How fossil fuel execs lobbied black leaders to overturn a California city’s coal ban

Their main objective was to build a marine terminal to transport coal through the city, raising fears of increased air pollution

Last spring, an unusual meeting took place in Oakland, California, between the NFL star Marshawn Lynch and fossil fuel company executives who are seeking to build a marine terminal that would ship millions of tons of coal through the city each year. According to one of the investors who set up the meeting, its purpose was to discuss using project revenues to fund local charities.

Nothing came of it, but over the past year the coal terminal's backers have set up dozens of similar gatherings with city officials, pastors, labor leaders, and other influential locals as part of a broader lobbying campaign to overcome opposition to coal, according to documents recently obtained by the Guardian.