[S-C] SF Chronicle Story on Oakland Victory
Bradley Angel
bradley@greenaction.org
Thu, 3 Apr 2003 09:12:58 -0700
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Dear friend,
Here is the San Francisco Chronicle article on the victory by the
community coalition in West Oakland against toxic polluter
Lesaffre/Red Star Yeast.
This victory was a true coalition effort that included the Chester
Street Block Club Association, Citizens for West Oakland
Revitalization, Youth Empowerment Center, Environmental Science
Institute, Pacific Institute, City Councilmember Nancy Nadel and
Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice.
Yeast plant in Oakland will close
Neighbors have complained about smell, chemical releases
Janine DeFao, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 2, 2003
A West Oakland yeast plant under fire from community and
environmental activists for emitting a strong stench and potentially
hazardous chemicals is closing its doors.
LeSaffre Yeast Corp. is closing the Red Star Yeast plant near BART's
West Oakland Station "due to a combination of market economics and
challenging California environmental conditions," the company said.
Activists who had been fighting to shut down the plant celebrated the
news Tuesday. "Hallelujah! I can't tell you how excited I am," said
Monsa Nitoto, chair of the Coalition for West Oakland Revitalization,
which plans to build housing near the factory. "It's so important we
get this stuff out of the community."
Oakland City Councilwoman Nancy Nadel, who represents West Oakland,
said the plant will close April 15. Its nearly 50 employees received
layoff notices Monday.
Opponents of the plant, which has operated in West Oakland for more
than 100 years, have said its emissions of a strong odor and
acetaldehyde, a probable human carcinogen, are causing health
problems from asthma to cancer in the neighborhood. But company
officials said the emissions are safe, and regulators said they were
below allowable levels. But Red Star was facing more stringent
regulations that would have required the company to reduce emissions
by 90 percent of their peak level, the strongest standard in the
country, said Lucia Libretti of the Bay Area Air Quality Management
District. That would have required the factory, the last remaining
yeast facility in the Bay Area, to install new equipment.
The air district also had issued four public nuisance odor
violations, which could carry fines of up to $10,000 each, against
the company since the fall, Libretti said.
Bradley Angel of the San Francisco environmental group Greenaction
said protesters -- not the air district -- pressured Red Star to
close. Activists and Oakland city officials had complained that the
air district was not doing enough to control the odors and was almost
certain to renew the plant's operating permit.
"Even if government agencies fail to do their jobs and enforce the
laws and protect the public, the community can protect their health
by challenging polluters and the government agencies that protect
them," said Angel, whose group also was instrumental in the fight
against an East Oakland medical waste incinerator that closed in 2001.
LeSaffre, the world's largest yeast producer, is headquartered in
France and acquired the Red Star plant and brand in 2001. Company
officials in Oakland and Milwaukee did not return calls for comment
Tuesday. In a statement, officials said the industrial bakeries that
Red Star supplies would get their yeast from other factories,
including those in Milwaukee and Baltimore.
*******************************************************************************
Please support Greenaction's effective work for healthy communities
and environmental justice. We need your support to be able to
continue this work.
Visit our website at http://www.greenaction.org for information,
updates and action alerts on our campaigns.
--
---------------------------------------------
Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice
http://www.greenaction.org
PLEASE NOTE OUR NEW CONTACT INFORMATION:
phone (415) 248-5010
fax (415) 248-5011
One Hallidie Plaza, Suite 760
San Francisco, CA 94102
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--></style><title>SF Chronicle Story on Oakland
Victory</title></head><body>
<div>Dear friend,</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Here is the San Francisco Chronicle article on the victory by the
community coalition in West Oakland against toxic polluter
Lesaffre/Red Star Yeast.</div>
<div>This victory was a true coalition effort that included the
Chester Street Block Club Association, Citizens for West Oakland
Revitalization, Youth Empowerment Center, Environmental Science
Institute, Pacific Institute, City Councilmember Nancy Nadel and
Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><font size="+1"><b>Yeast plant in Oakland will close<br>
Neighbors have complained about smell, chemical releases<br>
</b></font><font face="Arial" size="-1" color="#0000FF"><u>Janine
DeFao, Chronicle Staff Writer</u></font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="-1">Wednesday, April 2,
2003</font></div>
<div><u><br></u></div>
<div>A West Oakland yeast plant under fire from community and
environmental activists for emitting a strong stench and potentially
hazardous chemicals is closing its doors.</div>
<div><br>
LeSaffre Yeast Corp. is closing the Red Star Yeast plant near BART's
West Oakland Station "due to a combination of market economics
and challenging California environmental conditions," the company
said.</div>
<div><br>
Activists who had been fighting to shut down the plant celebrated the
news Tuesday. "Hallelujah! I can't tell you how excited I am,"
said Monsa Nitoto, chair of the Coalition for West Oakland
Revitalization, which plans to build housing near the factory.
"It's so important we get this stuff out of the
community."</div>
<div><br>
Oakland City Councilwoman Nancy Nadel, who represents West Oakland,
said the plant will close April 15. Its nearly 50 employees received
layoff notices Monday.</div>
<div><br>
Opponents of the plant, which has operated in West Oakland for more
than 100 years, have said its emissions of a strong odor and
acetaldehyde, a probable human carcinogen, are causing health problems
from asthma to cancer in the neighborhood. But company officials said
the emissions are safe, and regulators said they were below allowable
levels. But Red Star was facing more stringent regulations that
would have required the company to reduce emissions by 90 percent of
their peak level, the strongest standard in the country, said Lucia
Libretti of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. That
would have required the factory, the last remaining yeast facility in
the Bay Area, to install new equipment.</div>
<div><br>
The air district also had issued four public nuisance odor violations,
which could carry fines of up to $10,000 each, against the company
since the fall, Libretti said.</div>
<div><br>
Bradley Angel of the San Francisco environmental group Greenaction
said protesters -- not the air district -- pressured Red Star to
close. Activists and Oakland city officials had complained that the
air district was not doing enough to control the odors and was almost
certain to renew the plant's operating permit.</div>
<div><br>
"Even if government agencies fail to do their jobs and enforce
the laws and protect the public, the community can protect their
health by challenging polluters and the government agencies that
protect them," said Angel, whose group also was instrumental in
the fight against an East Oakland medical waste incinerator that
closed in 2001.</div>
<div><br>
LeSaffre, the world's largest yeast producer, is headquartered in
France and acquired the Red Star plant and brand in 2001. Company
officials in Oakland and Milwaukee did not return calls for comment
Tuesday. In a statement, officials said the industrial bakeries
that Red Star supplies would get their yeast from other factories,
including those in Milwaukee and Baltimore.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div
>********************************************************************<span
></span>***********</div>
<div>Please support Greenaction's effective work for healthy
communities and environmental justice. We need your support to
be able to continue this work.</div>
<div>Visit our website at http://www.greenaction.org for information,
updates and action alerts on our campaigns.</div>
<div><br></div>
<x-sigsep><pre>--
</pre></x-sigsep>
<div>---------------------------------------------</div>
<div>Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice</div>
<div>http://www.greenaction.org</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>PLEASE NOTE OUR NEW CONTACT INFORMATION:<br>
phone (415) 248-5010<br>
fax (415) 248-5011<br>
<br>
One Hallidie Plaza, Suite 760<br>
San Francisco, CA 94102<br>
</div>
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