Los Angeles, CA —
Today, Earthjustice, representing and co-counseling with Communities for a Better Environment (CBE), sued the City of Long Beach for approving a controversial crude oil storage project at the Port of Long Beach. The project — proposed by World Oil Terminals — includes the construction of two 25,000-barrel tanks, exacerbating environmental and health harms for environmental justice communities already overburdened by industrial pollution from the second busiest port in the United States.
“As a Long Beach resident and having grown up in South Gate, it is frustrating to see my elected officials expanding crude oil infrastructure in already severely overburdened communities, all while claiming to champion environmental protections,” said Dilia Ortega, special projects director at CBE. “Councilmember Suely Saro and Mayor Rex Richardson have an opportunity to stand up for public health and safety by halting harmful projects like this one. We urge them to stop this crude oil project, support a moratorium on fossil fuel infrastructure expansions at the Port of Long Beach, and protect the health of the residents that elected them.”