Following the City Council’s unanimous decision to reject Valero’s proposed Crude-By-Rail Project, many of the supporters and opponents of the project issued statements regarding their response to the vote.

Valero Benicia Refinery first announced the project, which would extend Union Pacific Railroad tracks to deliver barrels of crude oil by train onto its property in 2013. For the next three years, residents and environmental groups debated over whether or not the project’s economic benefits would outweigh its risks in the event of a derailment. The past year saw perhaps the biggest wave of developments for the project, as the Planning Commission voted unanimously to deny Valero’s request in February. Valero filed an appeal later that month, and City Council held hearings throughout March and April to determine whether or not the city had the power to reject the project without violating federal authority over railroads. On April 19, the council voted 3-2 to delay the project until more information was acquired from the Surface Transportation Board. Ultimately, the council voted 5-0 Tuesday to deny the project on the same day that the Surface Transportation Board issued a statement that Valero could not claim federal preemption since it is not a railroad company.

Environmental groups praised the decision.

“This is a victory for the right of communities to say no to refineries’ dangerous oil train projects,” Ethan Buckner, a campaigner for the environmental advocacy group Stand, said in a statement. “The federal government has said once and for all that there is nothing in federal law that prevents cities from denying these oil companies’ dangerous rail projects. By denying Valero’s oil train project, the Benicia City Council has demonstrated its commitment to protect public health, safety and our climate in Benicia and beyond. More than anything, this victory belongs to the people of Benicia, who courageously led this multi-year effort to stop Valero’s dangerous project.”

Roger Straw, a Benicia resident and editor of the online publication The Benicia Indepdent, praised the council for its vote.

“Opponents of the proposal worried and wondered for months whether a third swing vote could be found on Benicia’s five-member City Council,” he wrote in a recent post. “On Tuesday night, the wondering came to a sudden fairy tale conclusion: a unanimous vote to deny the land use permit and stop the project dead in its tracks.”

Lionel Largaespada, a City Council candidate who has gone on record numerous times saying he supports the project, issued a brief statement saying that he respects the council’s decision.

Although councilmembers had expressed concerns that denying the project would result in a lawsuit to the city from Valero, Chris Howe– the company’s Health, Safety and Environment director– said in a statement that nothing was set in stone but the company was still dissatisfied with the outcome.

“After nearly four years of review and analysis by independent experts and the city, we are disappointed that the city council members have chosen to reject the crude by rail project,” he said. “At this time we are considering our options moving forward.”

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