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Controversy Over Temporary Car Storage Facility Proposed For Port Of Hueneme

A dusty weed and garbage filled lot is stirring up some emotions, and protests  in Ventura County. The Port of Hueneme has proposed creating a temporary vehicle storage lot on a 34 acre piece of land on the south side of Hueneme Road, between Perkins and Saviers Roads. It would be used as a staging area for new vehicles being offloaded from cargo ships at the Port, before they are sent out to dealerships.

But, a coalition of environmental groups is opposing the plan, saying South Oxnard residents already face more than their fair share of industrial projects.

Port of Hueneme officials say they’ve totally transparent about the project, funding an environmental impact report on the proposed storage lot. They point out the land, which has been vacant for more than two decades, is zoned light industrial.

A news conference by the environmental groups also brought out counterprotesters. Some of them have port related jobs.

The coalition of opponents say there are also bigger issues than the lot. They say they are concerned about potential environmental impacts if the port grows. There were calls to transition the port to zero emissions technologies, by replacing diesel truck and trains used to move goods.

Port officials say they are already doing that. They say one example is installing electric power systems at docks, so cargo ships no longer need to run their diesel engines for onboard power. And, they say they are working on now the installation of a $150,000 air monitoring system on a South Oxnard school campus, to allow the port and the public to monitor air pollution on the city’s south side, and better assess what’s causing it.

But, officials with the coalition of groups say they want firm commitments from the port about a zero emission timeline.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral. 
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