2 lawsuits challenge environmental, health impacts of Oakland Airport expansion

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- The Oakland airport is looking to expand with its first major expansion project since it was built in the 1960s. But two lawsuits are seeking to block it.

"By doing (these) additional gates and increased airport traffic, these communities will be getting additional pollution in an area already overburdened by pollution," said Dr. Paul English, a former epidemiologist with the California Department of Public Health.

He is also part of the Stop OAK Expansion Coalition, which filed one of the lawsuits against the Port of Oakland, owner and operator of the Oakland airport.

The main claim is that the airport's final Environmental Impact Report, or EIR, does not meet the standards of the California Environmental Quality Act, also known as CEQA.

One issue being raised is that the Port conducted a health risk assessment as part of the EIR. The coalition wants a health impact assessment. The argument is that a health impact assessment focuses on inequities in ways the other data doesn't, as related to the predominately low-income neighborhoods of East Oakland--which already suffers health effects from current airport operations, according to the lawsuit.

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"When you look at the data, these East Oakland zip codes, they have rates of emergency visits from asthma that are three times the state average, coronary obstructive pulmonary disease rates that are twice the state average, and heart attacks which are 45% higher than the state average," English said.

The expansion and modernization project aims to meet the increase in passenger and cargo demand that is projected over the next two decades.

"The Port is proposing to modernize OAK's aging passenger terminals including the demolition of part of Terminal 1 that was built in the 1960s and constructing new terminal facilities that will meet up-to-date safety, seismic, and efficiency standards. New environmental and zero-emissions innovations will be an integral part of the development," as described by the Port in a statement issued in October.

The Final EIR was certified by the Board of Port Commissioners in November.

The Port of Oakland declined an interview request. But in a statement to ABC7 News, it counters lawsuit claims by stating: "The EIR is a product of years of careful study, community outreach and careful deliberation."

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"CEQA exists precisely for situations like this, which is to prevent the government and developers from trading community health without disclosing those impacts for the sake of profit," said Sarah Chen Small, an attorney with Communities for a Better Environment, which filed a separate second lawsuit on Thursday.

One of the claims is that the expansion project is not fully defined--another violation of CEQA. For example, it claims there is almost no analysis of what could be a doubling of fossil fuel storage and distribution at the airport.

"This instead is providing a changeable plan, saying up to 16 gates, up to this many gates, decommissioning very vague definitions of things--which leaves to door open for the Port to make decisions in the dark later," said Chen Small.

The lawsuits come as the Port of Oakland is facing legal challenges over its renaming the airport as the San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport.