Category Archives: Crude By Rail

SAN LUIS OBISPO: Planning Commission Bows Down to Oil By Rail

Repost from Sierra Club, Santa Lucia Chapter

SLO Planning Commission Bows Down to Oil By Rail

By Andrew Christie, Chapter Director, May 16, 2016

East Cuesta PanoramaFor a moment today, as the SLO County Planning Commission was getting ready for its lunch break, it looked as though sanity might prevail.

As they commenced deliberations on the Phillips 66 oil-by-rail project after six meetings pondering the issue, receiving County Planning staff’s detailed recommendation for denial of the project, the testimony of the County’s air quality and public health officials and the comments of thousands of California citizens, along with the comments of dozens of cities, counties and school districts all urging denial, it seemed like the facts, science, the law and the fundamentals of good planning would be enough to get the message across to at least a majority of the County’s planning commissioners: You must deny this project.

Commissioner Eric Meyer (Supervisor Hill’s appointee) sensibly asked: “What are the benefits to this county? We’re accepting risk with no reward.“

Commissioner Ken Topping (Supervisor Gibson’s appointee) noted that while it’s possible with some projects to attempt to balance competing interests, “it was difficult to accept a compromise approach in this particular case” and that as damning at the project’s Environmental Impact Report is, “the EIR understates the impacts that could occur.”

But it was not to be.

Commissioner Don Campbell (Supervisor Arnold’s appointee) cited his fervent allegiance to the unimpeded flow of industrial commerce.

Commissioner Jim Harrison (Supervisor Compton’s appointee) basically said that accidents happen and not enough people have died in train derailments to make this an issue of concern. He had nothing to say about the significant environmental impacts described at length in the Environmental Impact Report.

Commissioner Jim Irving (Supervisor Mecham’s appointee) essentially said it doesn’t matter what the Planning Commission decides because the case will probably go to the California Supreme Court as there is disagreement on the question of whether federal regulation of the transport of freight by rail means the County is not allowed to fully assess the impacts of an oil train project when considering a permit. (Worth pointing out: that disagreement is fundamentally between oil companies pushing oil train projects and California’s Attorney General,who has unequivocally stated not only that a local government may consider all of an oil train project’s impacts, it must do so, as “to turn a blind eye to the most serious of the Project’s environmental impacts, merely because they flow from federally-regulated rail operations, would be contrary to both state and federal law.”) In the rest of his comments, Irving made it clear that he disagreed with the Attorney General and the County’s legal counsel and agreed with the oil companies.

Harrison contributed the single most mystifying comment of the day when he claimed, in reference to the residents of homes adjacent to the site where the rail spur would go and are vocally protesting the project, “This project was there before they moved there,” so they should have known about its impacts – evidently confusing the existing refinery, which nobody is complaining about, with a project that has not been approved or built and had not been proposed when residents bought their homes.

A close runner-up for most mystifying comment was Commissioner Irving. When it became clear in the course of his remarks that he was going to vote to approve the project, he was asked by Commissioner Meyer what overriding considerations he saw as justifying approval. Legally, if the commission approves a project with significant environmental impacts, it must state that despite the unavoidable and significant impacts the project will inflict on residents and the environment, the County is going to permit it because public benefits from the project outweigh those detrimental impacts — hence, an overriding consideration. In response, Irving went back to his interpretation of federal preemption, replying: “The county sets goals but can’t do anything to meet its own goals…that in itself is a statement of overriding consideration.” (Again: “overriding considerations” refers to the benefits a project will confer upon the community that outweigh its negative impacts.)

On September 22, County staff will do as they were told today: Reverse their recommendation for denial and come back to the Planning Commission with some kind of findings that Campbell, Harrison and Irving can use as a basis for a vote to approve the project. The public will be allowed to weigh in on those proposed conditions and overriding considerations. What form those could possibly take, and how those three commissioners will fare in the struggle to find a legal basis for the approval of this project, are two very good questions.  It is bound to be a riveting discussion. The lipstick is approaching the pig, but there’s a chance that the outcome may not be preordained.

Long before that — at 6 p.m. on May 18, at the SLO City/County Library, 995 Palm Street, SLO — all concerned residents are invited to get together with the activists who have been organizing the opposition to this project and have a discussion about next steps and what’s needed to restore environmental sanity. Hope to see you there.

Go to ProtectSLO.org or call 805-316-0033.

 

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

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.

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/