Category Archives: Vallejo Marine Terminal

Vallejo confirms delay in release of FEIR for Orcem/VMT project

Repost from the Vallejo Times-Herald

Vallejo confirms delay in release of FEIR for Orcem/VMT project

By John Glidden, March 7, 2019 6:41 pm
The site of the Vallejo Marine Terminal/Orcem Americas project proposed for South Vallejo is shown. (Times-Herald file photo)

Vallejo officials confirmed earlier this week that the much anticipated release of the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) for the Orcem/VMT project has been delayed, perhaps indefinitely.

In a three-page letter sent to Vallejo Marine Terminal (VMT) representatives on Monday, city leaders wrote that since VMT failed to provide the necessary clarifying answers to several concerns posed by city staff, the decision was made to hold the document.

“Due to this lack of clarity, the city is pausing the release of the FEIR at this time. However, as soon as VMT lends the needed clarity to the issues discussed herein, the city stands ready to proceed,” according to the city’s letter.

City Hall told VMT in a Feb. 25 letter that the municipality was ready to release the lengthy document on March 1. However, in that communication along with Monday’s letter, the city said it couldn’t due to a lack of required signatures on an assignment and assumption agreement, declaring that William Gilmartin and Alan Varela have assumed all responsibilities of the business from the original VMT principal Blaise Fettig and former past project manager Matt Fettig.

VMT’s refusal to execute a reimbursement agreement to update the Environmental Justice Analysis (EJA), the company’s lack of payment to help fund completion of that analysis, its failure to provide answers to Vallejo’s data requests for the Barge Implementation Strategy and Fleet Management Plan, and the need for an accurate site map and ownership status of the property were also cited by the city as reasons it held onto the FEIR.

“The city’s concern is that several of the mitigation monitoring measures are dependent upon your funding and execution of various agreements,” officials added in Monday’s letter. “To the extent VMT is currently not providing funding and not executing agreements, these conditions which seemed reasonable when VMT/Orcem was providing funding and signing agreements are now less reasonable.

“Including them in the mitigation and monitoring plan when we do not believe that VMT will either fund them or sign the agreements necessary to put them in place is not reasonable,” the city added. “Thus many conditions, especially those reliant on employing persons as air quality monitors, are now in danger of being reclassified as being ‘not feasible.’”

Attorney Krista Kim, who represents Gilmartin and Varela, provided an official response. In a letter dated March 1, the same day as the deadline imposed by the city, Kim wrote to Shannon Eckmeyer requesting a brief extension of time.

Kim said she spoke by phone to Eckmeyer earlier in the day.

“I explained that both Alan (Varela) and Bill (Gilmartin) want to schedule a meeting with the City the week of March 11th to discuss a few important matters, as those discussions are very relevant to how VMT would respond to your Letter,” she wrote. “This request seemed to really upset you.”

Kim goes on to accuse Eckmeyer of making “threatening statements” against VMT and its ground lease.

“You rejected VMT’s request to extend the response deadline and indicated that if VMT did not respond in writing by March 8, 2019, the City would take the position that VMT has in fact abandoned its appeal,” Kim wrote. “You also threatened that if VMT did not withdraw its appeal in writing that VMT’s inaction would be tantamount to killing the project and further, that the City would take immediate action to challenge the validity of VMT’s ground lease.”

Kim said she was “taken aback” by the statements. However, the city had a different interpretation.

“We would not characterize Ms. Eckmeyer’s communications as threatening,” wrote city spokeswoman Lyan Pernala in an email to the Times-Herald. “The City’s position is as stated in the correspondence sent to VMT on March 4.”

Kim couldn’t be reached for comment regarding this article.

The two sides remain in a stalemate, as VMT asserts it has not abandoned its appeal. Meanwhile, city staff is expected to bring an update on the situation to the Vallejo City Council next Tuesday.

VMT is eyeing creation of a deep-water terminal on 31 acres at 790 and 800 Derr St. It submitted a joint application to the city with Orcem California, which is seeking to open a cement facility on the same site.

Planning commissioners voted in 2017 to reject the project. In response, Orcem/VMT filed an appeal seeking that the City Council overturn the Planning Commission decision. A divided council in mid-2017 directed staff to complete the FEIR so the council can make a decision on the appeal.

The project has caused consternation with a segment of the Vallejo community, which argues the project will pollute the immediate area and harm local residents. Both VMT and Orcem deny those allegations, while also stating that the project will provide jobs and tax revenue for the city.

Air District letter: Orcem cement proposal will increase cancer-causing pollution

Repost from the Vallejo Times-Herald
[Editor: Note the Orcem president’s insensitive response: “The threshold for approval is not zero new emissions in this community. That would restrict all development in Vallejo, whether it is a grocery store, church or a mill.”  Really, comparing Orcem/VMT to a grocery store or a church? Shame!  – R.S.]

BAAQMD issues letter of concern with Orcem project

By John Glidden, March 6, 2019 at 6:50 pm
The site of the Vallejo Marine Terminal/Orcem Americas project proposed for South Vallejo is shown. (Times-Herald file photo)

Officials with the regional air quality district issued a statement this week communicating their concerns with Orcem California’s plan to build a cement facility in south Vallejo.

In a two-page letter, obtained by this newspaper, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) said after reviewing the project’s Draft Final Environmental Impact Report (DFEIR) they concluded the Orcem project, if built, would increase air pollution.

“The project as proposed will increase air pollution in an already overburdened community and increase the health burden placed on the community from toxic air contaminants including diesel particulate matter, a known carcinogen,” BAAQMD officials wrote after reviewing the stationary sources proposed by Orcem.

BAAQMD officials further said Vallejo has been identified under two different district programs as a community which experiences high exposure to air pollution. The goals of both programs are to reduce the public’s exposure to local sources of air pollution, they wrote.

To mitigate “the potential increase in cancer risk from the stationary sources,” district officials said Orcem would need to install Best Available Control Technology for Toxics (TBACT).

The district said it has received a partial permit application from Orcem, while Vallejo Marine Terminal (VMT), which is eyeing creation of a deep-water terminal on the same site, has yet to submit an application to the district. Both projects would be located on 31 acres at 790 and 800 Derr St.

Officials also wrote that without the TBACT and application from VMT, the air district would not be able to provide a permit for the project.

Steve Bryan, president of Orcem California, claimed victory when asked on Wednesday about BAAQMD’s letter.

“We are pleased that our persistence in getting BAAQMD to write the long promised letter finally has paid off,” Bryan wrote in an email to the Times-Herald. “And even more pleased to see that after months of scrutiny and replicating our results, the BAAQMD staff found none of the flaws or deficiencies presented by the primary project opponents, Fresh Air Vallejo, or the Deputy Attorney General’s consultant.

“The results confirm that the Revised Operating Alternative (ROA) project we have proposed in the FEIR is very much improved and avoids significant impacts in air quality and health risks,” he added. “The findings are also consistent with earlier reviews from BAAQMD staff which we discovered completely dismissed Fresh Air Vallejo’s claims as far back as December 2017.”

Bryan also responded to a question regarding the air district’s claim that “the Project will increase air pollution in an already overburdened community.”

“The threshold for approval is not zero new emissions in this community,” Bryan wrote in the same email. “That would restrict all development in Vallejo, whether it is a grocery store, church or a mill. The issue is whether the increase is significant according to BAAQMD, state and federal standards. The analysis of our emissions, reviewed by the BAAQMD, say they are not.”

Peter Brooks, president of Fresh Air Vallejo, expressed puzzlement over Bryan’s comments regarding the air district’s letter.

“It is impossible to imagine how Orcem could read the BAAQMD letter and miss the point: The project as presented would not be permitted because of the increased pollution to an already overburdened community,” Brooks said. “Orcem should worry less about Fresh Air Vallejo and worry more about the people of south Vallejo who would certainly be harmed with its toxic cement factory. Fresh Air Vallejo is not the enemy. Asthma, cancer and injustice are the enemies.”

Attempts to reach the city for comment about BAAQMD’s letter were unsuccessful on Wednesday.

The city released the DFEIR for public review in early 2017 with City Hall prepared to release a Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) last week. However, communication issues between the city and VMT caused Vallejo not to release the document as scheduled — it’s not known at this point when the FEIR will be released.

When asked by this newspaper why the nearly two-year delay in providing a response on the DFEIR, Andrea Gordon, senior environmental planner with BAAQMD, and Ralph Borrmann, a spokesman for the air district, said the complex project required intensive review.

Borrmann provided a timeline to the Times-Herald on Wednesday indicating the district first reviewed the DFEIR in January 2018. The rest of the year was spent meeting with the city, its consultants and Orcem to discuss the draft report.

The Vallejo Planning Commission voted 6-1 in 2017 to reject the VMT/Orcem project, agreeing with City Hall that the project would have a negative effect on the neighborhood, that it would impact traffic around the area and the proposed project was inconsistent with the city’s waterfront development policy. The project also has a degrading visual appearance of the waterfront, City Hall said at the time.

City officials argued in 2017 that since a rejection was being recommended, a FEIR was not required.

Orcem and VMT appealed the Planning Commission decision, and in June 2017 when reviewing the appeal, a majority of the council directed City Hall to complete the impact report.

The project’s FEIR was expected to be released last year until leaders received a 13-page letter from Erin Ganahl, deputy attorney general for the State of California, writing that the project’s draft final environmental impact report (DFEIR), an Environmental Justice Analysis (EJA), and the Revised Air Analysis were misleading.

Vallejo deep-water terminal and cement facility in limbo as city deadline passes

Repost from the Vallejo Times-Herald
[Editor –  Previous good news: Vallejo’s City Manager raised eyebrows about ORCEM’S deceptive paid advertising, and the CA Attorney General submitted a scathing 13-page letter.  Let’s hope Vallejo will DENY THIS PROPOSED CATASTROPHIC PROJECT!  For more critical perspective, see Fresh Air Vallejo.  For official project documents, see Vallejo’s City website.   – R.S.]

City leaders to meet; council to get progress update March 12

By John Glidden, March 1, 2019 at 6:40 pm

A controversial plan to open a modern deep-water terminal and cement facility next to the Mare Island Strait in South Vallejo appears to be at a standstill, again.

Vallejo Marine Terminal (VMT) missed Friday’s 5 p.m. deadline to provide City Hall with required information needed to complete the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) for the VMT/Orcem California, LLC project proposed for development on the old General Mills plant site, Vallejo’s Assistant City Attorney Shannon Eckmeyer confirmed to the Times-Herald.

“We will not be releasing the project’s FEIR at this time,” Eckmeyer said by phone.

She further confirmed city staff would be meeting internally to determine the next steps. The Vallejo City Council will receive a progress report on the project’s status during the council’s March 12 meeting, Eckmeyer said.

Vallejo Mayor Bob Sampayan said he was disappointed in the lack of an official response from VMT.

“We can’t come to any kind of decision without their information,” he said by phone after the 5 p.m. deadline. “We’re in a difficult spot.”

Sampayan confirmed city leaders will be meeting next week to consider various legal issues with the lack of communication from VMT.

“We don’t want to incur any liability,” Sampayan explained.

Tired of waiting, Vallejo sent a notice on Monday that if VMT didn’t respond by 5 p.m., Friday, the city would deem VMT abandoned the project.

That letter requested multiple items including documentation showing William Gilmartin and Alan Varela have assumed all responsibilities of the business from the original VMT principal Blaise Fettig and former past project manager Matt Fettig.

Gilmartin was announced as VMT newest partner in November 2018, joining Varela, who has been a partner in VMT since 2016. Both men work for the Oakland-based ProVen, a general engineering contracting firm started by Varela.

The three-page letter also asked VMT to fund its portion of the Environmental Justice Analysis report, at about $22,778, and execute the fourth amendment to the reimbursement agreement required for consultants working on the FEIR to finish their work.

“For weeks, the city has requested that you either sign or produce an existing assignment and assumption agreement that identifies the real party in interest for purposes of processing the appeal and permits,” the city wrote. “As you might surmise, we wonder who is the applicant and real party in interest for purposes of indemnifying the city in the event the project’s decision results in a lawsuit against the city.”

One of the last official communications to the city from VMT came in January when VMT sent a single page letter stating that Varela, Gilmartin, and attorneys Krista Kim and Michael M.K. Sebree were authorized to speak for the business.

“VMT is concerned that there may be correspondence with VMT that we have not seen nor read and possibly future correspondence that we need to respond to,” Gilmartin wrote in the letter addressed to Vallejo City Manager Greg Nyhoff.

Attempts to reach Gilmartin, Varela, and Kim by press time on Friday were unsuccessful.

In a Feb. 12 email to VMT and Orcem representatives and their respective legal teams, Eckmeyer explained the city cannot separate the two businesses from the joint application and appeal.

“There still appears to be unclear communication between your clients, and the city has the obligation to treat the VMT/Orcem project as a joint application and joint appeal. We cannot separate the interests of Orcem and VMT and process separate requests,” she wrote. “As you are all aware, VMT is the landowner and Orcem is the tenant, and have up until this point, processed all entitlement requests items jointly.”

VMT has applied to open a modern deep-water terminal, while Orcem is seeking approval to operate a cement facility with both projects located on 31 acres at 790 and 800 Derr St.

The project has caused consternation with a segment of the Vallejo community, which argues the project will pollute the immediate area and harm local residents. Both VMT and Orcem deny those allegations, while also stating that the project will provide jobs and tax revenue for the city.

The Vallejo Planning Commission voted 6-1 in 2017 to reject the VMT/Orcem project, agreeing with City Hall that the project would have a negative effect on the neighborhood, that it would impact traffic around the area and the proposed project was inconsistent with the city’s waterfront development policy. The project also has a degrading visual appearance of the waterfront, City Hall said at the time.

City officials argued in 2017 that since a rejection was being recommended, a FEIR was not required.

Orcem and VMT appealed the Planning Commission decision, and in June 2017 when reviewing the appeal, a majority of the council directed City Hall to complete the impact report.

The project’s FEIR was expected to be released last year until leaders received a 13-page letter from Erin Ganahl, deputy attorney general for the State of California, writing that the project’s draft final environmental impact report (DFEIR), an Environmental Justice Analysis (EJA), and the Revised Air Analysis were misleading.

“The environmental documents for the project fail to provide adequate legal support for the city of Vallejo to approve the project,” Ganahl wrote on behalf of state Attorney General Xavier Becerra. “The DFEIR fails to adequately disclose, analyze, and mitigate the significant environmental impacts of the project; the EJA improperly concludes that the project would not disproportionately impact low-income communities of color, and thus misleads decision makers and the public by minimizing the projects significant environmental justice concerns.”


Recommended by Benicia Independent for its progressive, environmentally sound perspective:

Attorney General letter may be terminal for ORCEM / Vallejo Marine Terminal

By Roger Straw, November 30, 2018
Nov. 7 2018 letter from Deputy Attorney General Erin Ganahl

Take heart, Vallejoans!  The letter sent to your City by the Attorney General may just do the trick.  (See Times-Herald Nov. 12 coverage.)

I remember back in Benicia’s crude-by-rail days, when Deputy Attorney General Scott Lichtig of Attorney General Kamala Harris’ staff wrote to the City of Benicia.  He wrote first in 2014 urging revision of an “inadequate”  Draft EIR, and again in 2016, defending the City’s right to deny a land use permit.  Lichtig advised our city leaders, “For Benicia 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.”

There were a LOT of us who worked long and hard to defeat Valero’s dangerous and dirty oil train proposal.  Local activists and folks from far and wide disagreed with City staff and Valero’s execs and highly paid attorneys.  We criticized, protested and sent volumes of comments over the course of 3 ½ years.  Scientific and environmental experts and friendly attorneys weighed in.  But it was eye-opening for everyone when the Attorney General’s office got involved.

But… note that the AG letter wasn’t enough.  It’s important here for us to not dwell on the past or get too optimistic.  Stay tuned via Fresh Air Vallejo and keep up the good work.

…because ORCEM/VMT wants to run 552 trucks a day up and down Lemon Street!  We stand in solidarity with residents, business owners and all of our neighbors in Vallejo.  And it’s important to realize that the truck exhaust will travel by air west to east, settling, surely, in Glen Cove and Benicia.

Let’s hope the Vallejo City Council has the backbone Benicia had in 2016, to DENY THIS PROPOSED CATASTROPHIC PROJECT!