Oakland Environmental Justice Advocates Want a Seat at the Table to Fight For Healthy Neighborhoods
By Magaly Muñoz
The proposed widening of the turning basin at the Port of Oakland is intended to accommodate 1,300-foot “megaships” carrying shipping containers and cargo into the harbor instead of the already large 1,300-foot ships that are currently coming in daily to the Port.
The Port claims that the widening will decrease in-harbor transit time, transit emissions, and transportation costs, while increasing safety.
“It’s a matter of economics,” Port of Oakland Maritime Director John Driscoll said in a statement in 2019. “By loading more cargo on bigger ships, the shipping lines can actually reduce the number of vessels they deploy.”
However, legal organizations argue activity from the Port emissions represent some of the largest share of air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions in the west part of the city, specifically from drayage trucks, cargo handling equipment, ships and more.
Increased traffic congestion from more trucks coming and going to load more cargo will also add to the pollution breathed in by people in neighborhoods surrounded by major interstate highways.
EarthJustice and concerned residents are urging the Port to prioritize zero-emission equipment over increasing truck traffic that is harming the local environment and residents.
“Our position is not that the Port shouldn’t operate as a business, but that it shouldn’t do that at the expense of the West Oakland community, particularly when it comes to public health and air quality concerns, and this sort of project, expanding the turning basin, seems like it will,” EarthJustice attorneys said.
According to California law, drayage trucks at ports began implementing zero-emission technology this year, with full implementation by 2035.
The Port of Oakland has acquired several battery electric trucks and are working toward cleaner equipment, but officials acknowledge that it will take time and resources.
Less than 10 miles from the Port, another project, the addition of new terminals at the Oakland International Airport, is causing distress to activists and workers.
An estimated 174 people per 10,000 living directly around the airport visited the emergency department for asthma, according to CalEnviroScreen.
Emissions from passenger flights at OAK are equivalent to the yearly emissions from 1,200,000 cars, according to Airport Tracker.
Advocates argue that airlines are failing to meet climate goals, meaning expansions should come to a halt until technological solutions are available for greener air traffic at current demand.
Among the most negatively impacted people from the airport are those working there day and night.
Juana, a cabin cleaner at OAK, told The Post that she contracted asthma soon after starting her job, and due to low wages and no health insurance, she cannot pay for her needed medication.
“Working there is a negative exposure to your life, to your health, to everything,” Juana said.
As a cabin cleaner, she and three other workers have to sanitize and clean the inside of the airplane cabins as soon as passengers deboard the aircraft. The work can be back-breaking and often they are exposed directly to the pollution of the plane since they are made to stand in the terminal waiting for the craft to arrive.
Juana explained that her employer does not give workers ample time off to rest and recover from the harmful effects of working at the airport. She said when people brought concerns about the conditions, they were met with hostility and told to walk out if they didn’t like being there.
Not many have walked out, Juana admitted.
Juana said the airport and third-party companies, like her employer, are aware that people in the community are desperate for jobs and are essentially exploiting them with difficult work and little pay.
She is worried that the terminal expansion will double the work for her and her colleagues, with no increase in pay, and more exposure to the troubling health conditions the job leaves people with. Additionally, since OAK is not required to offer health insurance to workers, their current health problems will only be exacerbated with time.
Collaboration with the Port
Environmental justice activists agree that while all their needs have not been met, and there is a long way to go before they do, they do have the ear of some Port Commissioners.
Michael Colbruno, a Board member since 2013, considers himself an environmentalist, which activists say is not quite an environmental justice advocate, but close enough.
Colbruno has opened up the dialogue and access to the decision makers by organizing an informal meeting he conducts to gather community input on Port projects.
These meetings have resulted in more funding from grants, better awareness of what environmental concerns might arise from future agenda items, and the Port’s participation in the Green Marine Program. The program helps its participants improve their environmental performance beyond regulations and targets key environmental issues related to biodiversity protection and air, water, and soil quality.
Colbruno acknowledged that there are problems with some of the projects the Port is working on, but the city has to find a way to keep growing so that they do not lose out on economic opportunities.
“The goal, then, is to try to do [projects] as cleanly and sustainably as possible, and to put the pieces in place that make it have the least environmental impact for the community. You can’t have that kind of a project with zero environmental impact. It’s impossible,” Colbruno said.
While activists appreciate the opportunity to talk with Colbruno, they are demanding a long-overdue seat at the Port of Oakland Commissioner table for someone like Gordon, who has dealt with the harsh realities of living in these frontline communities impacted by the polluted environment.
Activists intend to push for more representation from the mayor as more Board seats open up in the coming years.
“I think that’s a valuable thing, having somebody that really understands firsthand experience…someone that has proper expertise,” Fleck said.
