Environment

On Clean Air Day, ride a ferry for free, carpool, take action against pollution

Transit agencies in the East Bay are promoting California Clean Air Day on Wednesday, with several providing free fares to encourage riders to use public transit. The goal of Clean Air Day is to encourage residents to participate in more sustainable activities to minimize air pollution.  The agencies offering free rides include the San Francisco Bay Ferry, WestCAT, Wheels and County Connections. But the largest transit agencies in the Bay Area — AC Transit, BART, and MUNI — will not…

Contra Costa County is accepting grant applications for high-impact projects

White Pony Express was trying to develop an app that would make it easier for grocery stores, restaurants and other small businesses to alert volunteer food runners when they had excess food that could be redistributed. So the nonprofit, which is based in Concord, applied for and received $100,000 from the Contra Costa County Innovation Fund grant. “It made a lot of things possible because we were a little bit stuck, where we had the technology, but the technology needed…

Deal between city and Chevron erases budget deficit, puts $550 million into general fund

Chevron Corp. has agreed to pay Richmond $550 million over the next decade in exchange for the city dropping a proposed refinery tax from the November ballot. The mayor’s office announced the deal in an Aug. 8 news release, saying the agreement enables the city to avoid being sued by Chevron, while achieving the same goal as the measure. Under the agreement, Chevron will pay Richmond $50 million annually in the first five years and $60 million annually in the…

After much contention, Point Molate will become a park, under new agreement with city, tribe and state

Richmond City Council voted in a special meeting Friday to back a $40 million sale of Point Molate to the East Bay Regional Park District, ending years of discussion about how to develop the sprawling coastline property that once was a Naval depot and a winery.  “Twenty plus years of community organizing, continuously bringing to the forefront the hopes and dreams of our residents for a major park at Point Molate, have once again demonstrated that with hard work and…

Richmond ballot measure calls for special tax on Chevron to counter pollution

Richmond voters will be asked in November to decide whether the city should impose a refinery tax on Chevron as a way to address pollution.  City Council unanimously approved the ballot measure Tuesday, citing concerns about the city’s budget deficit, poor air quality and worsening health conditions. Council member Doria Robinson was absent.  “What we need is that they pay their fair share so we have the means and resources,” council member Claudia Jiménez said before the vote.  The proposed…

Violators ignore fines for years, so how effective is BAAQMD at policing polluters?

Under a historic settlement with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, Chevron recently cleared all 678 of the air pollution infractions that had been pending against its Richmond refinery. With the settlement, BAAQMD, the regional agency that enforces air quality standards, cleared part of a major backlog. While the air district has a history of issuing infractions, it also has a pattern of letting most fines go unpaid for years as it works through cases and negotiates with polluters….

AC Transit accelerates toward zero emission goal

Despite setbacks caused by COVID-19, AC Transit expects to meet its 2023 goals to convert 10% of its bus fleet to zero emission vehicles.  The California Air Resources Board enacted a regulation in 2018 that requires all public transit agencies to transition from diesel fuel to 100% zero‑emission bus fleets by the end of 2040. AC Transit set an internal goal of converting 10% of its 630 buses to zero emission technology by the end of this year, said spokesperson…

What’s being done to bring equitable tree coverage to Richmond neighborhoods?

On a bright October morning in Lucas Park, dozens of community members — some with silver hair and some younger — move around in dirt, sweat and chatter. Loosely divided into small groups, the volunteers hold onto pots and branches to lift up small trees — each around 8 feet tall — and carry them to designated locations.  And then they circle around with shovels, and dig. This was an Arbor Day activity for Groundwork Richmond, an environmental and youth…

Smelly gas release from sewage plant prompts complaints and a pollution citation

Monday evening, Richmond residents noticed a sulfuric stink in the air. It lingered for two days and on Thursday, led to a notice of violation for the company that operates the city’s wastewater treatment plant.  Bay Area Air Quality Management District, which issued the notice for a public nuisance violation, had recorded hydrogen sulfide levels Tuesday morning as high as 345.8 parts per billion on the south side of the Point Richmond plant, based on a five-minute average. That is…