The fate of Rule 12-16, which would set transparent, enforceable caps on refinery emissions—and prevent a major switch to heavier and dirtier crude oil like tar sands—could be decided at this hugely important hearing of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s Board of Directors. Certification of the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) on Rule 12-16 and a subsequent up-or-down vote by the board could well go forward if several significant problems with the EIR are not first resolved. Whether this is actually the last stand, or even the second-to-last stand, we really need you to show up. Hold a sign, testify or bear silent witness to enable a successful outcome to this four-year long struggle to protect the health and safety of Bay Area communities.
For background, listen to this April 19th KALW report, which includes interviews with members of the Richmond community whose very lives depend on the passage of this rule. (Both the broadcast and a transcript are available.)
Reporter Will Parrish has done excellent investigative work on the issue. See his recent articles in the Monthly and the Nation.
The Sierra Club’s coverage is here.
Finally, follow this link to more detailed coverage on this website—and talking points for the May 31st meeting.
(Arrive as early as possible to get a seat, ideally at 9 AM)
Learn the sobering facts about oil production in California and the damage it’s doing to families, agriculture, our water and environment. Explore ways we can work together to challenge our Governor to be consistent in his environmental policies. We’ll watch a short film called DEAR GOVERNOR BROWN, STOP DRILLING CALIFORNIA. The discussion afterward features representatives from Food and Water Watch, a leader in the anti-fracking movement, and several other organizations concerned about fracking in California. We’ll close out the evening with a postcard writing campaign.
There is more than sufficient cause for alarm about the role Russian state-led hacking and information warfare played in the 2016 election, and there are crucial unanswered questions about the relationship between the Russian state and Donald Trump, his associates and his campaign. The legitimacy of the United States government may hinge on the answers to these questions. If the President was elected even in part due to collusion with a foreign effort to interfere in our democratic process, then the will of the people has been subverted.