September 2012 – Save Mission Trails

Wed., Oct. 3 is Next Major Event to Stop the Power Plant – CEC Public Workshop

Get ready now for the California Energy Commission (CEC) Public Workshop on the Quail Brush power plant. It is CRUCIAL that once again we all show up and voice our opposition! We will NOT allow our hard work and thoughtful local jurisdiction decisions to be overriden at the state level. WE know what’s good for our cities, communities, park, and health. Just say NO to the power plant at Mission Trails!

DATE: Wednesday, October 3, at 2:00 pm. Allow extra time for parking. (See below for parking permit.) Note: If you can’t come at 2:00, DO show up later, as it is scheduled to continue until everyone who wants to speak or ask a question, does so. (See link below for how to participate remotely if you can’t attend.)

LOCATION: Grossmont College, 8800 Grossmont College Drive, El Cajon, 92020, off the 125, Building 60 – Griffin Center (in front, southeast). For a highlighted map of the workshop location, directions, and a parking permit (p.2), click: CEC GROSSMT MTG MAP & PARKING PASS.

Per the CEC: The workshop is being held to provide a public forum for staff, the project applicant, intervenors, the public and interested agencies to discuss issues related to the project. The technical areas that will be discussed are Air Quality, Biological Resources, Cultural Resources, Fire Protection, Public Health and Worker Safety. The workshop will also give the chance for the public to ask questions and comment about the project and the staff’s environmental review.

Arrangements have been made for people unable to attend the workshop to participate by telephone and/or by computer.
WebEx and Conference Call-in-toll-free number: 1-866-469-3239
Access code: 929522155 Meeting Password: meeting@2
For details, click here and scroll to page 2.

See you there Wednesday!

It’s Unanimous! San Diego City Council Members Deny CoGentrix Appeal

The San Diego City Council Members sent a strong message to the California Energy Commission (CEC), SDG&E and CoGentrix. They don’t want a power plant next to Mission Trails Regional Park.

This is a huge victory and the campaign must continue. The CEC could vote to override local decisions and approve the abomination.

Get ready and save the date for the CEC Public Workshop on Wednesday, October 3, at Grossmont College at 2:00 pm. Click here for details and a parking permit.

Thank you to all the individuals and groups that support and campaign to protect our precious park and communities, including the San Diego City Council, the Santee City Mayor and City Council and all the following:

U.S. Congressman Bob Filner
California Assemblymember Brian Jones
County Supervisor Dianne Jacob
State Senator Marty Block
La Mesa Councilmember Ruth Sterling
Tierrasanta Community Councilmember Rich Thesing
Former San Diego City Councilmember Donna Frye

Candidate for 71st Assembly District, Patrick Hurley
Candidate for Santee Mayor, Rudy Reyes

California Chaparral Institute
California Native Plant Society, San Diego Chapter
California Pilots Association (CalPilots)
Center for Biological Diversity
Cleveland National forest Foundation
Crest/Dehesa/Granite Hills/ Harbison Canyon Subregional Planning Group
East County California Republican Assembly
Endangered Habitats League
Environmental Health Coalition
Greater Santee California Republican Assembly
Green Party of San Diego
Highland Trails HOA
League of Women Voters
Mission View HOA
Mountain Defense League
Preserve Wild Santee
San Diego Audubon Society
San Diego Canyonlands
San Diego Coastkeeper
San Diego Energy District Foundation
San Diego Mountain Biking Association
San Diego River Coalition
SanDiego350.org
Santee School District
Santee Taxpayers Association
Save Our Forests & Ranchlands
Sierra Club
Sunset Greens HOA
Wilderness4All
and others.

Save the Date – Mon., Sept. 24, 2 PM, S.D. City Council Hearing

9.15.12TierrasantaRally — Tierrasanta Rally Sept. 15

Update – If you can’t make Monday, Sept. 24’s meeting at 2 pm, you can still submit your comment electronically Monday morning or earlier. Here’s how: Click here and type “200 9/24/12” for Item Number and Date. Add your name and address and zip and type “Opposed” in the Comment Box. Submit. Takes 2 minutes.

Save your health, property, communities, and Mission Trails Regional Park! The City of San Diego councilmembers will hear the appeal by CoGentrix to initiate the community plan amendment to re-zone to industrial the East Elliott Community open space adjacent to Mission Trails Regional Park and Santee. Do your part to NOT let this happen. Make a phone call or send your email asap! Join us at the public hearing on Monday, Sept. 24, 2:00 PM, at 202 C St, 12th Floor, San Diego, 92101 to show mass public opposition to this unwanted and not-needed fossil fuel plant. Come early at 1:00 PM, if you can, for a Rally outside City Hall (same address above). Wear orange to show solidarity!

Rally Reminder! Tierrasanta Saturday 9/15 4-6 PM

Join the SMT Rally – Sat, Sept 15 – 4-6 pm at the intersection of Santo Rd. and Tierrasanta Blvd. Wear orange and bring a sign (or borrow one of ours) to grow awareness of the power plant among the Tierrasanta community and encourage opposition letters/phone/emails/fax to the San Diego councilmembers. SMT T-shirts available by donation at the event. Follow up with the free concert (below)!

Tierrasanta Concert in the Park- Sat, Sept 15 – 6-9 pm – Following the rally, we’ll have fun at Tierrasanta’s final summer concert (“High Tides” with reggae/roots/ska music) while doing public outreach and community building. – Tierrasanta Recreation Center

Follow up with a SMT Community Outreach Meeting –
Tues, Sept 18 and 25 – 6:30-7:45 pm at Tierrasanta Library, 4985 La Cuenta Dr, San Diego 92124 Help defeat QB and save Mission Trails and adjoining communities! Get status reports/info, meet group members, and volunteer. See you there!

New Design is NOT Helpful. It’s Harmful.

Quail Brush Power Plant next to Mission Trails Park

CoGentrix made modifications to the Quail Brush Generation Project to “improve” its visual impact. CoGentrix lowered the towers to 70 feet from 100. The images below are realistic and based on the revised power plant design. The renderings include its new placement, graded retaining wall, drainage pits, storage units and a 10-foot security wall. The placement of the power plant sits clearly on the top of a ridge and is not obscured by any other ridge from the Park. The hills will require extensive grading. Click on the images to see them larger. The structures were rendered to scale using Google’s 3D rendering program. The towers’ emissions were rendered in Photoshop.

Lowering the stacks brings the pollution closer to the park, schools, and our lungs. As you can see, the power plant would still be a nasty wound on our park and community. Multiple view points were included so you can clearly understand how huge this abomination is. Click on a power plant image below to see the gallery larger.

Power Plant from Mission Trails Park near the equestrian center

Park Entrance — Welcome to the Camping entrance in Mission Trails Park!

Power-plant-model-sideview — Power Plant looking south east

What can I do RIGHT NOW to Defeat Quail Brush?

While many folks were vacationing this summer, you can bet that CoGentrix was NOT. Certainly they were “wining and dining” with San Diego City Councilmembers to promote their ill-conceived fossil fuel plant in our open space and community.

Well, San Diego City Councilmembers need to hear from us, too! We are the ones who will be affected 24/7 by pollution, noise, property value loss, and detriment to Mission Trails Regional Park – set aside for recreation and wildlife preservation, not heavy industrial. The San Diego City Council will have a public hearing Monday, September 24, 2 pm with CoGentrix. (Attend! Participate! Save the date and click here for updates.) Your statement of opposition via phone call, letter,email, or fax are needed TODAY (just a few sentences “I oppose Quail Brush Generation Project because…” is fine) to the San Diego City Councilmembers. If you email, include the CA Energy Commission (CEC) via a cc to e.solorio@energy.ca.state.us.

-Live in the City of San Diego? Be sure to tell your councilmember that you are a voting constituent. (Find your councilmember by zip code here.)
-Is Tierrasanta your home as well? Contact your Tierrasanta Community Councilmembers too. (And click here for upcoming Tierrasanta events.)
-Live in San Carlos, Allied Gardens, Del Cerro, Grantville? Navajo Community Planners need to hear directly from you.
-In East County? Yes, write the San Diego City Councilmembers again and remind them that there’s an overcapacity of energy – no need for the plant, and the site is correctly zoned open space as part of Mission Trails expansion area and a high fire-hazard zone.

Thanks to you we can keep Mission Trails and East Elliott green and our air clean!