Following public outcry, Mitsubishi Cement requested the San Diego (Calif.) Board of Port Commissioners to delay voting on its proposed bulk cement warehouse and loading facility until later this month, reported local media.
The proposal was originally up for approval at a December meeting, but the company wanted more time to engage with the community after a protest was held at the Port of San Diego Administrative Building. Critics say the project would further damage an already heavily polluted neighborhood.
Mitsubishi Cement first proposed the project in 2020 but was told by the port commission to revise the project to address its environmental impact. The new proposal includes mitigation efforts to address emission concerns. Mitsubishi said it developed the proposal alongside the Maritime Clean Air Strategy (MCAS), AB 617 Community Emissions Reduction Plan and TAMT Redevelopment Plan.
“Our project addresses diesel truck emissions, consistent with the MCAS, with the important value of providing jobs and local access to cement – a fundamental building commodity that currently is primarily accessed by being trucked in from the High Desert or the Port of Long Beach,” said Austin Marshall, president of Mitsubishi Cement, in a statement.
