Four environmental organizations filed a lawsuit in California Superior Court challenging the City Council for the City of Barstow’s approval of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Barstow International Gateway railyard (BIG Project). Their petition alleged that the BIG Project would be largest rail facility in the country, comprising “a 5,000-acre rail and logistics facility that includes 9 million square feet of transload warehousing, an ancillary rail storage area, a block swap yard, and an intermodal facility.” The organizations alleged that the City’s environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) failed to adequately disclose, analyze, and mitigate environmental impacts, including impacts on greenhouse gas emissions. Regarding greenhouse gas emissions, the organizations alleged that the environmental impact report (EIR) relied on a “fundamentally flawed” analysis of “Truck Miles Traveled” and did not address greenhouse gas emissions impacts resulting directly or indirectly from the increase in processing capacity at BNSF’s other railyards in the region or from new and changed heavy-duty truck traffic across California. The organizations contended that the EIR’s sole greenhouse gas mitigation measure was inadequate. The petition described the mitigation measure as providing that the City prepare a Climate Action Plan to align emissions targets with State law targets while conceding that the City would not achieve the reduction targets. The organizations alleged that the EIR failed to consider all feasible mitigation measures to address greenhouse gas impacts, including zero-emission line-haul locomotives, switcher locomotives, trucks, rubber-tired gantry cranes, and transport refrigeration units. The petition also alleged that the final EIR deleted a battery energy storage system from the project description, which deprived the public of an opportunity to comment on feasible ways to avoid or minimize resulting impacts such as greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, the petition alleged that the final EIR did not provide an explanation for changing the conclusions regarding the significance of greenhouse gas emissions impacts from “Less than Significant” in the draft EIR to “Potentially Significant” in the final EIR.

Challenge to the City Council for the City of Barstow’s approval of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Barstow International Gateway railyard, which allegedly would be the largest rail facility in the country.

Sierra Club v. City of Barstow

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Environmental Organizations Filed CEQA Lawsuit Challenging Large Rail Facility in City of Barstow

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An aim to achieve a quantifiable outcome within a given time-frame, set by an institution such as a national government.

Policy instruments are techniques or tools used by governing authorities to promote certain policies in order to achieve predetermined goals. Put simply, instruments are how a government tries to achieve its goals, with this taxonomy being focused on national policy instruments.

Risk is the potential for adverse consequences resulting from the dynamic interplay between (climate-related) hazards, exposure, and vulnerability of affected human or ecological systems.

Groups  of people who are adversely affected by climate change or the response to it

A set of principles, processes, and practices that build economic and political power to shift from an extractive economy to a regenerative economy.

Justice is the ethical and political framework that addresses fairness, including issues of responsibility, rights, and structural inequity.

Renewable energy means all forms of energy produced from renewable sources in a sustainable manner.

Fossil fuel is a generic term for non-renewable energy sources such as coal, fossil gas, and oil (including crude oil, and petroleum products), that can be used for electricity and heat generation. Fossil fuels are hydrocarbons formed from pressurised and heated organic material buried over millions of years.

Molecules in the atmosphere that play a key role in the greenhouse effect by trapping heat radiating from Earth’s surface.

Area of the economy in which actors engage in identical or related activities.

In human systems, the process of adjustment to actual or expected climate change and its effects, in order to moderate harm, increase resilience or exploit beneficial opportunities. In natural systems, the process of adjustment to actual climate change and its effects; human intervention may facilitate adjustment to expected climate change and its effects.

The management and allocation of funds, assets and investments to meet various objectives

People who are less able to respond to the effects of climate change due to having limited financial or physical assets

A subsidy is a direct or indirect payment to individuals or businesses, typically provided as a government cash payment or a specific tax reduction.

Codes and standards are regulatory instruments that specify minimum standards to protect health and safety. This ranges from performance standards, which prescribe outcomes while allowing flexibility to achieve compliance, to the more prescriptive approach of technology-specific standards.

Zoning and spatial planning are both methods for guiding the distribution of people and activities in a space, and are regulatory restriction.

A ban is a legal action that prevents the sale or supply of a product or service, or that recalls a product from the market. Examples are bans on SF6, greenwashing, fossil fuel advertisement or single-use plastics.

A target to reduce the prevalence of a greenhouse gas over a specific time frame

Either money or something of monetary value is transferred between two or more organisations, people or countries.

Actions or measures to adapt freshwater systems to climate change.

Actions to adapt human health, healthcare systems and well-being to climate change.

Actions or measures to adapt freshwater, coastal and marine systems to climate change.

Replacing technologies that burn fossil fuels directly with alternatives powered by electricity.

Actions to reduce emissions in energy generation and supply.

Technologies that capture and hold energy in reserve for later use.

Extreme weather refers to events where a weather variable exceeds (or falls below) a threshold. Meaning it is significantly different from the average or usual weather pattern.

Air pollution involves harmful contaminants in the air, affecting both indoor and outdoor environments. It can lead to health issues like respiratory diseases and heart problems, and climate impacts such as global warming. Pollutants can damage plants, trees, habitats, and water bodies like rivers and lakes.

Oil is a combustible liquid fossil fuel composed mainly of hydrocarbons, occurring as crude oil and refined into petroleum products such as petrol, diesel and kerosene.

Coal is a combustible sedimentary rock formed from carbonised plant matter, rich in carbon and hydrocarbons, and occurring in several main types including hard coal and brown coal.

People with different national or cultural traditions from the dominant population

Work that is productive and delivers a fair income, security in the workplace and social protection for all, better prospects for personal development and social integration, freedom for people to express their concerns, organize and participate in the decisions that affect their lives and equality of opportunity.

People whose health, both mental and physical, makes them more vulnerable to the effects of climate change

The activities of industries involved in the production, distribution, and sale of energy, including electricity, gas, and renewables.

This sector involves managing waste treatment, sanitation, pollution control and environmental cleanup.

Activities that involve planning, designing and building infrastructure, residential, and commercial structures.

This sector involves the wholesale and retail selling of goods.

This sector involves activities to move goods and people, alongside the storage of products.

This sector involves activities that impart knowledge and skills to individuals, including formal schooling, vocational training and educational support.

Activities of government agencies and institutions that provide public services, enforce laws and manage public resources.

This sector involves the distribution, treatment, and conservation of water resources.

Slow onset events evolve gradually from incremental changes over many years or from increased frequency or intensity of recurring events. As defined in the Cancun Adaptation Framework (2010), slow onset events include risks and impacts from rising temperatures, desertification, biodiversity loss, land and forest degradation, glacial retreat, ocean acidification, sea level rise, and salinization.

Environmental Organizations Filed CEQA Lawsuit Challenging Large Rail Facility in City of Barstow

Target

Policy instrument

Risk

Impacted group

Just transition

Renewable energy

Fossil fuel

Greenhouse gas

Economic sector

Adaptation/resilience

Finance