Category: Media

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

Quail Brush is denied!

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. San Diego City Council

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

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!

No Rubber Stamp – SD PC Denies QB Initiation Amendment

::  JULY 19TH VOTE IS IN ::

San Diego Planning Commissioners vote 4-1:
NO to Initiate Amendment
NO to Department Staff’s Recommendation

Cogentrix/Goldman Sachs has option to appeal to SD City Council –  Fight continues

New Articles- Hot off the Presses:

rubber-stamp:     ^ Webster’s NewWorld Dictionary, Second College Edition, ISBN 0-671-41809-2 – page 1242 – ”  *rubber-stamp 2. [Colloq.] to approve or endorse in a routine manner, without thought – *rubber stamp – 2. [Colloq.] a) a person, bureau, legislature, etc., that approves or endorses something in a routine manner, without thought, b) any routine approval”

“This is a Beautiful Place. Why would you want to ruin it by putting up a Power Plant?”

“This (Mission Trails) is a beautiful place.  Why would you want to ruin it by putting up a power plant?”  In a “David versus Goliath” moment, Barbara, a brave and poised ten-year-old, stands up before San Diego’s Planning Commissioners on June 28, 2012, to speak out against the Quail Brush Power Plant which is proposed to be constructed right alongside national bio-gem, Mission Trails Regional Park.  Sempra Energy/ SDG&E has awarded a contract to Cogentrix out of North Carolina to build a power plant featuring 11 100-foot smokestacks that would forever mar the beauty of Mission Trails, which features habitats and animals that exist nowhere else on the planet.  This meeting was held to approve or oppose rezoning Open Space land to “Heavy Industrial.”  Opponents of the power plant packed the room.  The vote was 3-2 against initiating the rezoning process.  A majority vote of 4 was needed and therefore the session will be revisited on July 19, 2012.  Ironically, a nay vote was made by a Commissioner whose last name is Smiley.  Before voting, he commented that he saw nothing pristine or scenic about the proposed area.  Those of us who frequent the park beg to differ and suggest that he actually visit Mission Trails  before making another uninformed vote the next time.

San Diego County Supervisor Dianne Jacob Opposes Power Plant


Below are the concerns that Dianne Jacob shared with Robert B. Weisenmiller, Chairman of the California Energy Commission. Click to see a copy of the letter.

“Dear Mr. Weisenmiller:

As Supervisor for the Second Supervisorial District for the County of San Diego, I am writing you today to express my opposition to the Quail Brush Genco LLC Generation Power Plant. I appreciate the opportunity to briefly comment on this project.

On March 28, the City of Santee formally took a position to oppose this project. I support this action and share the concerns the City has raised including potential impacts to the surrounding area due to noise, air quality, visual aesthetics, biological, water and emergency response that would be generated by this project.

Enclosed is a copy of the City of Santee’s resolution of opposition and comment letter to the proposed project. The California Energy Commission must fully consider the information provided in both of these documents. It is my intention to keep working closely with the City and demonstrate that this is the wrong location for this power plant.

Again, thank you for the opportunity to comment on this project. If you would like to discuss anything further, please feel free to contact me at (619) 531-5522 or via www.diannejacob.com“

SDG&E says it’s ready for summer heat . . AS IS!

North County Times Energy Article:  June 13, 2012 (click to open article)
By ERIC WOLFF ewolff@nctimes.com

“. . .the region will lean heavily on older plants such as the 58-year-old Encina Power Station in Carlsbad, . . .”

“. . . SDG&E and regulators implemented conservation plans. But mostly, they said, the region shouldn’t have a problem.”

“[SDGE] Executives and regulators said these measures should provide enough power to the region, even if there are sustained heat waves —- and even if one of the older, creakier plants should break down.”

‘  “At this stage, we’re well-prepared to deal with the various contingencies,” said Robert Weisenmiller, chairman of the California Energy Commission.’

AND

More evidence that QB PP is not needed courtesy of Bill Powers:   A document was filed with the CPUC by another energy company (NRG) on 6/24/11.    Excerpt below:

“NRG submits that several of the assumptions presented in SDG&E’s application, especially those regarding the Encina Power Station and the Cabrillo II Peakers, do not reflect the current commercial status.   In these comments, NRG:

1) Corrects the presumption that the existing Encina Power Station will be retired by December 31, 2017 as referenced in the CA 316(b) Once Through Cooling (“OTC”) policy. Encina’s retirement is not within the CPUC’s or SDG&E’s ability to determine;

2) Provides evidence that the existing Encina Power Station can operate indefinitely to provide critical reliable capacity and optionality until the proposed repowering with the new Carlsbad Energy Center project – a plant with an efficient, rapid response load-following technology that has many environmental benefits including significantly lower emissions – is needed at the Encina Power Station site; and

3) Emphasizes that the Encina Power Station site has transmission, infrastructure, and timing advantages for repowering which mitigate development risks associated with building a power plant to reliably serve SDG&E; and

4) Clarifies that the timing of retiring the Cabrillo II peaking turbines is dependent not upon “air permit restrictions” but upon SDGE’s decision not to renew the site leases and notes the importance of these units to various non-SDG&E load serving entities (“LSE”) and the CAISO.

NRG respectfully urges the Commission to evaluate the timing of the projects presented in this application vis-à-vis the timing of the Carlsbad Energy Center in light of the comments offered herein.”