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  • Nov 6, 2013 from 12:00pm to 2:00pm
  • Location: The Ecology Center
  • Latest Activity: Oct 30, 2020

The Bay Area, widely regarded as among the most environmentally conscious places in the U.S., in fact exports more petroleum than any other metropolitan region in the country.  Our five refineries, all in the East Bay, process the heaviest, dirtiest crude oil, releasing a stew of toxic chemicals and environmental pollutants. Making matters worse, plans are underway for many of these refineries to start handling significant amounts of Canadian tar sands oil, described by the Sierra Club as "the most toxic fossil fuel on the planet." Shipping channels in the Bay are being deepened, refineries are being reengineered, and plans call for hundreds of rail cars a day to pass through the East Bay carrying tar sands.

 

Communities downwind from these refineries face significant health threats, ranging from asthma to cancer, and many are organizing to fight back. Thanks to these refineries' contributions to climate change, we are all downwind. Victories have already been won, like Communities for a Better Environment's (CBE) 2010 successful legal battle to halt the expansion of Chevron's Richmond refinery, but many challenges lie ahead.

 

Join 350 Bay Area, the Sunflower Alliance, Idle No More, CBE, and the Ecology Center for a panel discussion with scientists and community activists about East Bay refineries, their impact on our health and climate, and what we can do. Idle No More will open up the event, followed by a panel discussion with: Diane Bailey, Senior Scientist at NRDC; Greg Karras, Senior Scientist at CBE; Marilyn Bardet, Community Organizer with Good Neighbors of Benicia, home to the Valero Refinery; Lyanna Monterrey; Community Organizer in Pittsburgh, proposed site of the WesPac Energy Infrastructure Project; and Nancy Reiser, Community Organizer in Crockett/Rodeo/Hercules, home to the Phillips 66 Refinery.

 

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