California Climate Accountability Archives

California Climate Accountability

California promotes itself as a global climate leader – but Big Oil is aggressively turning to processing some of the planet’s dirtiest crude oil at refineries in the state, putting local communities, coastal waterways and the global climate in jeopardy.

Leading this dirty oil onslaught is Phillips 66, as they pursue a massive increase in the number of oil tankers bringing Tar Sands and other crude oils to their refinery at the northern reach of San Francisco Bay. Concerned citizens have raised alarms about the tremendous risk of oil spill disasters in the delicate bay ecosystem from the increased oil tanker traffic.

Making the oil tanker spill threat worse, Tar Sands crude is mixed with a toxic cocktail of chemicals and gas to be transported as diluted bitumen. The impact from a ‘dilbit’ spill in the waters of the bay would be unprecedented because of the way it sinks when spilled, coating the bottom of waterways and impossible to clean up, which would be devastating for the life systems of the ecologically sensitive bay.

Friends of the Earth US is responding to this threat in close coordination with local and regional partners. Our objectives are to halt the proposed increase in oil tanker deliveries to the Phillips 66 refinery, to protect coastal ecosystems from devastating spills and to direct California’s energy future away from climate destroying Tar Sands and other crude oils sourced from the most endangered wild landscapes on the planet.

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Expanded Offshore Drilling Threat Brings New Attention to Oil Tanker Spill Risks
Expanded Offshore Drilling Threat Brings New Attention to Oil Tanker Spill Risks

Voicing opposition to the Phillips 66 oil tanker onslaught in SF Bay is a logical extension to opposing the greed of the Trump-Zinke plan to pursue new offshore oil drilling in federal waters off the California coast.

The Alaskan Arctic to California Crude Connection
The Alaskan Arctic to California Crude Connection

This dynamic is on the verge of changing, as the threat of increased oil tanker traffic in California to feed the refinery sector is raising awareness about the sources of that crude oil.

Protect the Pacific from Trump
Protect the Pacific from Trump

The environmental, climate, health, safety and economic risks from Trump’s extreme energy agenda are numerous, but they are not the only dangers presented by expanded offshore drilling.

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Newsom must prioritize frontline communities in oil and gas actions

California Governor Gavin Newsom announced today a directive to end new fracking permits by 2024 and phase out oil and gas extraction by 2045, making California the first state in the nation to commit to a planned phase out of oil and gas extraction.

EPA Ignores Petition to Review Illegally Issued Refinery Permit to Pollute

The federal Environmental Protection Agency ignored a mandatory deadline to decide on a petition challenging an air permit for Phillip 66’s oil refinery in Rodeo, California.

D.C. Rally to Urge Governor Brown to Halt New Oil and Gas Projects, Protect Californians’ Health

Activists will greet Gov. Brown with banners outside his scheduled appearance at the National Press Club to demand an end to new fossil fuel projects in California and a plan to phase out the state’s dirty fuel extraction.

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  • Tar sands/Dilbit Crude Oil Movements Within the Salish Sea
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