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Dear Mark,
Tens of thousands of citizens -- including nurses, teachers, elected officials, and students -- have voiced their opposition to a dangerous plan to increase the number of explosive oil trains traveling through hundreds of California communities.
With more than five million Californians living in the blast zone of explosive oil trains like these,1 it's no wonder state and local government officials, cities, counties, and schools have come out against this dangerous plan due to the unacceptable risks to public health and safety, and our environment.2
But have they heard from you yet? This is your chance to join the call to reject this dangerous crude-by-rail plan. Take action today to show decision makers that this plan needs to be rejected!
Oil giant Phillips 66 is fighting to build a rail terminal at its Santa Maria oil refinery in San Luis Obispo to begin receiving shipments of highly explosive crude oil via unsafe trains. If this dangerous plan is approved, nearly 11 million gallons of tar sands crude could start rolling through our communities, every week, on their way to this refinery.3
As we've seen all too many times over the last few years, in the blink of an eye one of these huge trains can derail, crash, and explode. That's what happened on a tragic night in 2013, when an oil train crashed in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, taking 47 lives.4 This is a threat our communities cannot afford, especially when the environmental review for this project found "a relatively high probability of a unit train derailment."5
Time is running out to make sure decision makers know how Californians feel about this dangerous plan. Take action today!
The momentum to stop this project is growing. Just this week, County planners in SLO recommended rejecting this project because it would be detrimental to the health, safety, and welfare of the public, and because it includes significant and unavoidable environmental impacts including a cancer risk to nearby residents. They also found that this project has no benefits that outweigh the risk to the environment.6 Now it's up to us to make sure decision makers listen. Take action today.
Thanks for protecting our communities,
Andrew Christie
Director, Sierra Club Santa Lucia Chapter
[1] Data provided by ForestEthics, for more info, see the interactive Oil Train Blast Zone map.
[2] Cynthia Lambert, The San Luis Obispo Tribune, Phillips 66 oil-by-rail proposal prompts a statewide outcry, July 11, 2015.
[3] San Luis Obispo County, Phillips 66 DRC2012-00095 Development Plan/Coastal Development Permit, January 25, 2016.
[4] CBC, Special Report: Lac-Mégantic.
[5] Final Environmental Impact Report, Vol. III, Responses to Mesa Refinery Watch Group Comments, Response MRWG-42, December 2015.
[6] Cynthia Lambert, The San Luis Obispo Tribune, Don't allow oil trains to Phillips 66 refinery, SLO County staff recommends, January 26, 2016.
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