Column: July 3, 2018
We were on the Baykeeper boat for a pollution patrol recently when I noticed something surprising. The stockpiles of toxic black coal that usually tower along the Richmond shoreline were the smallest I’d seen in my 15 years on patrol.
I’d expected coal stockpiles to be even higher than in the past...
Blog Post: June 19, 2018
Baykeeper is heading back to court to prevent coal pollution in San Francisco Bay. We're filing a court appeal in support of Oakland's ban on coal storage and handling.
A US District court judge recently upheld a plan to export coal through a new terminal on the Oakland shoreline. Our appeal of...
BK In The News: June 14, 2018
The city of Oakland filed an appeal yesterday in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in an effort to salvage its coal ban... The Sierra Club and Baykeeper, two environmental groups that supported the coal ban, have also indicated that they plan to contest Chhabria's decision.
BK In The News: May 17, 2018
When a federal judge struck down Oakland’s ban on coal shipments this week, it represented a setback for environmental advocates... “It doesn’t mean we are going to have coal trains going through Oakland,” says Erica Maharg, managing attorney for San Francisco Baykeeper.
BK In The News: May 15, 2018
A federal judge has struck down Oakland's ban on coal shipments through a planned bulk cargo facility adjacent to the Bay Bridge... “This is a sad day for Oakland,” said Erica Maharg, managing attorney for San Francisco Baykeeper. “We know that the proposed coal export terminal will have...
Press Release: May 15, 2018
Oakland, Calif. - Today, U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria ruled in favor of coal terminal developer Phil Tagami in his lawsuit challenging the City of Oakland’s ban on coal handling and storage. After a three-day trial, the judge found that the City of Oakland had not yet compiled sufficient...
BK In The News: May 15, 2018
A federal judge in San Francisco today struck down an attempt by the city of Oakland to ban the shipment of up to 5 million metric tons of coal per year through a planned terminal at the former Oakland Army Base... The Sierra Club and San Francisco Baykeeper, which were allowed by Chhabria to join...
BK In The News: February 7, 2018
Oakland's coal controversy has gained considerable attention, but increased coal shipments through nearby Richmond have largely gone unnoticed... In 2012, Baykeeper sued the Levin-Richmond Terminal for failing to prevent petcoke and other pollutants from contaminating San Francisco Bay. The...
BK In The News: January 15, 2018
A lawsuit challenging Oakland’s ban on coal shipments in and out of the city — a measure the City Council passed to head off plans to handle the fossil fuel at a proposed new port facility — is heading to trial in San Francisco on Tuesday... Erica Maharg, an attorney with San Francisco Baykeeper,...
BK In The News: January 15, 2018
The company that wants to transport coal by rail to the Port of Oakland for overseas shipment says the city’s ban on coal-handling violates the Constitution, federal law and common sense... The Sierra Club and Baykeeper have intervened on the city’s side in the case and may participate in the trial...