ALL HANDS ON DECK!

STOP THE LATEST EFFORT TO BRING CRUDE BY RAIL TRAINS TO CONTRA COSTA AND SOLANO COUNTIES!

Where: 
Benicia City Council Chambers
250 East L St.
When: 
Feb. 8, gather at 5:00 pm,
hearings start 6:30pm
RSVP:
bit.ly/SafeBenicia

Benicia commissioners will VOTE
after all speakers are heard!

Individuals can sign up by calling the Planning Department (707-746-4280). It’s not clear if you have to wait until Monday the 8th to phone.

ALSO, PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION:  Over 1300 of you have already signed the Safe Benicia petition.  If you have not yet signed, please do so now.
Go to http://bit.ly/StopValeroOilTrains.
Add your personal comments or just push the button.

The Situation:

• Benicia City Staff dismissed comments by experts, residents, uprail communities
• City Staff recommended that the Planning Commission certify the EIR and approve the project
• This is your last chance to speak up – via petition and at this hearing

On Thursday, January 28, 2016, Benicia staff released the agenda for the upcoming Planning Commission final hearings on Valero Crude by Rail.  Included along with the agenda was a 41-page staff report recommending approval of the project, and outlining a new sign-up procedure for those who want to comment at the public hearing.

Like the massive 3-volume Final Draft of the EIR, city staff chose to ignore critical input and to hide behind “federal preemption” in order to cater to the desires of our giant corporate neighbor, Valero.

Benicia residents are sorely disappointed with the decision of our city employees to disregard the health and safety of Benicians and others uprail in Davis, Sacramento and beyond.

The staff recommendation relies on the very same reasoning used by San Luis Obispo County staff to DENY a crude by rail project: what happens uprail can’t be controlled.  Because we can’t control Union Pacific, because only the Feds can have a say about rail shipping beyond local jurisdictions, we throw up our hands, while San Luis Obispo staff says, basically, ok, we’re not helpless, we can stop it HERE.