The project, better known as the Southern California International Gateway (SCIG) is located in Wilmington and should shorten the trips for cargo trucks transferring cargo from ships onto freight trains.
The council voted 11 to 2 in favour of the project but a local environmental group is already vowing a lawsuit to stop the project arguing that it will increase pollution, particularly in poor communities.
The project’s backers, including labour and businesses, say a new rail-yard transfer site will reduce pollution and create thousands of jobs.
Barry Wallerstein, executive officer of the South Coast Air Quality Management District, told the council that he believes the project’s environmental benefits have been overblown. “BNSF [the project’s backer] and the port argue that pollution levels in the adjacent community will be lower,” said Wallerstein. “Our review with our air quality experts indicates that that is not so, that the Environmental Impact Report overstates future pollution levels without SCIG, making the project appear more beneficial than it would be.”
But Councilman Joe Buscaino, who represents the area, argued that the project is necessary to ensure the port’s future competitiveness in light of the widening of the Panama Canal.