Bakken Crude, Bomb Trains, Crude By Rail, Fracking, Keep it in the ground, Take Action, Tar sands crude

ALBANY NY: Break Free’ Protest Against Fracking, Bomb Trains

Repost from DeSmogBlog
[Editor:  See also Climate Activists Block Port Of Albany ‘Bomb Trains’ In New York, Popular Resistance.  – RS]

“Whatever God May Bring”: Albany ‘Break Free’ Protest Against Fracking, Bomb Trains

By Zach Roberts • Tuesday, May 17, 2016 – 11:39

On May 14, thousands of people around the world joined together for marches, rallies and civil disobedience against dirty energy. While their specific causes may have ranged from stopping pipelines to preventing crude oil “bomb trains,” the unifying idea was to ‘break free’ from fossil fuels.

According to organizers, 2,000 people attended the Break Free Albany rally that featured speeches from different groups, such as Iris Marie Bloom of Protecting Our Waters.

As one of the final speakers at the rally she spoke about the Pilgrim Pipeline but in general the cause for the action, “We are all here to protect our climate, because the oil bomb trains are bad for climate, Bakken oil extraction is bad for climate… From the beginning — the cradle, the Bakken Shale, the tar sands — to the grave, Philadelphia refineries, other refineries, and the end use… we got to stop it all!”

Moving from Lincoln Park, the rally took to the streets in a planned march to the Port of Albany.

The first stop along the way was a low-income housing development which shared a back yard with a defacto “bomb train” parking lot. According to activists speaking at the protest the oil cars sit and idle for hours within yards of children’s bedrooms. The road that the marchers were standing on and blocking was also an oil transportation route used regularly by trucks to get to and from the port.

Carolyn McLaughlin, president of the Albany Common Council, demanded that people in Washington listen to the marchers:

“We have to make sure the black wall of environmental injustice does not return down here to Ezra Prentice… the people of Ezra Prentice and all along these tracks deserve better, we demand better, we will not take no for an answer.”

Moving parallel to the tracks, the march moved to its final destination, a road crossing that allowed the activists to set up a stage and prevent railroad cars from passing through. Music, dancing and speakers filled the small stage, along with an amplified audio set-up powered by a solar panel.

Finishing out the evening’s speakers was actor and activist James Cromwell who spoke to DeSmog:

“Even though we have a ban on fracking in New York, the governor and the legislators didn’t see fit to ban the use of fracked products. So now what we have is the build-out of hydrofracking infrastructure, pipelines, compressors, metering stations. This commits us for the next 30 to 40 years to fossil fuels. It cannot happen, we will not have a planet.”

Actor James Cromwell is a long-time activist, but it wasn’t until he move to Upstate New York that he got involved in the fight against fracking. In an interview with DeSmog, he called for the Governor of New York to end fracking infrastructure that still runs throughout the state. © 2016 Zach Roberts

To the march organizers’ surprise, the Albany police allowed the activists to stay long past their agreed upon permit — refusing to arrest anyone for occupying the tracks.

So the Break Free organizers decided to try to build an encampment. Immediately they set to work getting rope, tarps and other necessities like cinder blocks to make large tents for people to stay under as the weather forecast called for heavy rain.

The police allowed the now occupiers to build their tents with many warnings that any ‘structure’ would be taken down. 15-minute warnings expanded as organizers negotiated with police — but the police were standing firm.

Joking with one of the cops, I asked: “You’re just waiting until the rain starts to take the tents down… aren’t you?” The officer responded with a smirk, “Whatever God may bring.”

God brought torrential rain and wind.

And then the police swooped in. With activists singing and locking arms, the police aggressively, but with care not to harm anyone, ripped the tarps from their place and hauled them off in vehicles so that they couldn’t be used again.

Activists lock arms to protect the poles that hold up the tent from police. The Albany Police would go around this and just cut the ropes. © 2016 Zach Roberts

Thankfully for the protesters, the rain slowed soon after, and conversation turned to figuring out next steps. After a time debating specifics, it was decided that they would stay and try to make it through the night without tents, laying on the railroad tracks with only cardboard and tarps to cover them from the weather.

By the time I left at 11pm, they were still there, sending out parties to gather supplies of dry clothing, food and whatever else they might need to make it through the night.

Photos from the Albany #BreakFree protest


Within view of the Capitol, climate activists call for a clean energy future — ending fracking, stopping pipelines and much more. © 2016 Zach Roberts


Activists write phone numbers on their arms so they can call for legal support if they are arrested. © 2016 Zach Roberts


Local Albany activists and organizers joined in with the Break Free march, calling for cleaner air in their communities.  © 2016 Zach Roberts


Clara Phillips, an Albany native, was marching for an end to the “bomb trains” that are causing air quality problems in her community. © 2016 Zach Roberts


A banner drop along one of the main highways that run through Albany reads “Health and Safety Matter.” This was just one of several that took place around Albany. © 2016 Zach Roberts


Founder and Director of AVillage, Willie White, speaks to the Break Free marchers in the Ezra Prentice neighborhood. © 2016 Zach Roberts


Co-Founder of Upstate New York Black Lives Matter, Taina Asili, sang a moving song “And We Walk” to the crowd blocking the road in the Ezra Prentice neighborhood. © 2016 Zach Roberts


Willie White leads the march along a road that runs parallel to the railroad tracks that oil train cars often run. © 2016 Zach Roberts


Canada Pacific put up temporary fences to block the protesters from going any further along the tracks, so the protesters decided to use it as a gallery for their posters and banners. © 2016 Zach Roberts


Break Free organizers and protesters begin planning for their night stay on the railroad tracks. © 2016 Zach Roberts


Volunteers risk injury setting up ropes that run across the tracks to lay tarps over to form a tent. © 2016 Zach Roberts


The tents are up – but not for long. High winds later caused the activists to double up some cinderblocks for weights. © 2016 Zach Roberts


Albany Police take the remnants of the tents back to their cars, so that they can’t be used again. © 2016 Zach Roberts


Break Free organizers and activists form a circle in the rain making plans for the rest of the night.  © 2016 Zach Roberts


Albany Police give the activists space as they settle in for a cold wet night. © 2016 Zach Roberts

Crude By Rail, Local Regulation, Phillips 66 Nipomo Mesa refinery, Public permitting, San Luis Obispo County, Santa Maria Refinery

SAN LUIS OBISPO: Phillips 66 rail spur likely to get planning commission approval

Repost from CalCoastNews.com

Phillips 66 rail spur likely to get planning commission approval

May 17, 2016

train carThe San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission has indicated it will approve a scaled-down version of Phillips 66’s proposed rail spur. Commissioners are expected to voted 3-2 in favor of the project at a meeting in September.

Phillips 66 plans to build a rail spur so that crude oil currently delivered by pipeline could be transported to the Nipomo Mesa refinery by train. The proposed project includes a 6,915-foot rail spur, an unloading facility, on-site pipelines, replacement of coke rail loading tracks and the construction of five parallel tracks with the capacity to hold a 5,190-foot train.

Company officials initially proposed five train trips per week to the refinery. Faced with opposition from the public, they scaled down the plan to three trains a week.

On Monday, planning commissioners Don Campbell, Jim Harrison and Jim Irving expressed support for the project. Commissioners Eric Meyer and Ken Topping, who serve at the will of supervisors Adam Hill and Bruce Gibson, oppose the rail spur. A motion to reject the project failed on a 3-2 vote.

The planning commission has already held several meetings on the rail spur project. Hundreds of people have made public comments, the majority of which have been in opposition to the rail spur.

Environmental activists have come from across the state to protest the project. Opponents have stressed the risk of a train derailment and oil spill.

Supporters of the rail spur spoke about Phillips 66’s strong safety record and the jobs the refinery provides.

Phillips 66 officials say oil production is decreasing in California, and the rail spur would allow the company to bring in crude from new suppliers. Company officials have also said Phillips 66 would deliver the additional oil by truck if the county rejects the rail spur.

Still, county staff recommended rejecting the project. Planning staffers said the rail spur could result in oil spills and fires, and the project would generate toxic air emissions that exceed county thresholds.

The next hearing on the project is scheduled for Sept. 22. Regardless of how the planning commission rules, the rail spur project is expected to be appealed to the SLO County Board of Supervisors.

Crude By Rail, Local Regulation, Phillips 66 Nipomo Mesa refinery, Public permitting, San Luis Obispo County, Santa Maria Refinery, Take Action

SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY: Planning Commission set to APPROVE P66 project; Emergency Town Hall Wednesday

A pair of emails by Stop Oil Trains Campaign, San Luis Obispo

From: “Stop Oil Trains Campaign”
Date: May 16, 2016 3:35 PM
Subject: BREAKING: Planning Commission set to APPROVE P66 project; Emergency Town Hall Wednesday

Incredibly, despite overwhelming opposition, today the SLO County Planning Commission indicated that it is set to approve the dangerous Phillips 66 oil trains project with a 3-2 vote. The hearings have been continued until September, where County Staff must bring forward conditions of approval for consideration and public comment.

But the fight is far from over. Will you join us for an emergency town hall Wednesday at 6pm? [Link removed, event now past.]

Over the past few years, we’ve worked incredibly hard to build a powerful movement together, here in SLO and up and down the tracks. We wrote tens of thousands of public comments, organized dozens of rallies, and spoke out by the hundreds at the Planning Commission hearings. Despite the infuriating vote, we will carry our power with us to the next stage of the campaign when we appeal the Planning Commission’s decision to the County Board of Supervisors.

To respond to the Planning Commission’s vote and organize next steps, we’re holding an emergency town hall this Wednesday from 6pm – 8pm at the SLO City Library.

Can you join us? Click here to RSVP [Link removed, event now past.]

We are thankful to the two commissioners (Ken Topping & Eric Meyer) who heard the public outcry, understood the issues, and voted no. While the ultimate Planning Commission vote is disappointing, we know the fight has only just begun. We need to build on our momentum to make sure the Board of Supervisors reverses the Commission’s careless decision, and we need you with us!

See you Wednesday night!

With hope,
Charles, Heidi, Andrew, Mary, Ethan, and Valerie
Stop Oil Trains Campaign
http://stopoiltrains.nationbuilder.com/

From: “Stop Oil Trains Campaign”
Date: May 16, 2016 3:49 PM
Subject: **CORRECTION** clarifying what happened at the hearings

Just writing to clarify exactly what happened at the Planning Commission hearings today. An email was just sent that may have confused folks into thinking the project was approved. The commissioners indicated approval but have not formally voted yet.

Here is the rundown of what happened:
• The commissioners laid out their positions: 3 in favor (Campbell, Harrison, & Iriving) of the project, 2 opposed (Topping & Meyer)
• A motion to deny the permit failed
• Commissioners informally directed staff to amend their recommendations to include conditions for approval
• They ultimately voted to continue the hearings until September 22, where they will reconsider the item with conditions for approval
What today indicates is that the commission is dangerously close to approving the project. We need now more than ever to organize opposition to make sure they do the right thing.

That’s why we’ve invited you to the town hall meeting on Wednesday, May 18 to work on next steps: Click here to RSVP! [Link removed, event now past.]

See you there,

Stop Oil Trains Team

Stop Oil Trains Campaign
http://stopoiltrains.nationbuilder.com/

Bakken Crude, Climate Change, Coal, Crude By Rail, Fossil fuels, Oil refineries, Oil trains, Take Action

CLIMATE ACTION: Protesters Block Train Tracks to 2 Washington Refineries, 52 arrested

Repost from ABC News
[Editor:  This article reports no arrests.  A later report in the Washington Post: 52 climate activists arrested in Washington railroad protest.  – RS]

Protesters Block Train Tracks to 2 Washington Refineries

By Phuong Le, AP, SEATTLE — May 15, 2016, 12:13 AM ET
Anti-Oil Protests
Members of the Seattle Raging Grannies sit in their rocking chairs chained together on the Burlington-Northern Railroad tracks at Farm to Market Road in Skagit County on Friday evening, May 13, 2016, in Burlington, Wash. From left are Deejay Sherman Peterson, Anne Thureson, Shirley Morrison and Rosy Betz-Zall. Hundreds of people in kayaks and on foot are gathering at the site of two oil refineries in Washington state to call for action on climate change and a fair transition away from fossil fuels. (Scott Terrell/Skagit Valley Herald via AP)

Hundreds of climate activists on Saturday marched to the site of two refineries in northwest Washington state to call for a break from fossil fuels, while a smaller group continued to block railroad tracks leading to the facilities for a second day.

Protesters in kayaks, canoes, on bikes and on foot took part in a massive demonstration near Anacortes, about 70 miles north of Seattle, to demand action on climate and an equitable transition away from fossil fuels such as oil and coal.

A day before, about 150 activists had pitched tents and set up camp on nearby railroad tracks to block the flow of oil flowing to the nearby Shell and Tesoro oil refineries.

“We can’t wait anymore. We’ve got to do things now,” Clara Cleve, 76, of Edmonds, said Saturday. “Direct action is very effective. My grandchildren are not going to have a place to live unless we move quickly now.”

Cleve said she plans to spend another night in a tent on the tracks and is prepared to be arrested for trespassing if necessary.

The protests are part of a series of global actions calling on people to “break free” from dependence on fossil fuels. Similar demonstrations are taking place in Los Angeles and Albany, New York, on Saturday and in Washington, D.C., on Sunday.

In upstate New York, climate activists gathered at a crude-oil shipment hub on the Hudson River in an action targeting crude-by-rail trains and oil barges at the Port of Albany. A group of activists sat on tracks used by crude oil trains headed to the port. Police did not report any arrests as of midday Saturday. Albany is a key hub for crude-by-rail shipments from North Dakota’s Bakken Shale region.

In Washington state, organizers are targeting two refineries that are among the top sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the state. Tesoro has started shipping Bakken crude oil to its refinery, and Shell is proposing an expansion project that would similarly bring in Bakken crude oil by train.

Officials with both Shell and Tesoro said in earlier statements that they respect the right of people to demonstrate peacefully, and that safety is their highest priority. A Shell spokesman also noted that the company, which employs about 700 workers at the refinery, is proud to be a part of the community and the refinery is a vital part of the region’s energy infrastructure.

BNSF Railway spokesman Gus Melonas said no trains are scheduled through Saturday but he declined to say whether any are expected to run Sunday.

“We had anticipated this and therefore adjusted scheduling with customers,” Melonas said. “At this point, we’re allowing the protest on our property.”

There had been no word of any arrests during the day, Given Kutz, a spokesman for the Skagit County Emergency Coordination Center, said late Saturday night.

The tracks, which connect BNSF’s mainline to Anacortes, serve the two refineries, as well as other customers who ship animal feed, steel and lumber by rail, Melonas said.

Skagit County spokeswoman Bronlea Mishler said authorities are monitoring the situation. Crowd estimates of the march range from several hundred to about 1,000 people, she said.

Bud Ullman, 67, who lives on Guemes Island, participated in the march, which he described as good-spirited, peaceful.

“The scientists are right. We have to get away from our dependence on fossil fuels, and it has to be done in a way that takes into serious consideration the impact on workers, families and communities,” he said.

The three-day event ends Sunday and has included “kayaktivists” demonstrating on water, community workshops and an indigenous ceremony.

“I’m here because there’s nothing more important to me than protecting the Earth,” said Elizabeth Claydon, 24, who lives in Seattle. “This is an urgent matter, and traditional ways are not working.”

Many of the nearly 40 groups involved in organizing the event were also involved in large on-water kayak protests against Shell’s Arctic oil drilling rig when it parked last year at a Seattle port.

For safe and healthy communities…