIR to consider potential Impacts that could occur uprail of Roseville, California (i.e., between a crude oil train’s point of origin and the California State border, and from the border to Roseville)  AND  to supplement the DEIR’s evaluation of the potential consequences of upsets or accidents involving crude oil trains based on new information that has become available since the DEIR was published .  In order to allow the public and interested agencies the opportunity to review this information, the City has elected to recirculate  certain portions  of the DEIR.
  • SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT:  …The environmental analysis conducted to date indicates that  there would be a significant and unavoidable impact associated with air quality and greenhouse gas emissions, hazards and hazardous materials, and biological resources .  The impacts associated with all other environmental issues either would be less than significant or would be reduced to a less-than-significant level with the incorporation of mitigation measures.
  • AVAILABILITY AND PUBLIC REVIEW PERIOD:  … 45-day public review period beginning on Monday, August 31, 2015 and ending at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 15, 2015 .
  • Because the proposed revisions to the DEIR affect only portions of the analysis, the City is recirculating only those affected portions for public review. Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15088.5(f)(2),  anyone wishing to submit comments on the RDEIR should limit those comments to the revised portions shown In Chapter 2 of the RDEIR  (Revisions to the Draft Environmental Impact Report).
  • PUBLIC HEARINGS:  …  The City of Benicia Planning Commission will hold a formal public hearing to receive comments on the RDEIR on September 29, 2015. In anticipation of the number of speakers, additional Planning Commission meetings to receive comments on the RDEIR are scheduled for September 30, October 1, and October 8, 2015 .  These additional meetings will only be held as necessary to hear public comment.  All meetings will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, Benicia City Hall , located at 250 East L Street, Benicia, CA 94510.  Comments on the RDEIR may be provided at the public hearing or may be submitted in writing, no later than 5:00 p.m., on Thursday, October 15, 2015.
  • All written comments should be provided to:

Amy Million, Principal Planner
Community Development Department
250 East L Street, Benicia, CA 94510
amillion@.benicia.ca.us
(707) 747-1637 (fax)
NOTE: The comment period on the DEIR ended on September 15, 2014 and the City Is in receipt of comments previously submitted so  there is no need to resubmit comments previously provided .