ABOUT THE BENICIA INDEPENDENT By Roger Straw and Nathalie Christian Here’s a little history on the BenIndy (as it has come to be known), what it IS and what it IS NOT… Benicia resident and journalist Roger Straw founded the Benicia Independent in November 2007, in response to widely perceived local attacks on the free … Continue reading ABOUT THE BENINDY
PERMANENT ARCHIVE: The successful effort to STOP oil trains in Benicia, California The Benicia Independent covered opposition to Valero’s Crude By Rail proposal (and other news about oil trains nationwide) from 2014 through the unanimous rejection of Valero’s proposal on September 20, 2016. Below is a permanent archive of over 3,000 postings of news, opinions and … Continue reading CRUDE BY RAIL
Repost from the Vallejo Times-Herald [Editor: Many thanks to Chris Riley for the great graphic image, and to the Vallejo Times-Herald news team for including Valero’s failed oil train proposal in their list of the year’s most significant events. Stopping “Crude by Rail” was actually much more than a big local story – Benicia was … Continue reading VALLEJO TIMES-HERALD: Top stories of 2016
By Roger Straw, December 22, 2016 Why did Valero decide not to go to court? On December 20, Benicia’s City Attorney announced that she had been advised by Valero’s attorney that the refinery is no longer planning to sue the City of Benicia over its failed Crude By Rail proposal. While this is welcome news, worthy of celebration and thanksgiving, Valero’s … Continue reading Editorial: Celebrate, but watch on the tracks!