Environmental advocates scored a major victory when the first crude oil transfer project in California was stopped. The Sacramento air district acknowledged that it granted a permit to Interstate Oil Co. to start unloading crude oil at its Sacramento facility in violation of state law. The California Environmental Quality Act, CEQA, is a state statute which requires that projects that may cause either a direct physical change in the environment or a reasonably forseeable indirect change in the environment be submitted to environmental review.
The Sacramento air district granted the permit to Interstate Oil without an environmental review. This reversal came as a result of a lawsuit filed by EarthJustice. The Sacramento air district notified Interstate Oil, and they gave the permit back and have agreed to stop unloading crude oil at McClellan Business Park in Sacramento by November 7th. This reversal by the Sacramento air district could have ripple effects for crude-by-rail projects in California's Kern County and in Washington state.
Sacramento Bee article http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/transportation/article3229042.html