When Zennie Abraham says (Oakland Bulk & Oversized Terminal Won’t Cause Asthma: Alex Epstein) “No one talks about the pollution caused by the large trucks that run through West Oakland. Studies show a true direct connection between truck traffic and asthma,” he should check in with the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project (WOEIP) at 3rd & Mandela where the study and discussion of pollution has been a nonstop process for the last decade!
It may serve the readers of Oakland News Now well if the publication includes a few of West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project (WOEIP) findings – if only to be a tad more “fair and balanced” in this ongoing community-wide discussion that just about everyone in the East Bay has an opinion about!
While the tarp-covered coal cars may be more effective in controlling the volumes of coal dust that we all believe are pretty harmful – unlike the “good, clean coal” that the current administration seems to cherish – one of the concerns that seems to be pressing this dialogue is the high potential for malfunction through derailment, combustion, Murphy’s Law, etc., maybe higher in congested West Oakland than any other part of the Bay Area. Dunno if Alex Epstein addresses that at length or just discounts it altogether.
As a faithful reader of your columns, I’d be interested to have one or two comments regarding the community perspective in your next article in this informative series.
Cordially,
– Steve Lowe
West Oakland Community Advisory Group (WOCAG)