PMSA and other local maritime interests file suit against proposed Oakland A’s ballpark and condominiums

The Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (PMSA), Schnitzer Steel Industries, the Harbor Trucking Association, and the California Trucking Association filed a suit in response to the latest submission by the Oakland A's proposed stadium and condominium complex at the Port of Oakland’s Howard Terminal. 

The plaintiffs say: “This response was required given the A's submission to the Office of Planning and Research last week, on March 10th, seeking AB 734 "fast-track" certification by the Governor. Despite the expiration on January 1st, 2020, of the state's legal authority to continue moving forward with expedited environmental review of the project, the Governor continued to receive supplemental data and extended a public comment period that ended today, March 17th.”

Upon filing the lawsuit, Mike Jacob, Vice President and General Counsel of the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association, released the following statement:

"The deadline for projects to demonstrate to the state that they meet the criteria for limited environmental review was January 1st, 2020.  The A's application was pending for months and they were given multiple opportunities to prove that they could meet the thresholds required for being awarded this privilege — including showing that their project would be net greenhouse gas neutral and cut vehicle traffic by over 20% — but they obviously could not meet these standards.”