For the second time in two days, the California Senate approved a bill by Sen. Loni Hancock to block projects like the one
that threatens to make Oakland the largest coal exporter on the West Coast.
Specifically, SB 1279 states that the California Transportation Commission will not allocate state funds for projects proposed after Jan. 1, 2017, for the handling, storage, or transportation of coal at a port facility located in or adjacent to a disadvantaged community.
A companion measure, SB 1277 – which the Senate approved Wednesday on a 25-13 vote – would require an additional level of environmental review for the proposed Oakland coal terminal.
Both bills are part of a package Hancock introduced in February after she learned that a proposed development on city-owned land could export up to 10 million tons of coal annually to China and other Asian countries. At present, California exports less than 3 million tons annually.