The Stop Oil Trains campaign has put a call out to “pack the hearing chambers” in SLO County headquarters on Friday, March 11, in protest of a proposed rail extension project by the Phillips 66 oil company.
The occasion: San Luis Obispo County’s Planning Commission will host a public hearing on the project. Last month’s hearings on Feb. 4, 5, and 25 drew hundreds of protesters, who flooded county headquarters to speak in opposition to the oil train project.
The project would allow Phillips 66 to transport crude oil by train to its Santa Maria Refinery. The proposal has sparked concern—and in some cases, outrage—from the public over the potential danger oil trains pose to the environment and people’s health.
As Paso Robles High School student Gabby Davis told the commissioner at one of last month’s hearings: “Let’s face it, oil trains are dinosaurs. And dinosaurs belong in a museum.”
In early February, SLO County Planning Department staff recommended commissioners deny the rail spur. A staff report from the department claimed the project’s approval would significantly impact air quality and the environment, and pointed out that a derailed oil train could cause spills, fires, and explosions.
Two Santa Barbara County officials—1st District Supervisor Salud Carbajal and Santa Barbara Mayor Helene Schneider—also attended last month’s protests to speak against the proposed project, which would run through Santa Barbara County.
Still, the SLO County Planning Commission did not reach a decision on the project, and hearings will continue on March 11. Doors open at 8 a.m.
This article appears in Mar 10-17, 2016.