Governor Gavin Newsom has signed Assembly Bill 40, the Community First Coal Review Act, into law, adding a new hurdle that developers will have to clear to build a coal terminal in West Oakland.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The law<\/a>, which was introduced<\/a> this summer by Assemblymember Mia Bonta, will require anyone who wants to build a large-volume bulk coal facility to first complete an environmental impact report that describes in detail the operations and potential environmental impacts.\u00a0<\/p>\n Bonta\u2019s law was designed to apply to the proposed marine export terminal that the developer Oakland Bulk Oversized Terminal has been trying to build in West Oakland for over a decade. The developer emerged as the victor in a protracted legal battle with the city after a judge ruled that Oakland breached<\/a> its agreement with OBOT. The judge granted the company the right to proceed with construction on the former Oakland Army Base.\u00a0<\/p>\n The developers have received a helping hand from the Trump administration. In June, the president announced he would use the Defense Production Act to provide hundreds of millions of dollars<\/a> to coal facilities around the country, including $75 million to the Oakland terminal. More recently, several Utah counties have advanced a plan to invest $45 million<\/a> into the project. Utah and a few other coal-producing states have expressed interest in tapping into Asian markets through ports on the West Coast.\u00a0<\/p>\n According to a press release, the proposed facility would handle approximately 13 million tons of coal each year, passing through the East Bay on a rail corridor near I-80. Opponents<\/a> of the project claim that coal dust will blow off the trains and expose residents to fine particulate matter, which is linked to various health issues, including asthma and cancer.\u00a0<\/p>\n