29 May Council Opts Not to Hit the Brakes on Gas Station Development in Antioch
The members of Antioch City Council present Tuesday were split on a proposal to stop the development of gas stations in the city. (Screenshot captured by Samantha Kennedy / The CC Pulse)
By Samantha Kennedy
Months after Antioch Mayor Lamar Hernandez-Thorpe became the first mayor to sign a pledge rejecting fossil fuel infrastructure and stated his intention to fight climate change at home, his City Council on Tuesday failed to move forward with restrictions on gas station development.
Potential restrictions, which can be considered again in the future, would have looked to stop the development of future gas stations and the fossil fuel pumps at existing stations. Such a policy could have also encouraged “gas stations begin to phase transition toward electric vehicle charging services,” according to the accompanying staff report.
Hernandez-Thorpe and Mayor Pro Tem Monica Wilson agreed on moving forward with the proposal, which would have tasked staff with drafting the policy. But, with council member Tamisha Torres-Walker absent at the time of direction and council members Mike Barbanica and Lori Ogorchock against the restrictions, the proposal failed.
“I think it is in the best interest of our community to really think about the air that we breathe and the chemicals that are going in our ground,” said Wilson, who brought the proposal forward.
Other cities, some nearby, are looking to mitigate the effects of climate change. In 2021, Petaluma became the first city in the country to ban the development of new gas stations by declaring a climate emergency. The city most recently was joined by Pinole, which last month voted to temporarily ban new gas stations.
Barbanica said his opposition to the proposal was, in part, because he doesn’t want to keep new businesses from coming into the city.
“As the (electrical vehicle) market continues to grow, you’ll see less and less demand for (fossil fuel stations) from coming into the community,” said Barbanica. “To give an out-and-out ban…is saying ‘no’ to the possibility of other business coming into this community.”
Like Barbanica, Ogorchock said she wants the council to have the option of allowing or refusing the stations. Some communities, she said, could be in need of a new gas station to accommodate developments.
Some community members spoke in support of the ban, many citing concerns about the health effects associated with gas stations.
“I don’t think we’ll be around in 40 years if we keep going at this rate with the climate threat,” said Devin Williams, an Antioch resident.
Another council member would need to support the proposal to move forward with the restrictions. Torres-Walker, who has been endorsed by environmental groups and has voted in favor of other gas and oil bans, could be the defining vote should it be reconsidered.
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