Community Corner
Controversial Cement Warehouse Planned For The Barrio Logan Area Is Off – For Now
Barrio Logan has long had some of the most polluted air in the region, and residents have fought to reduce pollution.
February 2, 2023
This post originally appeared in the Feb. 2 Morning Report. Subscribe to the daily newsletter here.
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Plans to construct a cement warehouse at the Port of San Diego’s Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal in Barrio Logan have stalled out, Rafael Castellanos, the chairman of the Board of Port Commissioners announced Wednesday.
The project, proposed by the Mitsubishi Cement Corporation, faced opposition from community members and environmental activists, who said the potential pollution from the warehouse’s diesel trucks was dangerous to nearby neighborhoods.
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Barrio Logan has long had some of the most polluted air in the region, and residents have fought to reduce pollution by banning diesel commercial trucks from driving through neighborhoods and creating a buffer zone between residential and heavy industrial areas. Community members have attributed the significant levels of pollution to the neighborhood’s elevated number of asthma cases.
In 2020, the Board of Port Commissioners rejected Mitsubishi Cement Corporation’s previous proposal and directed the company to use only electric or zero-emission trucks at the facility. But according to the Union Tribune, the company never produced a plan.
Despite stalling out, the project isn’t off for good. Castellanos noted the port is open to future negotiations so long as the company meets the port’s Maritime Clean Air Strategy, which among other elements has set a goal of using entirely zero-emission cargo vehicles by 2030.
“In the meantime, the Port continues to collaborate with our current tenants to meet the goals of our (Maritime Clean Air Strategy) and is open to businesses that share our dedication to a zero emissions future,” Castellanos wrote.
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