A coalition of local and community groups hosted a town hall in the East Bay town of Rodeo on March 7, drawing over 150 people to discuss the risks of a proposal by Phillips 66’s San Francisco Refinery in Rodeo to bring in more oil tankers and process more heavy crude oil like tar sands. The Rodeo Citizens Association, Crockett-Rodeo United to Defend the Environment (CRUDE), Fresh Air Vallejo, Idle No More SF Bay, Sunflower Alliance, 350 Bay Area, Communities for a Better Environment(CBE), and Stand.earth sponsored the town hall. A chairperson from the Benicia Planning Commission also presented.

The tar sands expansion proposal would impact local health and the climate by increasing refinery emissions and worsening air quality for nearby communities while also increasing tanker traffic and the risk of a devastating oil spill in the San Francisco Bay Area, according to the groups. “Many of our First Nations relatives in Canada are doing all they can to resist the Trans Mountain Pipeline, which would allow the transport of tar sands through our Bay via over 120 tankers,” said Pennie Opal Plant, Idle No More SF Bay. “This type of oil cannot be completely cleaned from water. What are we willing to lose?"

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