Benicia Planning Commission decided Thursday to double the amount of time the public will be able to comment on the Draft Environmental Impact Report for the proposed Valero Crude-by-Rail Project, to 90 from 45 days. And rather than keep Thursday’s meeting going until those who filled City Hall had a chance to speak, the panel […]
Valero: Crude-by-rail plan would reduce emissions, make refinery more competitive
General manager: If you have a refinery in your community, ‘you want Valero to run that refinery’ Valero Benicia Refinery’s Crude-by-Rail Project is a logistics endeavor that ultimately would reduce transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions not only in Benicia but throughout other Bay Area communities, a packed room in the local Ironworkers Union building heard Monday […]
Valero refinery engineers to address DEIR
Monday meeting requires RSVP Valero Benicia Refinery engineers will speak Monday at a public meeting on the refinery’s Crude-by-Rail Project and Benicia’s Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) that was released June 17. “Valero remains committed to informing the community about the project and to promoting public discussion of the DEIR,” refinery officials said in an […]
‘Significant’ impact to air quality from crude by rail
Long-awaited environmental report addresses, dismisses some concerns over Valero proposal, but says effect on area air would be ‘unavoidable’ After months of investigation and more than one delay, Benicia released the draft of an environmental report on the Valero Crude-by-Rail Project on Tuesday. The city chose to have the report drafted to meet requirements of […]
Wolk introduces rail oil spill response bill
Benicia’s representative in the state Senate has introduced a bill that would provide funding for adequate local emergency response to accidents and spills associated with trains carrying crude oil. Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Davis, said she wrote the measure because of the increase in crude oil rail shipments planned for Benicia and along the Capitol Corridor […]
Long-awaited Valero crude-by-rail EIR delayed again
A draft of the city’s environmental impact report (EIR) for the Valero Crude-by-Rail use permit request was due to be released Tuesday, but a last-minute staff decision has delayed the report by a week, Benicia Principal Planner Amy Million said. “City staff determined that additional information was needed to more completely address potential air quality […]
The 1-percenters
THIS IS NOT ABOUT INCOME INEQUALITY. Doesn’t involve Warren Buffett or the Koch brothers (er, not directly anyway). This is about oil train safety. Another crude oil train just derailed this past week, exploding cars dumped into the James River in Lynchburg, Va. Could have been much worse. A 100-car oil train right in town. […]
Crude-by-Rail plan review to be released June 10
Environmental impact report launched last summer to examine Valero proposal The draft of the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) being prepared for the Valero Crude-by-Rail Project will be released by June 10, Principal Planner Amy Million announced Thursday. The long-awaited document will be given a 45-day public review, during which people may submit their comments, she […]
Rail plan opponents pack library
More than 100 hear of dangers of crude oil shipments by train More than 100 people packed the Doña Benicia Room of the Benicia Public Library on Monday night to hear a panel of authors, scientists and organizers urge opposition to the proposed Valero Crude-By-Rail project that is currently undergoing environmental review. Filmed testimony by […]