Carson Community Fights Back Against Phillips 66’s Rushed “Diamond Gateway” Project

The City of Carson and oil giant Phillips 66 are fast-tracking a controversial redevelopment plan called the “Diamond Gateway Project” on a site long poisoned by over 100 years of refinery pollution. But the community is pushing back hard, demanding a real say in what happens next and a full cleanup of the toxic mess Phillips 66 left behind.

Phillips 66 profited for decades while exposing Carson residents to dangerous pollutants linked to asthma, cancer, and death. Now the company wants to build six massive warehouses on the site — facilities that could become anything from Amazon fulfillment centers to polluting data centers or even ICE detention centers.

Despite promises from the city last September to create a community taskforce to oversee cleanup and redevelopment, residents say they have heard nothing since. Meanwhile, Phillips 66 has hired development firms Deca and Catellus to paint a glossy picture of the project, moving full speed ahead without meaningful community input or guarantees of environmental justice.

Local activists with APEN are calling on Carson residents to attend a public scoping meeting on April 29 to demand:

1. A real community taskforce with neighborhood voices driving cleanup and redevelopment decisions.
2. Accountability from Phillips 66 for the century of pollution and a binding commitment to fully clean the site.
3. Investment in good jobs and healthy development — not warehouses that could worsen pollution or become ICE detention centers.

This fight is about more than a single project. It’s about holding a corporate polluter accountable and ensuring that communities historically burdened by environmental racism get a seat at the table. The message is clear: no “Diamond Gateway” without our say.

Phillips 66 made this toxic mess. Carson’s neighbors will not let the company off the hook or push through a development that threatens their health and future. The time for transparency, accountability, and community power is now.