Judge Advances Lawsuits Challenging Bay Area City Coal Ban

A federal judge on Thursday advanced three lawsuits claiming a Bay Area city’s ban on the handling and storage of coal and petroleum coke is based on faulty science, preempted by federal laws and interferes with foreign and interstate commerce... The judge also granted a motion by two environmental groups, Sierra Club and San Francisco Baykeeper, to intervene in the case as defendants, but she also placed limitations on their roles in the case. The conservation groups will not be allowed to file motions independently from the main defendant, the city of Richmond.