No Coal in Oakland Joins March of 30,000 in SF

Tens of thousands in the streets of San Francisco last Saturday were there to pressure attendees at the GCAS to do the right thing and make serious changes to save the planet. Members of NCIO marched with colorful placards with train wheels to highlight their cause.

NCIO is a grassroots organization campaigning to stop the threat of coal being transported by rail into Oakland for export overseas.  Despite the City Council, the Mayor, and numerous other politicians saying they don’t want coal passing through Oakland, the proposal to build a massive coal terminal south of the Bay Bridge on the Oakland waterfront remains on the table. The project known as the Oakland Bulk and Oversized Terminal (OBOT) is being built by a group of developers.

Oakland has long been a center for highly polluting transportation activities. This has resulted in disproportionately high health impacts for the residents of West Oakland. NCIO's goal is to systematically reduce the level of pollution caused by all these polluting activities, focusing on coal. NCIO says that Oakland City Council members are well aware of the massive opposition to using the OBOT for coal storage, but it is important to keep reminding them, especially as several face re-election in the fall.