Cannabis Company Ordered To Shut Down Diesel Generators Threatening Historic Artist Space
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District ordered a Denver-based cannabis company to shut down the nine unpermitted diesel generators used to power their production facilities in East Oakland on Wednesday, effective immediately.
But the morning following the abatement order, a diesel truck still rolled into the facility’s parking lot to deliver its daily dose of fuel, with a pink breast cancer awareness ribbon and “Fuel for a Cure” slogan plastered on its side.
This isn’t the first time Green Sage has been told to put an end to their power source, whose exhaust fumes are starting to blacken the white walls of the building with soot.
The owners have faced a series of warnings from the city for building and fire code violations, including a strongly worded letter from the city in March threatening fines and criminal charges if they didn’t shut down the generators by April. Now it’s July, and the generators have been humming 24 hours a day, seven days a week for roughly two years.
An air district spokesperson said the facility’s diesel generators have “adverse air quality impacts” due to the carcinogenic compounds found in its engine exhaust, which is especially harmful for residents living in East Oakland. The neighborhood already faces disproportionate levels of air pollution due to its proximity to industrial factories and busy roadways.
“If Green Sage continues to run the generators in violation of the abatement order, then we will go to Superior Court to get a court order to shut them down,” air district spokesperson Erin DeMerritt said in an email. “The Air District would take immediate action if the generators continue to operate, but it is unclear how long it would take to get a court order.”
Also on the property are artists inhabiting one of the city’s first live-work spaces called The Cannery, which has been permitted since the 1970s. Green Sage acquired the building, alongside another property called The Tinnery, in 2016 and 2017.