Scientist-activist group criticizes Oakland airport expansion

OAKLAND -- The Port of Oakland plan to expand the Oakland International Airport has drawn significant criticism from local scientists.

That plan includes modernizing existing terminals and constructing a third terminal with 16 additional gates to accommodate projected increases in air travel. Paul English, a member of the Scientist Rebellion, has raised red flags about the potential health and environmental impacts of an expansion.

"The airport plan expansion will increase emissions and there's a very vulnerable community in east Oakland that's right adjacent to the airport that has very high rates of asthma, including emergency visits and hospitalizations and high rates of strokes, heart disease," English said.

On Thursday, English attended the Port of Oakland board meeting to explain why he believes the airport expansion will likely exacerbate these issues.

"We're here to urge the Port Commission to conduct what's called a health impact assessment of the proposed expansion, which is not included in the environmental impact report that they drafted already and it's also urged by the Alameda County public health department," he said.

Other members of the Scientist Rebellion group shared their perspectives via Zoom, highlighting the potential adverse effects of increased air travel on the environment and public health.

To understand where the proposal stands, KPIX spoke with Colleen Liang, the director of environmental planning at the Port of Oakland.

"We proposed a plan that was approved by the FAA that shows that passengers are gonna come in the future and we want to accommodate for that forecast and we also want to modernize our outdated facilities … If you've gone through Terminal 1 or Terminal 2 it does look a little bit outdated and it needs some modernization," Liang said.

Liang said that they are still in the initial phase of the environmental process and the project hasn't yet been approved.

"That looks at potential environmental impacts so it looks at air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, traffic, soil and geology, cultural resources. So, if there's a potential impact, we look at how we can mitigate for those impacts, meaning … reduce the impact below the threshold," Liang explained.

English stressed that the expansion should not come at the expense of public health.

"The state of California is identifying the east Oakland community as a high-priority community already burdened by pollution. It's been selected as a community for an emission-reduction program under the community air protection program by the state. They're already trying to reduce the emissions in the east Oakland area," he said.