As your constituent, I urge you to pass a resolution and write a letter of opposition to the San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission/Board of Supervisors to deny an expansion permit to the Phillips 66 Santa Maria refinery crude by rail operation.

I am concerned about an expansion of shipping volatile and toxic crude by rail in outdated and unsafe oil tank cars through California, especially to and fro densely populated neighborhoods in the Los Angeles basin. Five major explosive accidents happened in 2015 around North America, and despite federal moves to improve safety, trains keep exploding.

San Luis Obispo will make a decision this year that will affect the health and safety of our Southern California neighborhoods. Los Angeles is among many cities and counties that have written letters opposing this project on the basis of inadequate measures to protect the public and the natural resources at risk. As we saw the devastating spill on the Santa Barbara coast, we don’t want to see that happen to the LA River, which is now undergoing a $1 billion facelift, and is part of our long-term water sustainability plan.

Phillips 66 Santa Maria refinery in San Luis Obispo County plans to move 20,800 crude tankers to and from their Nipomo facility every year. These can be eighty-car trains that stretch a mile-long.

The Revised Draft Environmental Impact Report (RDEIR) concludes that the proposed Phillips 66 rail spur would cause significant and unavoidable rail accident hazard risks along the main rail line that could result in oil spills, fires, and explosions near populated areas.

An analysis of potential blast zone radii of rail lines carrying toxic and volatile crude from the San Fernando Valley all the way through South LA and the Harbor Area would impact homes, schools, parks, and businesses located adjacent to the tracks. The same blast zone map indicates the risk to a significant stretch of the Los Angeles River destined to receive $1 billion in local, state and federal investment over several years to overhaul much of an 11-mile soft-bottomed stretch of the river between Griffith Park and downtown.

Previous rail car derailment explosions in North America have demonstrated most emergency responders, including those in the County of Los Angeles, do not have sufficient equipment and supplies, such as fire suppression foam, to adequately respond to a catastrophic explosion of a rail car derailment explosion.

THEREFORE , I assert the only San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission/Board of Supervisors action that would avoid this public safety risk to Los Angeles County and beyond is denial of the project. I request the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors write a letter of opposition to the San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission to deny this project a permit before their September 2016 hearing.