Monterey County one of many against Phillips 66 oil-by-rail proposal

Opposition is growing against a proposal to transport crude oil to a Central Coast refinery by rail. The Monterey County Board of Supervisors has been vocalizing their opposition to the project since last April.

The Phillips 66 project proposes transporting millions of gallons of crude oil through the region on a daily basis. The proposal includes plans to build a 1.3-mile spur with five sets of parallel tracks from San Luis Obispo County to the Nipomo Mesa Refinery.

A two-day hearing on the project began Thursday. The San Luis Obispo Tribune reported that the turnout on Thursday was the largest for a public hearing in years.

The San Luis Obispo County Planning Staff recommended the proposal be denied, and Monterey County is supporting that recommendation. In a letter to the SLO Planning Commission dated January 28, 2016, the Monterey County Resource Management Agency outlined their reasons of concern:

“We have significant concern related to impacts to the Elkhorn Slough habitat and many of our older communities that are located along the UPRR coastal line,” Planning Director Mike Novo wrote.

The agency also talked about their concern during King Tides, when the rail becomes flooded and impassible.