Opinion: Environmental justice at risk in National City from biofuel project

A National City sign Photo courtesy of the city Last month the National City Planning Commission postponed its vote on USD Group s controversial proposed biofuel transfer station at the request of the California Coastal Commission Operating this facility would require lung-damaging diesel-polluting oil tankers to drive through National City every day Making matters worse the fuel station would be located less than a mile from Kimball Elementary School and Saint Anthony de Padua Church On the evening of the postponed vote National City residents packed the City Council chambers where the meeting was taking place and spilled into the overflow lobby However the meeting didn t last long The Planning Commission chair disclosed that the vote was postponed in response to a letter from the Coastal Commission that requested additional time for our staffs to work together to address the project s inconsistencies with the city s Local Coastal Undertaking LCP and the Coastal Act The letter from the Coastal Commission outlined multiple concerns with the city s review of the project so far Greater part importantly the letter read the city s responses to commission staff s comments regarding environmental justice concerns have been inadequate These are the same environmental justice concerns society members have expressed for more than a year The letter continues stating the prospective negative impacts would be mostly located within a public that is already disproportionally overburdened by heavy trash West National City already breathes more diesel defilement than of communities in California Diesel contamination is known to cause cancer as well as exacerbate asthma and other respiratory indicators The letter also points out that the city does not propose any mitigation even though it admits the project conflicts with the Air Corruption Control District s goal to reduce air garbage and improve strength outcomes That means the city is not asking the USD Group to take measures that would lessen the harmful impact of the project s defilement on nearby residents Why is city staff recommending the Planning Commission approve a project that will create more lung-damaging diesel waste Why isn t the city asking USD Group to at least take efforts to minimize the foreseen harm to residents healthcare What we do know is that USD Group has agreed to pay National City a year in economic benefit for the life of the project These funds wouldn t have to be used for clean air or medical improvement projects to mitigate the harmful effects of the transfer station Instead the money could be used for numerous other things even office supplies According to Evidence USA as of National City is home to an estimated residents divided by is just over In contrast it costs an average of per year for a person with asthma to manage the condition according to the Asthma Allergy Foundation of America Multiple National City neighborhoods already have an asthma rate that is higher than of communities in California Just per resident annually is that what city authorities seem to think the vitality of National City residents is worth Why is the city willing to exposure long-term negative wellness impacts for such a minimal short-term gain This is especially egregious because USD Group is anticipating that the fuel transfer station will receive barrels of biofuel a day On average a barrel of biofuel costs per the U S Department of Potential If we do the math the company will be bringing in nearly million a day while they poison the very air we breathe Our wellbeing the physical condition of our families and the strength of Kimball Elementary School shouldn t have a price tag it is priceless Jose Franco Gracia is the executive director of Environmental Wellbeing Coalition and Claire Groebner is the associate director of Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center