SLO County New Year’s resolution: Stop Phillips 66

I realize that the New Year’s editorial was from The Sacramento Bee editorial board (“Seven toasts to the good news this year,” Dec. 30.), but I can only hope that the toast to the Paris climate conference is shared by your board, also.

As was mentioned in the toast to California, our state has set aggressive new targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions, which brings me to what has motivated me to write today. In about a month, hearings will begin on the proposed Phillips 66 rail spur extension project.

We need to take a cue from Paris and Sacramento, and stop this project that will not only negatively impact our beautiful county — with its 11 unmitigatable impacts — but will contribute to the growing problems of excessive CO₂ and methane in our atmosphere. It is not surprising that Phillips 66 wants this project in order to increase profits — which is the main reason for being for corporations — but it is not our purpose to facilitate a project that only benefits their bottom line.

This story was originally published January 24, 2016 at 8:17 PM with the headline "SLO County New Year’s resolution: Stop Phillips 66."