Four environmental groups have filed an appeal against the Port of Long Beach’s recent decision to extend two export agreements involving coal and petroleum coke (petcoke).
One agreement, between POLB and the Metropolitan Stevedore Company (MSC), is a 20-year extension agreement that will permit MSC to continue exporting coal out of POLB. The second agreement, set for a 15-year extension, is between POLB and Obxbow Carbon and Minerals, LLC (Oxbow), currently under a sublease with MSC.
Art Wong, a representative of the Port, said, “The Board approved agreements that extend an existing use. Coal shipments have been permitted at this facility for years. This type of lease approval is exempt from additional environmental analysis under the existing CEQA law.”