SLO County supervisors deny Phillips 66 rail spur project appeal
After more than a full day of listening to public comments, the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors voted March 14 to deny the Phillips 66 rail spur project. The board voted 3-1 to uphold the SLO County Planning Commission’s decision in October to deny a permit application for the project, which called for Read More →
Our view: Ventura-Santa Barbara rail study a good start
Words of wisdom attributed to Chinese sage Lao Tsu hold that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Perhaps the journey to improve rail transportation between Santa Barbara and Ventura begins with a single grant. That’s at least the promise of a $50,000 award from the Santa Barbara County Association of Read More →
Commuter rail crawls back on track with hiring of consultant
This article is only available to Business Times subscribers Subscribers: LOG IN or REGISTER for complete digital access. Not a Subscriber? SUBSCRIBE for full access to our weekly newspaper, online edition and Book of Lists. Check the STATUS of your Subscription Account.
Phillips 66’s crude-by-rail proposal denied
The San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission denied Phillips 66’s proposal to expand its crude-by-rail operations on the Nipomo Mesa. The commissioners voted 3-2 against the project, which involves building a rail spur that would connect its refinery to Union Pacific’s major interstate railroad so it can import tar sands crude from Canada and other Read More →
Commission calls for more comment on Phillips 66 crude-by-rail plan
Updated Sept. 22 at 5 p.m.: The San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission has elected to hear more public comment on the Phillips 66 crude-by-rail proposal in light of new findings from the U.S. Surface Transportation Board regarding preemption and a revised proposal. The Surface Transportation Board recently commented on a similar project being deliberated Read More →
New adviser rules may bolster retirement plans
New rules for financial planners advising retirement plans and Health Savings Accounts could have an unexpected benefit for small businesses. The rules, from the U.S. Department of Labor, place new “fiduciary” responsibilities on financial advisers and consultants. They must pick the most economical plans – without regard to their own compensation — when advising clients. Read More →
Live streaming of Phillips 66 crude-by-rail meeting crashes
More people have participated in the San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission discussion on Phillips 66 crude-by-rail expansion project than any tri-county topic in recent memory. So many that they crashed the county website Feb. 25. Viewers near and far were unable to tune in to the county’s live stream of the morning meeting, which Read More →
