Richmond City Council Approves Ordinance to Phase Out Coal, Coke Storage

Despite
threats of lawsuits from a waterfront coal storage business, the Richmond City
Council approved an ordinance Tuesday night to phase out storage of coal and
petroleum coke in that city.

The
ordinance gives businesses three years to wind down coal and coke storage
operations. In practice, the ordinance will directly affect only one Richmond
business, Levin-Richmond Terminal Corporation on the Santa Fe Channel east of
Point Richmond and south of the Iron Triangle neighborhood. The terminal stores
coal shipped from Utah mines before export to Japan. Levin also stores
petroleum coke, a byproduct of oil refining, from the Phillips 66 refinery in
Rodeo before it is shipped.

The
proposed “coal ordinance,” as Mayor Tom Butt called it, was created
following complaints from the public about increased coal dust in the air in
parts of Richmond. It would govern only the storage of coal in Richmond; it
will not have any effect on transportation of coal through the city by rail.
Levin’s waterfront site could transition to storing other materials, according
to a Richmond city staff report.

At the
Richmond council’s Dec. 3 meeting, dozens of speakers addressed the council about
the coal ordinance. Many were Levin employees or their union leaders who fear
Levin’s 62 jobs would be lost because of the ordinance. A number of others were
community activists, health professionals or other residents concerned about
high asthma rates in the city, and coal dust’s possible role in that.

At that
meeting, Levin officials told council members the company would sue the city if
this ordinance was approved.

Several
people spoke Tuesday night in general terms about the need for good-paying,
middle-class jobs in Richmond, without mentioning Levin or the coal ordinance.

“I am
only one voice, but that voice echoes a thousand times over,” said Michael
Dilorenzo, a Levin employee who also spoke Dec. 3. “And for every voice,
there’s a vote.”

Butt let
about a half dozen people address the Levin issue — indirectly — before
asking them to stop.

“I
have to admire the creativity you’re using to talk about coal,” Butt said.

The
council had virtually no discussion Tuesday night before voting. Butt, along
with council members Eduardo Martinez and Jael Myrick voted “yes” on
the ordinance; Councilman Nat Bates, who voted “yes” initially,
changed his vote to “no” a short time later.

Source: NBC Bay Area