Trump
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- Published on Monday, 30 November 2020 07:04
- Written by editor
r33
friend,
Have you heard about Donald Trump’s decision to dredge San Francisco Bay on behalf of Big Oil? If you answered no, you’re not alone. Trump and Co. are trying to keep this project out of sight and away from public scrutiny. And so far, they’ve been successful in doing so. Until now.
Here’s the scoop: Donald Trump has ordered the federal government’s Army Corps of Engineers to dredge San Francisco Bay. Tearing up the bottom of of the Bay with destructive equipment won’t just damage its fragile ecosystem – it will also allow refineries in the East Bay to take in even larger shipments of heavier, more toxic crude, such as tar sands. If it goes ahead, it will have horrific impacts on both frontline communities and the global climate.
STOP TRUMP AND BIG OILThis dredging project is essentially a $57 million gift to Big Oil so they can bring more and heavier oil into the Bay. What's more, it’s hard to overstate just how harmful this dredging project would be to local communities, upstream Indigenous land and water protectors, and the climate.
First off, there are serious concerns with the dredging process itself. Tearing up the bottom of the Bay with destructive dredging equipment won’t just damage its fragile ecosystem. It will also bring toxic substances embedded on the Bay floor – such as arsenic and mercury – back to the surface where they can poison the animals and people who live in and around the Bay.
Then there’s the risk of tar sands oil spills. Any kind of oil spill is a disaster, but tar sands is especially dangerous because it doesn't float. During a tar sands spill, much of the oil sinks, making it almost impossible to clean up. A tar sands spill in the Bay would remain for decades and likely cost billions to even attempt to clean up.
And all of those concerns don’t even touch on the increased air pollution that would result from tar sands refining. Communities near the five Bay Area refineries already suffer from increased risk of respiratory illnesses, birth defects, brain damage, and cancer thanks to the refinery smokestacks spewing heavy pollution on a daily basis. Tar sands refining will only exacerbate this problem further, and the decision to do this shouldn’t be made by federal agencies far removed from the affected communities.
And those are just the local impacts.
There is also a massive risk to Indigenous communities along the route tar sands would be shipped. In Canada, downstream of where tar sands are mined, the Secwepemc, Tsleil-Waututh, and Squamish Nations, the Coldwater Indian Band, and others have been fighting for years to keep the extraction and transportation of tar sands oil out of their territories. Allowing SF Bay to become a tar sands refining hub will increase the financial incentive to expand tar sands extraction and put these communities at increased risk.
And then there’s the climate impact. Tar sands oil is one of the dirtiest crude oils on the planet. One study projected the Bay Area’s dredging project would allow for an additional 7.2 million tons of CO2 to be released into the atmosphere due to the increased burning of tar sands in other places. That’s the equivalent of 1.4 million additional cars on the road for one year. We are in a climate crisis, and need to be winding down our fossil fuel use, not giving oil companies tens of millions of dollars to get access to dirtier and more toxic crude.
Will you raise your voice and speak out against this project?
The Trump administration and his Big Oil allies thought they could sneak their disastrous dredging project under the radar – but they didn’t count on local resistance or the Stand.earth community. For years now, we’ve stood with California communities and blocked one tar sands proposal after another. We’re sure not backing down now.
We're so glad you're part of this campaign and part of the Stand online community. Our team is fewer than 50 people, but this community is more than 450,000 people strong and growing – and together, we're using our collective power to fight climate change, protect wild spaces, stand with impacted communities, and say no to new fossil fuels.
I can’t thank you enough for standing with us.
In solidarity,
Zeiser
Climate Campaigner
Stand.earth
Stand.earth challenges corporations, industries, and governments to prioritize the well-being of people, our environment, and our climate by creating long-term, effective solutions. None of this work is possible without your support. DONATE $5 San Francisco office: 548 Market Street, Suite 74196, San Francisco, CA 94104-5401 On traditional Chochenyo and Karkin Ohlone Lands
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r80
