IMPACT FROM PROPOSED DREDGING OF SF BAY FOR BIGGER OIL TANKERS
The iconic Golden Gate Bridge is a true feat of man-made beauty. It is the entrance to a diverse ecosystem that fingers its way into the San Francisco Bay Area.
The Bay is home to a diverse group of aquatic life: - from whales, harbor seals and sea lions to Chinook salmon and smelt.
As you travel deeper into the Bay, an oil refinery is set right off the Carquinez Strait near the Benecia-Martinez Bridge. The fossil fuel giants have a proposal to dredge a 13-mile stretch of the SF Bay Estuary to deepen the channel to allow for larger oil tankers leading to four oil refineries.
The impact of this proposed dredging is threefold:
Impact on the local aquatic environment. The deepening of the channel could disturb sediments full of toxic heavy metals from an older smelter plant. This endangers the wildlife populations in and around the Bay. In addition to wildlife, the drinking water supplied to local counties, including mine, could be threatened due to the potential of increased salinity in the water from the project.
Impact on local communities. Unfortunately, as is usually the case, the communities surrounding these oil refineries are home to primarily minority and low income households. These communities over the years have been subject to frequent calls to shelter in place due to accidental spills, flares, and releases of toxins causing increased levels of air pollution.
The big picture. In an article published on July 22, 2020 by The Washington Post titled “Major new climate study rules out less severe global warming scenarios”, a newly completed study by 25 climate scientists from around the world have moved the climate sensitivity range up and more narrowly as to effects on warming from carbon emissions.
In order to prevent the doubling of carbon dioxide that would cause the greatest harm to life on Earth, the necessary steps include the collective action by nations to prevent the doubling of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. “The primary determinant of future climate is human actions.”
This means we need to step up emissions cuts. The impact of planning and allowing larger oil tankers furthers the reliance and abundance of fossil fuels for consumers, and sets us in the wrong direction for the future.
For more information, please visit The Sierra Club blog.