SLO Chamber of Commerce should oppose Phillips 66 rail spur project
San Luis Obispo is ranked as the “Best College Town” based upon “factors such as outdoor space, the number of boutiques and cafes, pedestrian friendliness, culture, nightlife and ‘the general vibe’ ” — all true. Adding to that, Molly Kern of the SLO Chamber of Commerce cited the “rolling hillsides, breathtaking ocean views and spectacular beaches” — also true. (“San Luis Obispo ranked ‘Best College Town in America,’ ” Sept. 1)
Yet the chamber has been uniquely silent on the Phillips 66 crude by rail project that would have mile-long “bomb” trains rambling though the heart of downtown SLO and the Cal Poly campus, literally yards from Alex G. Spanos Stadium.
The chamber represents business, and certainly it is the businesses of SLO that make it special. But why put SLO at risk? A derailment and explosion of the highly volatile tar sands crude that Phillips proposes to bring through SLO would destroy SLO in an instant. No longer would a Google search note Cal Poly, Firestone’s, NOVO, Apple Farm, Forden’s or the Farmer’s Market — it would bring up images of burning, twisted crude oil tankers strewn across Highway 1.
Can’t happen here? That’s what the city of Mosier, Oregon, thought when their town experienced a cataclysmic derailment. It’s time for the chamber to make their voice heard too in opposition.
Laurance Shinderman, Nipomo
This story was originally published September 25, 2016 at 1:50 PM with the headline "SLO Chamber of Commerce should oppose Phillips 66 rail spur project."