Category: Mission Trails Regional Park

You Can Help Prevent This From Becoming a Reality

Mission Trails

This post includes a gallery of the proposed power plant. The ten photos were taken in Mission Trails Regional Park from multiple points of view. Most of the images show it spewing toxic pollutants from its eleven 100-foot towers – as it would be seen from the park on days of operation.  Not included are graded hills, additional electrical towers and wires, other structures, and roads.

We believe these images are realistic and demonstrate the visual impact the Quail Brush Power Plant will have on our park and communities. The power plant was rendered to scale using Google’s 3D rendering program. The towers’ emissions were rendered in Photoshop.

This gallery clearly demonstrates the land next to the park is the wrong place to build and operate a power plant. I hope these images find you equally disgusted by the impact it has on our park. The images were taken from the following:

  • the Equestrian Staging Area and picnic area
  • the San Diego River and watershed
  • Kumeyaay Lake and riparian area bird sanctuary
  • a park bench
  • Kumeyaay Lake
  • the Kumeyaay Campground entrance
  • park trails
  • Fr. Junipero Serra Trail and the historical dam

On a personal note: I find the name “Quail Brush” offensive. I don’t think a single quail will want to be anywhere near the bulldozed hills, or the noisy, toxic, fire-hazard power plant. I recommend we call it the “Quail Smushed – Burned Brush Power Plant.” This is more fitting.

Click on a gallery image and
Click to see what you can do:

Below is the Helsinki, Helsingin Energia gas power plant. It shows emissions and pollutants being released.
Vuosaari gas power plant

Quail Brush will create toxic gas and spew pollution all over Santee, Tierrasanta, Navajo and other communities within a 15 – 20 mile radius.

This summary of plant emissions equals 43% of actual emissions, equal to 204.84 tons of pollution per year. This data was provided within their project proposal. However, it will be more than doubled if the plant runs at full capacity.

“Our Prayer for Mission Trails” – A Poem by Bonnie Jean Flach

 

Come along with me
let’s have a talk
about the land of the
coyote and the hawk
let’s soak it in
as along we walk
We say our prayers
and ask God to grant
this land to be
forever free with
no polluting
power plant

by bonnie jean flach
copyrighted – all rights reserved

Game On! CoGentrix Appeals – What You Can Do Now

As expected, CoGentrix has appealed the Planning Commission’s Denial to Initiate an Amendment of the City’s General Plan and East Elliott Community Plan. The appeal was submitted to the San Diego City Council on August 2, 2012. Touting the power plant’s purported “energy, economic, and environmental benefits,” CoGentrix is asking S.D. City Council to approve initiation of the Plan Amendments to “allow for the development and operation of the proposed Project.”

Click to see what you can do

We say, “Benefits for whom?”  It’s CERTAINLY NOT beneficial to the local communities, Tierrasanta, Navajo, El Cajon, La Mesa, and especially Santee, who will suffer worse air quality and subsequent health issues, decreased property values and ensuing reduced tax income for local governments, noise pollution, visual blight, and diminished civic pride. It’s NOT beneficial to the citizens of San Diego who value the region’s gem, Mission Trails, and show off its impressive views and open spaces to our out-of-state friends. NOT to the park users out getting exercise and enjoying some respite from urbanity nor for the scouts on campouts, moms and dads walking with strollers, hikers, mountain bikers, equestrians. NOT beneficial to the area’s indigenous, and some endangered, plants and animals and the San Diego River watershed. And NOT for the SDG&E ratepayers who will pay the $600 million cost of the plant, per the California Energy Commission (CEC).

Energy benefits? We prefer conservation, energy efficiency, rooftop solar in our sun-drenched communities, grid-scale clean energy storage technology, and other forward-thinking solutions for reliable energy – which by the way, we already have and is NOT threatened, even with the possible permanent closure of San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant, per the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).

We say don’t open the door for re-zoning this precious Open Space to Industrial, especially for a natural gas power plant in a high fire hazard area. Let’s all do what we can to protect this special area and keep our communities safe:

While San Diego City Council is at recess for the month of August, we are NOT! 

Thanks for everything you do!

Multiple News Station Coverage of the SD Planning Commission to Not Rezone

News coverage regarding the Quail Brush Power Plant – July 19, 2012 on 4 stations:

  • KGTV10 @ 11 0:00
  • KFMB8 @ 11 1:41
  • KNSD7 @ 11 4:06
  • KNSD7 @ 4 5:46
  • KFMB8 @ 5 7:59
  • KNSD7 @ 5 8:23
  • KGTV10 @ 5 10:08
  • KUSI9 @ 6 11:58
  • KFMB8 @ 6 14:22
  • KGTV10 @ 7 14:59
  • KUSI9 @ 10 15:36
  • KUSI9 @ 11 17:59
  • KGTV10 @ 11 18:48
  • KNSD7 @ 11 19:22

“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.

Have you written your letter yet?

“Act Now and You will have an Impact.” –Congressman Bob Filner addressing the San Diego River Coalition panel on the Quail Brush Power Plant proposal, May 18, 2012 (details below)

Make a commitment to write your letter to the CEC and San Diego Planning Commission by May 31.  Your time investment:  5-10 minutes, as we made it easy for you.  Click here for instructions.  A brief paragraph with your own words are best, or use talking points from the sample letter or other letters on the public docket.  Stong public opposition is a key ingredient in defeating this ill-conceived project.  Don’t delay; do your part today!  And THANK YOU to everyone who has already taken this action step.

“When they see opposition – that’s when they ask for more time. They are trying to narrow the situation to where their control is paramount…the CEC at the State level, where their money and influence and lobbyists all have their say and the public is left out…so this is a process, this is your chance to influence the process…And once the reports come out, Lori is going to come back and say the report is done. You should have been here earlier  – where were you? You’ve all watched this dozens of times. It’s too early when you’re opposed and then when you come back it’s too late. Act now and you will have an impact.”  –Congressman Bob Filner, May 18, 2012

The San Diego River Coalition authorized sending a letter opposing the Quail Brush Power Plant to key decision-makers at its regular meeting May 18, 2012:

“The mission of the San Diego River Coalition is to preserve and enhance the San Diego River, its watershed, and its natural, cultural and recreational resources. Locating an industrial power plant at the proposed location within the Mission Trails Design District of East Elliot would contradict and be incompatible with the mission, vision and principles of the San Diego River Coalition. Therefore, we urge you to oppose changes to ‘laws, ordinances, standards and regulations’(LORS) needed to site the ‘Quail Brush Power Plant’ within the Mission Trails Design District of East Elliot and upon a parcel one-half-mile from the San Diego River.”


Note: A list of fifty-nine San Diego River Coalition organizations can be found at http://www.sandiegoriver.org/coalition.php
The executive boards of some San Diego River Coalition organizations had not considered the Quail Brush issue prior to the meeting and did not authorize a vote by their representatives. Other organizations were absent. There was a single vote against sending the letter of opposition.