Hydrogen Energy California criticized for truck, coal train, and other pollution

This morning’s Kitchen Table Kibitzing in Dailykos relates a very interesting criticism of a proposed coal and petcoke gasification facility, to be located near Bakersfield, California.

Critics claim the environmental health impacts of transportation will be significant.  A quote (emphasis mine):

“I am very concerned about every man and woman [in this community] who has a lung or breathing problem. Hydrogen Energy California (HECA) is a project to be built south of Bakersfield. It calls itself an energy plant but the truth is that it is a coal fueled chemical factory. San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, for whatever reason, has approved this project but its Determination of Compliance has so many loopholes in it that our health and air will not be protected.

The air district and HECA admit that it will produce 547+ tons of pollution a year when it gasifies coal and refinery waste. Part of that will be 170 tons of fine particulates that are known to settle into lungs and cause asthma, emphysema, and cancer.The district said that this factory will be a net benefit for our air because HECA will pay them $9 million when it is built. Two of the loopholes that they don’t see as important are: the emissions from 411 trucks making round trips transporting fuel, waste and products daily; and coal dust and fine particulates from the almost daily coal trains that will pass through Bakersfield.”
Comments from folks more familiar with this project than I?
Opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author, and do not necessarily represent the positions of the Moving Forward Network or its members. All errors are the responsibility of the author.