Phillips 66 decision: SLO County planners have fate of local safety in their hands
Fate has offered the men of the San Luis Obispo Planning Commission (Jim Irving, Ken Topping, Eric Meyer, Jim Harrison and Chairman Don Campbell) a rare opportunity to leave a lasting legacy for California. They are on the cusp of a decision on the Phillips 66 oil train terminal proposal.
Will their decision be brave and strong, striking down the proposal and following in the revered footsteps of John Muir, preserving the ecology of California and the quality of life for millions of Californians?
Or will they be weak and bow to commercial pressure and have their names reviled as the architects of devastation when the inevitable terrorist attack or accident occurs?
Do not forget the “unthinkable Crazy Eights Incident” of May 2001, when a CSX locomotive with 47 freight cars, some carrying toxic and flammable cargo, got underway without an engineer or conductor on board and ended up at speeds of over 40 mph traveling south on the northbound line from Kenton to Toledo, Ohio — if it can go wrong, eventually it will!
This is a true moment of destiny, and I hope they will chose well!
Fiona Cogan, Los Osos
This story was originally published March 8, 2016 at 12:43 AM with the headline "Phillips 66 decision: SLO County planners have fate of local safety in their hands."