The next critical mobilization in support of a cap on refinery emissions is at the next meeting of the Stationary Source Committee of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD). Once again, mass turnout is essential for challenging escalating Staff opposition to Rule 12-16 and for maintaining the support of our Board allies. BAAQMD staff continues trying to block evaluation and passage of Rule 12-16, the Community-Worker proposal for caps on refinery emissions. We must push back.
At the Board’s annual retreat on January 18th, we made every effort to respect the process. Having heard from the Board that they no longer needed to see and hear large crowds making similar public comments, we decided to mobilize only a few speakers to make our key points. Andrés Soto of Communities for a Better Environment (CBE) spoke to the need and purpose of the caps, and Roger Lin of CBE to BAAQMD’s legal authority. Public health consultant Heather Kuiper, DrPH, outlined the letter submitted by local public health professionals, California Nurses Association, and others on the local public health impacts of increased tar sands emissions. Laura Gracie placed our demand that future public hearings be scheduled after the release of the rule and EIR in March, hearings that would not only be held in refinery communities, but at times when youth, working people and the broader public could easily attend.
In response, Staff and Board allies challenged the need for caps and yet again countered with Staff proposals for totally unspecified, future rules that are supposedly superior alternatives to our proposed caps. And we were soundly criticized for not being in attendance in sufficient numbers to show seriousness! We learned that Staff will attempt to use the next Stationary Source Committee meeting on January 30th to undermine the current rule-making process, and challenge the requirement to complete the Environmental Impact Report, complete the study of socioeconomic impact, and final rule release of the emissions cap.
Once again we are calling for all-hands-on-deck attendance of the January 30th Stationary Source meeting. Let’s make it absolutely clear to Staff and Board that our Bay Area communities demand that the Rule 12-16 be completed and released in March, as previously promised, that accessible public hearings be held in all refinery communities, and that the full Board votes on the emission caps in May—again, as previously promised.
WHEN
Monday, January 30, 9 AM-12 PM
Be there as early as possible—ideally by 8:15 AM—to prevent the fossil fuel folks from grabbing all the seats.