No Costco Mega Gas Station Novato

What is the Costco Mega Gas Station Project?

The gas station project includes a 10,000 square foot canopy that covers 14 fuel dispensers and accommodates 28 fueling positions. Three 40,000 gallon Underground Storage Tanks (USTs) and one 1,500 gallon additive UST will be buried in the ground, covering a former marsh tide. The gas station would be built in the parking lot in front of the Costco Warehouse in Vintage Oaks Shopping Center, right next to a pediatric clinic, a pristine watershed, and a vast wildlife area.

In September 2022, the Marin County superior court ordered Novato to set aside the approval of the Costco Gas Station from March 2021, agreeing with seven concerned residents of Novato who filed a lawsuit in April 2021 that the city needs to conduct an environmental review because the project might have significant environmental impacts related to air quality and health risks.

Right now, the City of Novato is preparing a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) to comply with the Marin Court’s order before the Costco Gas Station project is voted on again, making the next few months a crucial time for action.

Timeline of the process

1. On Oct. 20th, 2050, the Novato government released the DEIR for a public review and
comment period of 45 days that will end on Dec. 4th, at 5:00 pm.  Click to review: Draft EIR (October 2025) EIR Appendices (October 2025)
2. On Dec. 8th, 2025 the Planning Commission will hold a public hearing to review the DEIR and will receive public comments. Afterward, the Commissioners will make recommendations and directions to city staff on preparing the Final EIR.
3. The final EIR will be completed a couple of months later.
4. The Novato City Council is the final decision-making body for the Novato Costco Gas Station by an “up or down” vote.

This timeline could change depending on the number of comments requiring further study.

This EIR will address the following subjects:

• Air Quality
• Biological Resources
• Cultural Resources
• Geology and Soil
• Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• Hazards and Hazardous Materials
• Hydrology and Water Quality
• Transportation

we see that climate disasters are increasing rapidly and costing more lives and more taxpayer money. Why is it more urgent than ever to stop new fossil fuel infrastructure?

Gas stations and burning gasoline affect our health and climate.

Gas stations are classified as toxic hot spots and can negatively affect health and air, water, and soil quality. Gasoline is made out of crude oil, a fossil fuel, and typically contains more than 150 chemicals, including small amounts of benzene, toluene, and xylene. Benzene is a known carcinogen; toluene and xylene can cause kidney and brain damage and are the most toxic among the compounds.

Local health risks from this mega gas station will increase because of the large number of fueling positions. Nearby road traffic from the Vintage Oaks shopping center and the busy 101 freeway also adds to pollution. Vapor plumes and smoke would extend across adjacent roads and neighborhoods. Residents and workers with long-term exposure are the most affected; children absorb more of it due to the greater surface area in their lungs. Children and older adults who live near gas stations are more affected. Children have increased asthma and leukemia, and the elderly show increased heart attacks and strokes.

Gasoline and diesel exhaust are the single most significant source of unhealthy air pollutants ASIDE FROM carbon dioxide emissions (CO2), a heat-trapping greenhouse gas that can linger in the atmosphere for thousands of years. 

bURNING foSSIL fuEL FOR trANSPORTATION iS A mAJOR cAUSE OF gLOBAL Heating and Climate Chaos.

The 2025 United Nations Climate Change Report highlights emerging climate change impacts, including extreme heat that puts children and older individuals at risk, melting glaciers that reawaken ancient pathogens, and floods that threaten land and release dangerous chemicals.
Early intervention is critical to prevent them from escalating into global or regional crises. Thus, urgent action is needed to stop rising carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels and reduce them instead.

In 2021, Novato’s City Council was eager to approve the Costco Gas Station because of the expected tax revenue and to foster Costco’s Business expansion desires. 

But now, at the end of 2025, with multiple heat and temperature records worldwide on land and in the ocean, we see that climate disasters are increasing rapidly and costing more lives and more taxpayer money.

Therefore, Costco’s cheap gas is not cheap. It will not make us prosperous because it fuels our addiction to fossil fuels. If you have lung cancer, you stop smoking; if our planet is on fire, you stop pouring gasoline on it.

What is OUR state government’S plan?

California plans to phase out the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035 and to require all new passenger cars and light trucks sold in the state to be zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) by that year. California’s plans specify that 35% of new car sales must be zero-emission vehicles by 2026, rising to 68% by 2030, and 100% by 2035. 

What has novato done, and should do now, to walk its talk?

• In November 2020, Novato declared a Climate Emergency.
• In November 2022, Novato approved an Ordinance to prohibit New Gas Stations from being built in Novato. However, because it was already under city review before the ordinance was passed, the ban does not affect the planned Costco gas station.
• In September 2025, Novato adopted the Climate Action Plan (CAP) 2030, which stated that 64% of the community’s Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions in Novato are caused by transportation, according to Novato’s 2022 GHG Emissions Inventory, with 74% of these coming from passenger cars.
• Hence, transitioning exclusively to all-electric transportation is the most effective approach to swiftly diminish health risks and our greenhouse gas emissions and ensure a prosperous future.
• Consequently, Novato should disapprove of the largest gas station being built in Novato and Marin, showing that they are serious about Novato’s CAP 2030 and its goal to foster and promote switching to a 100% clean and sustainable transportation system in 10 years. More fossil fuel infrastructure now is counterproductive, a dead-end road, and an absolute no-go. Put People, the planet, and future generations before short-term profits.

Clean air and a sustainable future are essential for all of us