Alex Epstein, author of the recently published book “The Moral Case For Fossil Fuels,” will be the guest of Zennie Abraham on Zennie62 On YouTube and Oakland News Now, Thursday, February 21st, at 12 noon PST / 3 pm EST. The topic will be his book, and his take on the Oakland Bulk & Oversized Terminal issue, and the hyperbole about coal and its role in America and the World’s energy needs.
The Oakland Bulk & Oversized Terminal OBOT is the controversial project that’s part of the “Oakland Global” replacement for the long-closed Oakland Army Base. The terminal will be the culmination of a long-talked about dream of a deep-water port designed to transfer container rain commodities from rail to ship quickly, cheaply, and cleanly.
The OBOT becamed mired in controversy after a political wave of anti-coal activism hit the project in 2014. Prior to that year documents and testimonials point to the City of Oakland itself understanding that the Oakland Bulk & Oversized Terminal would handle minerals like iron ore and coal as they made there way from the United States to places like China from rail to ship.
After anti-coal activists put political pressure on Oakland elected officials, the OBOT was stalled by City of Oakland inaction. Insight Terminal Solutions and California Capital Investment, the developers, fought back via a successful lawsuit, and have filed another one as recently as late last year.
Triggering all of these events has been a series of ideas around what the Oakland public thinks the Oakland Bulk & Oversized Terminal is, versus what it really is. For example, the OBOT is not a coal factory.
Conversation about the Oakland Bulk & Oversized Terminal has taken on the look of a typical liberal / conservative debate, with all of the name-calling and vitriol that comes with it. There has been one side presented to date: the one that says the OBOT is bad and a polluter, when the developers insist it’s not.
Enter Alex Epstein.
Alex’s book “The Moral Case For Fossil Fuels” presents an opportunity to hear a different view on the Oakland Bulk & Oversized Terminal issue, and get to know the author of a work that will challenge what you and I think we know about fossil fuels and their role in not just America’s energy use and production, but also climate change. We will have a contructive talk about energy and technology and how we can use technology to make energy delivery and use better.
It’s free and easy to watch and listen to the interview. Zennie62 On YouTube’s link is here.
Stay tuned.