Oakland Bans Coal Shipments

Vote kills plan to ship Utah coal to Asia
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jun 28, 2016 12:17 AM CDT
Oakland Bans Coal Shipments
People hold up signs and demonstrate outside City Hall, Monday, June 27, 2016, in Oakland, Calif.    (Janie Har)

Oakland city officials have unanimously voted to ban the shipment of coal, sidelining a plan to transport Utah coal to Asia through a proposed marine terminal on an old army base, the AP reports. The proposed terminal is in West Oakland, a historically black neighborhood that's among the poorest and most polluted in the region. Detractors highlighted the environmental dangers of bringing millions of tons of coal through the area while supporters touted the economic benefits of good-paying union jobs. The terminal is part of a larger makeover of an army base that closed in 1999, eliminating thousands of jobs. City leaders approved the project before the coal proposal was made. (More Oakland stories.)

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