Why this matters
West National City is a state designated “Portside Environmental Justice Neighborhood,” which has been slated for reduction of industrial emissions that have historically impacted the community.
National City has released the draft of an environmental review for a fuel transfer station slated for a neighborhood the state says is already impacted by industrial pollution.
Officials are seeking input from the public on the report.
For months residents and advocates raised concerns that the project, proposed by Texas-based USD Clean Fuels, would cause further harm to residents in the neighborhoods surrounding the project site just off of 18th Street, west of Interstate 5 in West National City.
Operating 24 hours a day, the project would receive biodiesel fuels by rail, mix them and ship them out by truck and would require the building of an additional rail line, according to the report.
There won’t be any storage tanks on-site and the facility would use approximately 70 trucks per day, active mainly between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., a company spokesperson said, adding that the trucks will “minimize impact by avoiding residential areas, schools, churches, and congested areas.”
The state has deemed the area a “Portside Environmental Justice Neighborhoods Community,” acknowledging that the community has been historically burdened by air pollution. The community has also been the site of emission reductions and air monitoring programs.
The draft report echoes a number of residents’ concerns, including that the project is potentially in conflict with state protections meant to improve the well-being of residents in the area, and that it could negatively impact their health. It also says the project could have a significant impact on plant and wildlife habitat.
“Implementation of the Project would result in long-term operational emissions of criteria air pollutants,” according to the draft’s author, ECORP Consulting.
The report says that apart from short-term impacts from construction heavy vehicle emissions, the project will also impact ambient air quality by emitting a number of chemicals such as carbon monoxide and ozone.
The report says the company could lessen those impacts through mitigation.
In a letter to the city’s planning commission, the California Air Resources Board said that residents should be protected in accordance with the state’s designation.
“The City must ensure the implementation of all feasible mitigation, including utilization of zero-emission technologies, to limit the Project’s air quality and public health impact on neighboring disadvantaged communities.”
In an October statement issued to inewsource, USD Clean Fuels said that the trucks used to ship the fuels out from the proposed facility are owned by private contractors.
Kelsey Genesi, a policy advocate for the Environmental Health Coalition, a National City-based environmental justice group, told inewsource the group is going through the draft and will hold a community meeting in the new year.
“Our main concern remains keeping this project out of West National City to protect the health and wellbeing of the residents,” she said.
How to read, give feedback on the environmental report
Read the report here: The report is available on the state website, at ceqanet.opr.ca.gov/2024050468. Or you can view it here:
To comment by mail: National City officials are accepting written comments by mail until 6 p.m. on Jan. 29.
To comment in-person or remotely: The city will hold a National City Planning Commission meeting, where members of the public will be invited to comment on the report in person or remotely. Check the city’s website for details on the meeting which will be scheduled for some time after the written comment period closes.
