Opponents of Bay Area dredging proposal pack room at US Army Corps hearing

November 13, 2019

Community members speak out against proposal to dredge San Francisco Bay and Carquinez Strait, calling project a move by President Trump to expand fossil fuel industry

Traditional Chochenyo and Karkin Ohlone Lands (PINOLE, CA) — Community members with the Protect the Bay coalition packed the room during a US Army Corps of Engineers hearing from 6-8 p.m. on Wednesday, November 13, in Pinole, to highlight the growing opposition to a dredging proposal in the Bay Area and deliver a petition signed by more than 20,500 people opposed to the project.

The proposal, called the San Francisco to Stockton Navigation Improvement Project, would dredge a deeper channel through 13 miles of the San Francisco Bay and the Carquinez Strait. Opponents criticize the project as a move by President Donald Trump and Big Oil to expand the fossil fuel industry in California — including increasing imports of Canadian tar sands crude oil and increasing exports of U.S. coal. The proposal, which is co-sponsored by the City of Stockton, Contra Costa County and the Western States Petroleum Association, would provide nearly  $15 million dollars in annual subsidies to Bay Area refineries. 

According to the draft environmental impact statement, the dredging project would enable the transport of greater amounts of crude oil imports and refined product exports to and from several oil refineries and other industries in the Bay Area.

“This dredging project would facilitate the import and export of more dirty oil, gas, and coal through area ports, ultimately contributing to global reliance on climate damaging fossil fuels. The project itself would potentially result in greenhouse gas emissions totaling 7.22 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents per year. This would devastate local and state efforts to tackle the climate emergency, while making frontline communities bear the immediate burdens,” said Steve Nadel, a member of Protect the Bay and Sunflower Alliance.

“Deepening the Bay to accommodate bigger vessels carrying dirty tar sands crude oil puts communities along the water and near the refineries at risk. The environmental impact statement for this project completely ignores the harmful air impacts to local communities that would result from increased refinery operations,” said Isabella Zizi, Climate Campaigner at Stand.earth and member of Protect the Bay. 

“I do not see any general public need being addressed by this dredging proposal. There is no ferry transit issue, no fishing or recreational boating issue, no environmental repair being done to avoid an issue for the public. There are only refinery benefits. So why is the public being forced to pay for refinery benefits? This is a big oil boondoggle!” said Jay Gunkelman, a member of Protect the Bay and Air Watch Bay Area.

The dredging proposal also coincides with plans by Bay Area refineries — including an expansion proposal at Phillips 66’s San Francisco Refinery — to process greater quantities of Canadian tar sands crude oil. Tar sands, also called diluted bitumen or dilbit, is an extremely toxic, non-floating crude oil that is extremely difficult to clean up in the event of a spill. The dredging proposal could also enable the Port of Stockton to export more U.S. coal to Asia.

At the hearing, community members with the Protect the Bay coalition delivered a petition signed by more than 20,500 people opposed to the project. The petition calls on state and federal leaders to oppose the project, including Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, Rep. John Garamendi, Rep. Jerry McNerney, Rep. Mike Thompson, Sen. Dianne Feinstein and presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris.

Protect the Bay coalition members include Communities for a Better Environment (CBE), Crockett-Rodeo United to Defend the Environment (CRUDE), Idle No More SF Bay, Interfaith Climate Action Network of Contra Costa County, Rodeo Citizens Association, Stand.earth, and Sunflower Alliance. Supporting organizations include 350 Bay Area, Amazon Watch, Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of the Earth US, Fresh Air Vallejo, Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice, and San Francisco Baykeeper

Learn more about the Protect the Bay coalition at https://www.protectthebay.org.

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Media contact: Virginia Cleaveland, 510-858-9902, press@protectthebay.org