NOVEMBER 2024
Welcome to the November edition of Brave New Climate, a monthly newsletter about industrial projects and energy policy issues in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta region, brought to you by Restore The Delta’s Carbon & Energy Program. In this edition, we highlight implications of a near-miss levee failure at Victoria Island for geologic CO2 storage plans, two industrial projects at the Port of Stockton with potentially significant pollution burdens, and lackluster clean energy planning by the Port to meet increased energy demand of electrifying terminal operations.
Around the Delta
An island in the Delta that is being proposed for geologic storage was nearly lost to a levee breach, reinforcing concerns we have with the lack of flood protections considered under US EPA Class VI permits. Restore The Delta has submitted comment letters to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding environmental concerns at two sites where geologic CO2 storage is proposed in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta: Union Island and Victoria Island.
- In our first letter, we outlined critical concerns with Carbon TerraVault’s Union Island permit application. The company failed to identify CO2 sources, which directly affects how corrosive the CO2 would be, omitted well construction details, and provided inadequate emergency response plans – all of which raise serious safety concerns. We also highlighted that Carbon Teravault needs to be transparent about property rights and injection operations, pointing to ongoing challenges at other carbon storage sites.
- In our second letter, we alerted EPA to an alarming levee incident on Victoria Island, another island where Carbon Teravault wants to inject CO2. The incident forced emergency crews to make urgent repairs when a 180-foot section of levee dropped dangerously low, threatening to flood vital Delta infrastructure including the Banks Pumping Plant. This near-disaster reinforces why EPA must require companies to implement comprehensive flood protection measures, verify proper levee maintenance, and create detailed emergency plans before allowing any underground CO2 storage in the Delta’s fragile ecosystem.
- The Nevada Cement Terminal at the Port of Stockton has a new owner, Eagle Materials, who is seeking to expand cement unloading operations at the site. The terminal is in the northeast corner of the Port’s East Complex, which is across the Deepwater Shipping Channel near the I-5 and Crosstown Freeway junction. It’s also about 500 feet north of the Boggs Tract community. On initial review, we are cautiously optimistic about the project due to the developer’s commitment to early community engagement and interest in community co-design of harm mitigation measures. That said, we are concerned with air pollution impacts to the Southwest Stockton community given the size of the proposed expansion, which currently forecasts 69 ocean going vessel trips, 437 rail trips, and 41,000+ truck trips to the site annually. For more information on our concerns with the project, see our comment letter.
- Draft EIR released for Wood Pellet Export Terminal at the Port of Stockton. Restore The Delta is firmly opposed to this project for the following reasons: 1) the export terminal would have “significant and unavoidable impacts” on the Stockton community, adding to legacy pollution problems while adding minimal economic benefit; and 2) storing and shipping pelletized forest residues overseas to be burnt for electricity generation has no merit as a climate solution. Learn more about efforts to oppose the project here.
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
The Port of Stockton has failed to meet its state-mandated clean energy procurement targets for the second reporting period in a row. On Nov. 18, Port commissioners unanimously approved the Stockton 2023 Power Content Label. The Port’s electricity mix for 2024 has a lower percentage of clean energy sources (38%) than it did in 2023 (42%) – a violation of the California Renewable Portfolio Standard, which requires 44% by the end of 2024. Further, 4% of the Port’s energy mix is attributed to Retired Unbundled Renewable Energy Credits, which don’t de facto stimulate development of new renewable energy generation. When the Port failed to meet its RPS commitments in July of 2021, it was fined $25,000 by the California Air Resource Board. These repeat violations unfortunately put a damper on the Port’s progress to electrify its operations and reduce local air pollution. We are concerned that electrification investments for Stockton Port District customers in the West Complex will be primarily powered by fossil fuel power plants.
What We’re Reading
- California’s first carbon capture project gets OK from Kern County
- Industry’s Not-So-Golden Plan for California’s Forests
- Potential levee failure prompts SJ County to declare state of emergency
The health of the San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary and Delta communities remains our top priority for 2025.
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