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Proposed project could bring thousands of diesel trucks to Barrio Logan, locals not happy

A company has reintroduced a proposal to build a warehouse in Barrio Logan during a public meeting for the Port of San Diego.

SAN DIEGO — Mitsubishi Cement Corp. has reintroduced a decade-long proposal to build a warehouse in Barrio Logan during a public meeting with the Port of Commissions of San Diego.

Commissioners overseeing the port put the project on hold two years ago after concerns about environmental health issues, but a plan has once again resurfaced.

For years areas like Barrio Logan and National City have been plagued with toxic air quality from industrial companies and freeways. The issues of air pollution have gone as far as becoming one of the worst neighborhoods with the highest asthma rates because of it. 

Imagine living in a neighborhood where the air you breathe is slowly making you sick—well, that's what Lizeth Ruvalcaba, a Barrio Logan local says she and hundreds of families living in southeastern San Diego continue to deal with. 

“We have the right to clean air, and unfortunately, that’s not what is happening right now because of the pollution,” said Ruvalcaba.

These are just some of the issues happening in these areas, from foul odors to toxic air quality, sometimes causing respiratory illnesses.

Lizeth says the situation might get even worse with new industrial projects on the rise. 

The most recent one, Mitsubishi Cement Corp., plans to build a warehouse at the Port of San Diego–a project that would dramatically increase diesel truck traffic in an area where families have been known to get sick from breathing some of the most diesel-polluted air

“Sometimes it even sweeps into your house if you have the window open and smell the diesel air, and it's going to get worse if we have 4,000 or 10,000 trucks,” said Ruvalcaba.

According to the Environmental Health Coalition, Barrio Logan is in the top 5% of most polluted areas in California. Its residents have an 85 to 95% higher chance of developing cancer than the rest of the U.S. 

This is why they are pushing for more clean air in southeastern San Diego and says lives are at risk from excessive diesel pollution. 

“The reason diesel particulate matter is so damaging is because of the size of the fine particles. It allows those particles to reach the lung tissues, which are more susceptible to damage,” said Meli Morales, part of the Environmental Health Coalition. 

CBS 8 reached out to Mitsubishi Cement Corp., but they did not respond to our request for an interview.

In a public meeting, the company said they are working to find new ways to use zero-emission trucks and other emissions-reduction, but they have yet to release any specifics.

“We don’t have any indication that the proposal has changed, so EHC is making sure community members know this is happening,” said Ruvalcaba.

EHC also adds that approving a project that could bring even more pollution only proves what activists call a clear representation of environmental racism in these neighborhoods.  

The board of commissioners overseeing the San Diego Port will have a meeting next week to discuss approval of the project further. 

WATCH RELATED: Are San Diegans reducing pollution levels amid stay-at-home orders? (2020)

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