The City of Oakland was in court Tuesday, engaged in a battle to uphold a ban on coal within its borders.
The legal issue at the center of the city’s fight with a local developer is over a proposed new $250 million shipping terminal at the old Oakland Army Base. The developer wants it to be a place where for coal brought by rail from Utah can be loaded onto ships headed overseas.
But the city banned coal at the Port of Oakland in 2016, citing health and environmental concerns. The developer is suing, calling the city’s regulation unconstitutional.
[NOTE: ILWU Local 10 supports the building of building of the terminal for other cargoes, but opposes the export of coal at the facility.]
