Blog Post: March 12, 2019
In 2010, a pipeline burst and spilled heavy crude oil into Michigan’s Kalamazoo River. Response agencies tried to clean up the oil but gave up after five years and over a billion dollars spent. Almost a decade later, oil remains at the bottom of the river and the ecosystem has yet to recover.
“If a...
BK In The News: February 28, 2019
Today Assemblymember Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) announced his environmental bill package... “Unlike lighter oils that float and eventually evaporate, heavy non-floating oils sink, smothering wildlife,” says Sejal Choksi-Chugh, Executive Director of San Francisco Baykeeper. “AB 936 helps prevent and...
Column: February 5, 2019
I try hard to understand the mindset of the people who decided to build dirty, dangerous oil refineries on the gorgeous San Francisco Bay shoreline.
Back 50-100 years ago, the Bay represented a plentiful source of cooling water for refining processes that reach temperatures over 1,000 degrees. The...
Blog Post: February 4, 2019
In spite of the existential threat posed by climate change, the fossil fuel industry continues to push relentlessly for expansions—more oil, more coal, more dirty emissions. And the Bay Area is no exception.
The oil company Phillips 66 recently received approval to process more crude oil at its...
BK In The News: December 24, 2018
The Bay Area is one of the biggest oil refining hubs on the West Coast. Tanker traffic is always heavy and it’s on target to get heavier and potentially riskier... “That oil could end up sinking to the bottom of the bay,” said Sejal Chokski-Chugh, executive director of Baykeeper, a nonprofit...
Blog Post: December 11, 2018
In 2007, the Cosco Busan container ship struck the Bay Bridge, ripping open its fuel hold and spilling 53,000 gallons of oil into San Francisco Bay. The spill killed thousands of birds, closed more than 50 local beaches, and coated sensitive shoreline habitat with oil.
With five large oil...
Blog Post: September 6, 2018
In a ruling that poses risks for San Francisco Bay, regional regulators recently approved an increase in the refining of heavy tar sands oil at the Phillips 66 oil refinery in Rodeo.
The refinery claims the increase is insignificant. But the change amounts to nine more oil tankers on the Bay every...
Blog Post: September 5, 2018
In a victory for the Bay—and the entire state—Governor Jerry Brown has signed two bills that will help prevent new offshore oil drilling along the state’s shoreline.
Senate Bill 834 and Assembly Bill 1775 were created in response to the Trump administration’s reckless plan to expand ocean...
BK In The News: September 4, 2018
While California is often lauded as a “climate leader” and Governor Jerry Brown is praised as a “climate hero” in national and international media, the reality is much different, as we can see in the widening gap between lofty California climate goals and the reality on the ground...
BK In The News: August 17, 2018
Regional air regulators have approved a proposal by Phillips 66 to process an extra 61 million gallons of crude oil every year at its refinery in Rodeo... "The refinery is trying to pretend that the increases are insignificant" said Sejal Choksi-Chugh, executive director of San Francisco Baykeeper...