Saying No To Coal: Champagne Corks Popping in Oakland, CA
Those looking for an excuse to celebrate something today may wish to check out yesterday’s unanimous decision made by the Oakland City Council to ban the handling and storage of coal in a marine terminal under development at the former Oakland Army Base.
As suggested in the story, this came about as the direct result of huge pressure applied by many thousands of environmental activists all over the Bay Area. Now, the word “activist” may conjure images of the yippies of the late 1960s. But check out this pic and look into the lady’s eyes. She doesn’t look too radical to me; she just looks like a deeply concerned citizen.
In any case, to all of you who participated, from all of us with lungs: Thank You.
Those of us who are old enough to remember what it was like when most large buildings and many homes were heated with coal can understand very well why Oakland does not want a coal terminal. Although handling coal is less bad than burning it, it would be impossible to control the dust adequately. Even if it were possible, there is no guarantee that it would be done.