The A's claim the state of California has failed to regulate Schnitzer Steel's pollutionGETTY IMAGES
The A’s yesterday sued California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control over "alleged pollution at Schnitzer Steel’s metal shredding facility in West Oakland," according to Roland Li of the S.F. CHRONICLE. The Schnitzer recycling center is located next to Howard Terminal, where the A’s have "proposed a new ballpark, along with housing and offices, that Schnitzer Steel and other shipping and trucking groups oppose." The A’s allege that the state has "failed to regulate the shredding facility’s pollution, which includes 200,000 tons of metal residue per year that contaminates the soil, water and air," and said that there have "been at least five fires at the facility since 2018, including one in June." The team and Schnitzer Steel are also involved in another legal dispute over the proposed 35,000-seat stadium at Howard Terminal, dating back to March, when Schnitzer Steel, Pacific Merchant Shipping Association, the Harbor Trucking Association and the California Trucking Association sued the city of Oakland and Gov. Gavin Newsom to "block a streamlined environmental review of the A’s ballpark." Pacific Merchant Shipping Association VP & General Counsel Mike Jacob in a statement said that the A’s new lawsuit "threatens the livelihood of industrial jobs at the Port of Oakland." A's President Dave Kaval said that the ballpark "would not affect port jobs, and it has the support of 154 labor unions." He added that the environmental reviews are "continuing and a draft report should be ready this year" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 8/6).
