{"id":347159,"date":"2026-06-04T22:43:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T22:43:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/347159\/"},"modified":"2026-06-04T22:43:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T22:43:09","slug":"trumps-coal-funding-sends-75-million-to-controversial-oakland-terminal-the-mercury-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/347159\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump\u2019s coal funding sends $75 million to controversial Oakland terminal \u2013 The Mercury News"},"content":{"rendered":"

OAKLAND \u2014 Land developer Phil Tagami has a new ally in his long war to build a large marine terminal<\/a> at the city\u2019s harbor: President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n

Trump supports the proposed development for the same reason West Oakland environmentalists have long loathed it<\/a> \u2014 when constructed, the 34-acre shipping site would likely count coal as one of its prime commodities.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, Tagami\u2019s terminal \u2014 whose construction had previously been stalled by multiple city lawsuits \u2014 appeared on a list of projects lauded by Trump as key to fossil-fuel energy production that would bolster the country\u2019s defense.<\/p>\n

The project will receive $75 million from the Trump administration, part of a larger $700 million package of funding made available by the Department of Energy.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy facilitating access to international markets for U.S. coal, the project helps prevent the closure of domestic coal mines by growing demand,\u201d states a DOE news release states, adding that investment in the coal industry is \u201cparamount to national security.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"PhilPhil Tagami, Oakland developer and Chief Executive Officer of California Capital Investment Group, and Principal and Executive of Concord First Partners, heads back to his seat during their Naval Weapons Station development presentation before the Concord City Council in Concord, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023. (Ray Chavez\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/p>\n

The newfound funding could buoy Tagami\u2019s efforts to finally construct the terminal that would store goods shipped to Oakland by rail before shipping them overseas.<\/p>\n

Tagami, who did not immediately respond to an interview request, has maintained in recent years that coal would only emerge as a product shipped from the terminal if his tenant, Insight Terminal Solutions, deemed it a viable commodity based on market demands.<\/p>\n

The Trump administration, by contrast, seems convinced that coal would be central to the terminal\u2019s operations, calling the development \u201cessential for the longevity and resilience of the U.S. coal industry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reality is Tagami has been engaged with the coal industry from the very start,\u201d said Ted Franklin, an activist with No Coal in Oakland.<\/p>\n

Indeed, Tagami won a major legal case against Oakland in 2018 when a federal court judge questioned whether coal storage at the terminal would actually threaten the health of West Oakland residents.<\/p>\n

Environmentalists have long raised concerns that errant coal dust blown into the environment upon arrival to town would worsen the neighborhood\u2019s air quality. Hospitalizations due to asthma are higher in West Oakland than anywhere else in Alameda County.<\/p>\n

\"FILEFILE \u2013 President Donald Trump holds an executive order regarding coal during an event in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, in Washington, as Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, House Speaker Mike Johnson of La., Environmental Protection Agency director Lee Zeldin and coal miners watch. (AP Photo\/Evan Vucci, file)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Tagami won another lawsuit in 2023 against city officials who unsuccessfully tried to end his lease at the harbor. Since then, the city has relented. Last December, officials confirmed to this news organization that Tagami had been granted permits to resume the project.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Tagami\u2019s business partner Insight Terminal Solutions has sought hundreds of millions of dollars from the city in bankruptcy proceedings playing out in the Kentucky court system.<\/p>\n

In April, federal Judge Benjamin Beaton appeared very skeptical about ITS\u2019 claims to Oakland\u2019s public money, telling company officials that they may have waited too long to file for damages from the city. He has not yet issued a formal ruling.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like I\u2019m in \u2018crazy town\u2019 here,\u201d said Beaton, a Trump appointee, about ITS\u2019 arguments. He then quipped: \u201cNot making an Oakland joke.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shomik Mukherjee is a reporter covering Oakland. Call or text him at 510-905-5495 or email him at\u00a0shomik@bayareanewsgroup.com.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"OAKLAND \u2014 Land developer Phil Tagami has a new ally in his long war to build a large…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":347160,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[389,184,7,332,643,181,23,100,143,145,144,13,6827,385],"class_list":["post-347159","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-oakland","tag-alameda-county","tag-bay-area","tag-california","tag-east-bay","tag-environment","tag-latest-headlines","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-oakland","tag-oakland-headlines","tag-oakland-news","tag-politics","tag-port-of-oakland","tag-regional"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347159","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=347159"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347159\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/347160"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=347159"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=347159"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=347159"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}