SAN DIEGO — Environmental advocates rallied Tuesday to stop a new warehouse from being built in Barrio Logan, a place with high asthma rates due to air pollution.
A coalition of community activists, environmental justice advocates, educators and faith leaders said they are rallying for clean air and urging the San Diego's Board of Port Commissioners to end all consideration of Mitsubishi Cement Corporation's (MCC) proposal to build a cement warehouse on the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal.
The rally was held ahead of the board of commissioners meeting on Tuesday where the agenda item was going to be discussed.
In a change of plans, during the Dec.13 meeting, Mitsubishi asked the Port to remove the item from the agenda to give them more time to speak with the local community.
In a statement, Mitsubishi said, "After meeting with community members over the past several months, we wanted to take additional time to engage with the community more directly and in a more substantive way. That’s why, nearly two weeks ago, we asked the Port Commission to remove our item from the Dec. 13 agenda. Due to Port public meeting procedures, the item could only be removed during the meeting."
MCC had 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.
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.
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.
Mitsubishi Cement Corporation Full Statement
“After meeting with community members over the past several months, we wanted to take additional time to engage with the community more directly and in a more substantive way. That’s why, nearly two weeks ago, we asked the Port Commission to remove our item from the Dec. 13 agenda. Due to Port public meeting procedures, the item could only be removed during the meeting.
Mitsubishi Cement Corp is a good company, and we believe that with the right amount of effort and determination this project can be a win for the Port and a win for the community. We understand the sensitivities surrounding developing a project at the Port, which is logistically close to residents. We embrace those concerns and are working to be true partners by being transparent and responsive to questions and concerns about truck traffic and possible emissions.
This state-of-the-art Cement Warehouse and Loading Facility will repurpose an existing on-terminal warehouse, create jobs and establish a local source of cement, which currently can only be obtained by being trucked in –long distances –from the high desert or the Port of Long Beach. This is an environmentally clean, electrified project, with an emissions reduction plan and installation of electric infrastructure that will support Port and community efforts to decrease local impacts and actually promote an environmentally cleaner Port. This same operation has won awards for environmental innovation in Long Beach. We look forward to continuing our coordination with Port and community.”
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