The seven-year campaign to prevent coal from being stored, handled and shipped at a proposed Oakland waterfront marine terminal is, by sad necessity, back in action.
The developers have broken off ongoing settlement negotiations around the contract disputes between the City of Oakland, which owns the property, and the development group, including Phil Tagami, which has a 66-year lease to the site. (See details here.) Tagami’s front-man Greg McConnell is now crowing that “coal is back on the table in Oakland.” Unless negotiations can resume successfully, the issue will go to court in April, 2023.
What can we do? In order to create pressure for a coal-free settlement, we need to remind the City Council and the developers of the continuing, widespread opposition to coal. We plan to address the council during Open Forum at each of its meetings. If you are an Oakland resident, please sign up here to speak. You can prepare by reviewing this guide, which explains the procedures and offers talking points.
Another way to demonstrate our opposition to coal is the march and rally on Friday, September 23, organized by Youth v. Apocalypse as part of the Global Climate Strike/Fridays for the Future. It starts at 10:00 am at Oscar Grant Plaza.
Join No Coal in Oakland and many allied groups to ensure there is no coal in Oakland.