After months of debate, the National City City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to reject a Texas energy company’s request to build an industrial fuel depot on the historically polluted west side of the city.
The proposed depot would have served as a regional distribution hub for biofuels, which are cleaner substitutes for petroleum-based gasoline and diesel. It would have been built along the railroad tracks between the Port and Interstate 5, less than a mile from Kimball Elementary School.
The Council’s decision was a major victory for residents and environmental groups who opposed the project. Although the depot would be focused on cleaner fuels, it would have relied on a fleet of heavy diesel-burning trains and trucks to transport them.
Dozens of residents and environmental advocates crowded in the back of the council chambers and in the foyer outside erupted into cheers and embraced following the decision. Amy Castañeda, a policy co-director for the Environmental Health Coalition, said they would continue to push for cleanup of existing pollution in West National City.
“We don't have a lot of wins in this community,” Castañeda told KPBS Tuesday night. “I think first we rest, and then we get back to work.”
The City Council had appeared divided over the project when the proposal was first presented to them in October. At that meeting, they asked USD Clean Fuels, the Texas-based energy company behind the proposal, to find ways to reduce or make up for the projected pollution.
But before their 5-0 vote on Tuesday, council members said company executives had failed to prove that they would take meaningful steps to protect residents’ health.
“The west side has done its share,” said Councilmember Luz Molina, who represents West National City. “We are not saying no to progress — we're just not wanting to continue to be the price of it.”
In an email, USD Clean Fuels spokesperson Mary Ellen Knewtson said the company was disappointed in the decision and was evaluating their next steps.
A long-awaited decision
City officials had agonized over the proposed biofuel depot for months.
West National City sees more diesel pollution than 90% of California, and children in the area have historically reported asthma-related emergencies at one of the highest rates in the county. Across the city, one in four residents live below the federal poverty line. More than two thirds identify as Latino and a fifth as Asian American or Pacific Islander.
USD Clean Fuels executives argued the depot would cut the region’s emissions by making it easier for them to distribute cleaner fuels across San Diego County.
But the project faced fiery opposition from hundreds of residents, the local school district and the Environmental Health Coalition, which has organized neighborhoods and fought back against pollution in South Bay communities for decades.
Other environmental groups, including SanDiego350 and the Sierra Club, also opposed the project, as did County Supervisor Paloma Aguirre.
In September, the Planning Commission voted to deny the company’s request for two critical permits, halting the project in its tracks. But USD Clean Fuels executives appealed the decision, raising it to the City Council.
Last month, Vice Mayor Marcus Bush asked the company to look at using electric locomotives and trucks to move the fuel and consider other environmental initiatives like planting trees.
Promises and questions
On Tuesday, USD executives promised to “offset” all of the emissions identified by the city’s analysis — and half of the harmful particles produced by diesel burning — within five years. They also pledged to plant trees throughout the city and provide air filters to households who live close to the depot.
USD Chief Administrative Officer Bill Frerking said the company would achieve those cuts by hitching their fuel cars onto existing trains that already run through National City.
Residents and environmental advocates raised sharp questions about those promises at Tuesday’s meeting. Some pointed out that the company made no mention of electrification, which Bush had pushed for.
“There’s also no mention of requiring zero-emission trucks, something that was requested by Councilmember Bush,” said Castañeda with the Environmental Health Coalition.
The project had previously drawn support from members of a local labor union, Laborers International Union 89. But on Tuesday, only one member spoke in favor of the project.
A pledge to go further
Mayor Ron Morrison said he believed in the need for biofuels as a bridge between fossil fuels and electrification. But he said National City had been stuck with too many industrial projects over the years.
“As much as I agree the biofuel is a good thing and is needed within our region, I don't think National City should take on all the regional burdens for all the other cities,” Morrison said.
Some officials worried about the path forward, given that the site of the proposed project is already zoned for certain types of industrial use.
Councilmember Ditas Yamane said she feared the city could be inadvertently opening themselves up to more pollution by the railroad company BNSF, which owns the land under the proposed project.
Bush said Tuesday’s vote should be the beginning of a concerted effort by city leaders to make good on past promises to crack down on polluters in West National City.
“I don't want this conversation to die here,” he said. “I think we need to double down.”
It’s unclear what next steps USD Clean Fuels might take when it comes to the project now that the company has already exhausted their ability to appeal city officials’ decision. Knewtson did not say what options they were considering.
For now, Castañeda said, National City residents can breathe a little easier.
One person celebrating is Maggie Morales, whose mother has lived in West National City for 25 years. After hearing the Council’s vote Tuesday night, Morales embraced the person sitting next to her.
“This is such a victory,” she said.
