Protect Union

Workers:
Say YES to Good Union Jobs,
NO to Unhealthy, Anti-Union
Coal In California

Keep union jobs safe

Terminals that ship coal provide far fewer jobs than
terminals that ship containers or bulk-break materials (i.e.,
big machines, pallets).1 90% of jobs in the mining industry

Coal Mining Employment

Powder River Basin 2011

in the Powder River Basin are non-union,2 which is a

union

10%

growing trend.3

Non-union

Sending coal overseas means sending jobs

overseas
Exporting metallurgical coal4 to Asia supports steel
manufacturing jobs abroad which can result in fewer
jobs for steel workers in the U.S.
Steel worker unions oppose exporting steel
manufacturing jobs to Asia.5 Our trade deficit with
China has caused the loss of an estimated 123,900
jobs from the U.S. fabricated metal industry.6
Thermal coal exports also support the overseas
manufacturing of cheap goods at the expense of
American jobs.

90%

Coal Mining Employment Trends

Powder River Basin 2007-2011
120

Nonunion

110

Worker Health
Prolonged, direct exposure to coal dust especially
in miners has been linked to health issues such
as chronic bronchitis, decreased lung function,
emphysema, and cancer.7 Coal dust has also been
shown to increase the risk of mortality from heart
disease.8

100

union

90

80
2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

Port of Richmond

Community Impacts9
Local businesses near the coal export facility would
suffer negative visual and aesthetic impacts, noise,
coal dust, and increased train traffic to block vehicle
and pedestrian traffic of which can equate to lost
business.

According to Port of Richmond emails, several companies

like Manyuan Coal, Next Synergy and others, have
proposed a possible coal export facility at terminal 3 or
4. This project would potentially bring 2-6 million tons of
product per year through Richmond.

Many new mile-long open-top 120+ car coal trains

each day are expected with new coal export facilities
in Oakland and other communities.

Levin-Richmond Terminal

New train movement and switching operations across

7th St would frequently block intersections and would
pose a safety concern for users of a nearby park.
All buildings (homes, businesses, etc.) within 600 ft
of the rail tracks where coal would be shipped can be
expected to lose at least 1% of their value due to coal
transport activities.

The Levin-Richmond terminal is a private terminal located

in Richmond. This terminal currently ships some coal and
petcoke through its ports. San Francisco Baykeeper is
currently suing the terminal over alleged Clean Water Act
violations from its operations. Last year, the Port signed
an agreement with Bowie Resources to ship additional 1.2
million tons per year of coal through the port to top off
ships coming from the Port of Stockton.

California coal export facilities

Port of Stockton

Oakland Army Base Redevelopment (OARB) Project

Berth 7 Bulk Terminal

As of 2011, the East Complex of the Port of Stockton was

Developer Phil Tagami and California Capital Investment

exporting 90,000 tons of coal per year from docks 12

Group (CCIG) are telling some people that the bulk facility

and 13. However, there are recent proposals from Bowie

will include coal but they have not been forthright with

Resources and Metroports to export up to 1-3 million tons

community leaders when asked about this prospect.

per year of coal through the Port of Stockton.

OARB is moving ahead and is well into permitting. The

CEQA documents do not mention coal, and the Port
staff indicates that they see huge community opposition
associated with coal.
Port of Oakland Bulk Terminal (Berth 33, Howard
Terminal, Roundhouse and other potential locations)
A bulk terminal at Port of Oakland would potentially
bring 2.5-9 million tons of coal though Oakland a year.

Port of Benicia
The Port of Benicia currently exports petcoke and other
petroleum products, but since this is a private port it is
difficult to find out how much dirty petcoke is currently
shipped through the Port. The Port of Benicia is also
capable of shipping coal, but it is unclear whether or not
they plan to do so.

That means about 8-24 trains a week or 1-4 trains/day.

Port of San Francisco

A feasibility study for a bulk terminal was completed

The Port of San Francisco has openly stated that they are

in 2012. In February 2014, the Port of Oakland rejected

against the shipment of coal from their port but so far they

coal proposals from Bowie Resource Partners/Trafigura

have not signed an agreement supporting this statement.

and CCIG/Kinder Morgan/MetroPorts for the Howard

The Port is currently in the process of building a bulk

Terminal site. As the Port considers other berths for

facility for iron ore and potentially petcoke, which can just

redevelopment, we need to insure that the uses do not

as easily be used as a coal shipment facility.

involve dirty fossil fuels!

endnotes
1 http://www.sightline.org/research/energy/coal/coal-FAQ.pdf
2 http://www.sightline.org/research/graphics/chart-union-and-non-union-shares-of-coal-jobs/
3 http://www.sightline.org/research/graphics/chart-union-share-of-coal-jobs-2007-2010/
4 Metallurgical coal is used in steel production. Thermal coal is used in power plants.
5 http://peoplesworld.org/steelworkers-oppose-using-chinese-steel-for-verrazano-bridge-repairs/
6 http://www.epi.org/publication/growing-trade-deficit-china-cost-2-8-million/
7 Criteria For a Recommended Standard: Occupational Exposure to Respirable Coal Mine Dust U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, September 1995, pages 52-116. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/95-106/pdfs/95 106.pdf
8 Landen, Deborah, et al, Coal Dust Exposure and Mortality from Ischemic Heart Disease Among a Cohort of U.S. Coal Miners, July 2011, American Journal of Industrial Medicine, Vol. 53, Issue 10, page 6.
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/UserFiles/works/pdfs/cdeam.pdf
9 See Eastman Property Value Study, October 12, 2012, http://www.coaltrainfacts.org/docs/Eastman-Study.pdf

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