Solano Together’s Take on Shipbuilding in Solano

Shipbuilding has dominated the news lately–especially in Solano County—with talks of a potential Collinsville port, federal actions, and supposed promises of new jobs and opportunities. Bipartisan action is happening at the federal level with Congressman Garamendi’s SHIPS act and President Trump’s recent executive order—both aimed at encouraging the return of domestic shipbuilding.

We believe that Solano County could be a beneficiary of this cooperation, as a way to bring in much-needed resources, jobs, and opportunities if the County takes a strategic approach, building on its existing strengths and infrastructure. That’s why we support investing first and foremost in our existing communities.

The recent shipbuilding fervor in Solano has in part been driven by California Forever’s campaign to drum up support for bringing shipbuilding to Collinsville, where they own land designated as “Water Dependent Industrial”, even while there has been no mention of Collinsville in any recent legislative or executive actions. This new proposal is eerily reminiscent of their East Solano Plan, highly aspirational but lacking detail on how it could come to fruition given the extreme regulatory and economic barriers at play.

Given that the property for the Collinsville shipyard is “almost entirely unserved by major infrastructure,” would require continuous dredging to be competitive (Solano County’s 1989 Feasibility Study), and would have significant environmental impacts on the Delta and surrounding lands, we are urging the public and local decision-makers to be wary of showing undeserved support to a group that has proven time and again that their promises hold no weight.

Solano Together’s Take

As a coalition that has stood up for Solano’s best interest throughout California Forever’s many iterations of development plans—from sports complexes to swimming lagoons and now to shipbuilding—we are concerned that the Collinsville shipbuilding talks are, at best, a distraction from California Forever’s current ploy to seek annexation of their new city into Suisun City. And, at worst, another attempt to waste public resources to build in a remote and isolated location that requires paving over grazing lands, extending public roads and infrastructure, and threatening the health and vibrancy of Solano’s existing cities.

There are currently no long-term federal appropriations in the SHIPS Act to support the revival of shipbuilding in the US, Collinsville or otherwise. If the SHIPS Act and other federal actions do move forward, there will be nationwide competition for any federal shipyard funding. Moving forward, Solano should prioritize investment in former shipbuilding locations that already host extensive infrastructure, support nearby industries, and offer fewer environmental and permitting hurdles. Mare Island and Vallejo must be part of the conversation if shipbuilding negotiations are going to progress in Solano County.

The Solano Together coalition does not support California Forever’s hastily developed and opportunistic proposal to create a shipbuilding facility in remote Collinsville, far from the region’s existing transportation infrastructure, and population centers. 

Our coalition has called for responsible management of public resources, investment in existing communities, transparency, and stewardship of important landscapes—benefiting both the people and natural resources of Solano County. The Collinsville proposal goes against these values and simply serves as the newest rebranding of the same preposterous new city development that California Forever has been pushing for the last year and a half.

Check out our FAQ on shipbuilding in Solano to sift through the noise and get fact-based resources to answer your most pressing questions.