Final crude-by-rail report available for review

(Originally published in the 1/6/16 edition)

   The Final Environmental Impact Report of Valero’s proposed Crude-By-Rail project was released yesterday and is currently available to the public. The hefty three-volume document directly responds to comments made on the Draft Environmental Impact Report and the Revised Draft Environmental Impact Report. 

   In 2013, Valero Oil Refinery announced to the public its Crude-By-Rail project, which aims to extend three Union Pacific Railroad tracks onto the refinery’s property so that up to 70,000 barrels per day of North American crude oil would be delivered by railroad tank cars instead of by boat. Residents and environmental groups raised concerns over the project’s potential environmental impacts, and per the California Environmental Quality Act, the DEIR was released in June 2014. The document was criticized for its small scope- 69 miles of rail between Roseville and Benicia-, so the RDEIR was released in August of last year. Following the release of both documents, the city opened up a public comment period, where people submitted their opinions through emails and physical letters and voiced their views at special Planning Commission meetings.

   Both the DEIR and the RDEIR yielded thousands of letters from individuals, public agencies, organizations and planning commissioners alike. The comments addressed topics like hazards, air quality, transportation, biological resources, hydrology and geology and noise. Many of the submitted letters were responded to in the FEIR through footnotes, although the document noted that insubstantial comments did not warrant responses.

   “Comments that do not address the adequacy or accuracy of the environmental analysis do not raise a significant environmental issue requiring a response,” the document stated. “Examples of such comments include those that are directed toward the perceived merits or demerits of the project, those that merely express support for or opposition to the project and those that express an opinion without providing facts, reasonable assumptions predicated upon facts, expert opinion, or other substantial evidence explaining why the analysis in the DEIR or Revised DEIR was believed to be insufficient.”

 The document also contains revisions to the DEIR and RDEIR, taking some of the comments into consideration. Also included with the document is a CD containing the entire text of both the DEIR and RDEIR.

   Copies of the FEIR are available for review in City Hall’s Community Development Department, located at 250 East L St., and the reference desk at the Benicia Public Library, located at 150 East L St. Electronic copies can also be downloaded at the city’s website at ci.Benicia.us.

   Additionally, the City Planning Commission will be holding a formal public hearing at 6:30 p.m., Monday, Feb. 8 to consider the FEIR and a use permit for the project. Due to a potentially large volume of speakers are scheduled for Feb. 9, 10 and 11, unless all members who wish to speak have their voices heard at the Feb. 8 meeting. All meetings will take place at 6:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, located at 250 East L St.

2015 in review: Crude-by-rail debate enters fourth year

(Originally published in the 1/1/16 edition)

   As 2016 begins, Valero’s Crude-By-Rail-Project is entering its fourth year of being debated on. The project, which aims to extend three Union Pacific Railroad road tracks onto Valero’s property in Benicia to deliver North American crude oil by train instead of by boat, was publicly announced in Feb. 2013 and was expected to be completed by the end of that year. However, strong opposition by residents and environmental groups triggered a debate that still goes on to this day.

   As 2016 will continue to have more major developments regarding the crude-by-rail project, it is important to understand where the project stands right now, especially with its developments in the last 12 months.

   The biggest news regarding the project was the release of the Recirculated Draft Environmental Impact Report (RDEIR). The first Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) was released in June 2014 to address the environmental and safety concerns that residents had about the project. However, the document was criticized by many, including California Attorney General Kamala Harris, who felt the report’s focus on the 69 miles of road between Roseville and Benicia did not adequately cover the scope of the project’s impacts. The RDEIR extended its focus to include three new routes: from the Oregon state line to Roseville, the Nevada state line to northern Roseville and the Nevada state line to southern Roseville.

   The RDEIR was expected to be released in June 2015, but delays pushed it back to Aug. 31. The new report, after extending its scope beyond the Roseville/Benicia route, found more “significant and unavoidable” environmental impacts, including direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions, the increase of nitrogen-oxide levels in the Yolo-Solano region and increased threats toward protected wildlife species.

   The release of the report, and the public comment period that followed, resulted in a packed City Hall for its Sept. 29 City Planning Commission meeting, where both supporters and opponents of the project turned up in droves. Supporters of the project argue that it would create temporary jobs in the construction of rails and permanent jobs in the operation of the project, provide $30,000 in tax revenues, operate under current air permits with Bay Area Air Quality Management District and reduce dependence on oil from the Middle East. 

   Meanwhile, opponents of the project contend that the project would increase air pollution, fuel climate change, increase greenhouse gas emissions and would be very dangerous in the event of a train explosion- particularly in the wake of an oil train explosion in Quebec shortly after the project was announced as well as numerous others since. 

   Elsewhere in the year, U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Napa) who represents Benicia in the House, co-authored the Crude-by-Rail Safety Act in March to establish safety standards for transporting crude oil by train. Among other things, the bill would aim to make oil train cars more durable and assure that first responders are on hand to handle emergencies. As of press time, the bill has not made it past committee, and government transparency website GovTrack.us believes it has a 4 percent chance of being enacted due to it being sponsored by Democrats, the minority party in Congress.

   The Final Environmental Impact Report is expected to be released in early 2016 to respond to comments on both the DEIR and the RDEIR. Amy Million, the principal planner in the Community Development Department, could not be reached for comment.

   For more information on the crude-by-rail project or to read public comments, visit the city of Benicia’s website at ci.benicia.ca.us.