If Patrick Sidun (“Fact vs. fear in the Phillips 66 debate,” Sept. 24) thinks “a vocal minority has raised alarm about mostly imagined hazards from transporting oil to the Nipomo refinery via railroad,” he hasn’t been paying attention, nor would it appear that he’s read the project’s Environmental Impact Report. 

For the record, that “vocal minority” includes 17 cities, five counties, 16 school boards and teachers unions, the California Nurses Association, California Teachers Association, National Education Association, our state senator, and The Tribune, to name a few. That’s some minority.

From Mr. Sidun’s claim that “community, academic, and professional leaders” have been persuaded to oppose his employer’s proposed project “through fear, not facts,” it seems he doesn’t think much of the logic skills of community, academic, and professional leaders, who evaluated the issues before coming to the conclusion that the hazards of the project are not imaginary and the county should not issue a permit for it.

It is the facts of the Phillips 66 project that argue against it.