Power plants all pollute.
POWER PLANTS, LOCATION, AND CORRUPTION
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Some energy corporations fleeced the Citizens of California using faulty deregulation laws making multimillion bucks. Now, a few of the CROOKS have decided to work with the State of California and make amends for all of their misdeeds. The power broker of this deal - the Department of Water Resources, which have a poor track, record.
Never trust those who have no conscience in the first placed and who caused havoc with the Economy of California. Today, hundreds of school children, physically challenged, seniors, development projects, health programs, infrastructure, are in financial peril because of the Energy Crisis that hit California not long ago. Seasoned crooks from others States stole from the California taxpayers in broad daylight. The likes on Enron and Williams Energy. Williams Energy of Tulsa, Oklahoma has agreed to pay $150 million over a period of 8 years and at the same time reduce its contract with the State of California from $4.3 billion to $1.4 billion. Williams Energy will also provide the State of California with 6 electric-generation turbines worth $90 million at no expense. 4 of these electric-generation turbines could be slated for San Francisco that is if San Francisco legislators and their cronies get their act together. We all saw the infighting and mud slinging not long ago - Proposition D. At the end of this month, the State of California should have its documentation is place to sign the deal if all goes well. The State Department of Water Resources, the main entity who will negotiate this deal and they too have the authority to do so by the end of this year - 2002. Any way you look at this deal - one has limited time and not enough clear thinking is going into the equation. Our legislators known to us in San Francisco as the Board of Supervisors now minus two - Mark Leno and Leland Yee have been known to beat a horse to death. Delaying tactics and poor judgment are their hallmarks. Legislation has been introduced by District 10 Supervisor Sophie Maxwell who has the backing of some misinformed environmentalist and so called energy experts who are out to cut a deal at the expense of the citizens of San Francisco and California. A lot of money is exchanging hands and where there is wheeling and dealing - the majority always suffers - in this case the citizens of San Francisco. Until this so called dubious settlement came about the Independent Systems Operators (ISO) ruled the roast on any developments regarding Power Plants in San Francisco. The Hunters Point Power Plant and the Mirant Power Plant are both located in District 10. The ISO had plans to close one Power Plant but gave no definitive date. The Mirant Power Plant has plans to expand but then again it is NOT financially sound. The aging Hunters Point Power Plant is owned by Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E). They declared Chapter 11 but had millions to play with to defeat Proposition D. For decades the constituents of District 10 have suffered from the aging Power Plants. There has been a lot of talk to close the aging Power Plants down - but very little concrete planning with fiscal responsibility to substitute the POWER with so called CLEAN ENERGY. Bogus Environmental Groups have popped up pretending to fight for the constituents of the Southeast Sector but they have NOT done their homework. Many of them do not live in District 10 and cannot feel the pangs of the community. In some sectors of Hunters Point 8 out of 10 children suffer from Asthma. Many infants a couple of months have been taken to hospital only to die from respiratory illnesses. Cancer and other chronic diseases abound - our Black Mayor does not give a damn, nor do the Supervisors, nor do those who are standing in line to make millions on projects at Hunters Point, the Port, and all along 3rd Street and beyond. Clean Energy is a contradiction in terms because those that really know about how "energy" is generated will tell you that we do not have an operation today that is totally clean - some percentage of the best so called clean energy still is and can adversely impact the health of those living and working close to the Power Plants. In the past City Planners chose to build huge plants and never thought of small power plants in several locations. They knew very well that Power Plants fell under the Dirty Industries Category and so made sure they were placed in poor neighborhoods. Just like the freeways, the Raw Sewage Treatment Plant, Concrete and Aggregate Plants, and as has been mentioned the Power Plants. Today, Mayor Willie Brown, the Supervisors who form the legislative branch, some few misinformed environmentalist, others - still feel that Power Plants - small or big should be placed in District 10 which is Bayview Hunters Point. Sophie Maxwell who is an electrician by trade should know a little about the adverse impacts but there are others who prompt her that the Southeast is the best location for dirty industries. All of them are wrong and this time around NO new small or big power plant should be built in the Southeast Sector of our City - better known to the world as Bayview Hunters Point. None. Take it somewhere else - better still build it in the backyards of the rich and filthy who live in Pacific Heights, the Marina, Forest Hill, all those areas that rejoiced while the poorer sections of the City took the brunt of the toxins daily. There are some that think that the San Francisco Port Authority should have a couple of Power Plants in their jurisdiction. Well, there is no room under the Burton Act for such operations. There are no plans for any Power Plant under the S.F. Port Authority Master Plan, which had input from the citizens of San Francisco in 1990. There are others naive as is our Supervisor Sophie Maxwell who thinks that perhaps we should and could put one at Hunters Point. Wrong again. The Hunters Point Shipyard should be cleaned " in toto". The Restoration Advisory Board should have a say in all matters regarding the Hunters Point Shipyard. Not the Citizens Advisory Committee on the Hunters Point Shipyard who are stooges of Mayor Willie Brown. While we are on that point - the proposed ballpark has no place at Hunters Point until it is totally cleaned. Hunters Point after all is listed on the Superfund List - only the worst of the worst make it on this list. Right now very little of Hunters Point has been cleaned. Toxic hot spots can be found here, there and every where. This is right time if the legal language is in place with the consent of the Citizens of San Francisco and the Constituents of California to allow for equal partnership - stakeholders who participate in the building of the 4 new and smaller Power Plants. In each case consensus building is important - the best experts in the field delivering the highest and best product for the majority of our constituents. I would suggest that one Power Plant be built at the Presidio of San Francisco. It is federal land but they will be consuming a lot of energy - they do now and will in the future. Lucas Digital Center will consume a lot of energy and this is the opportune time for the Presidio to step up and embrace genuine partnership. Show the City with Craig Middleton at the helm of affairs that they are good neighbors. They enjoy benefits from the City such as Public Transportation, Emergency Services, we treat all of their Raw Sewage, we give them Clean Drinking Water, we even adjudicate their Traffic Tickets - time to join us San Franciscans to serve the majority and not always be on the receiving end. The Laguna Honda Lagoon very near the Forest Hill Station could be the site of the second power plant. A little hillock could hide the Power Plant and the lagoon has water to quench the thirst of the Power Plant. Brisbane can build the third power plant near the old Southern Pacific Railroad site. It is toxic land - the land can be cleaned and the Power Plant built. This Power Plant could be the main plant connecting the San Mateo Power Grid and distributing it to the other Power Plants. The San Francisco Zoo can build the fourth Power Plant where elements of composting could be incorporated. There are other choice sites but since we require 4 to start with - I have chosen 4 after giving much thought to the area or site, the population, the resources and the infrastructure. The Southeast parts of the city takes a heavy load of toxins spewed from diesel trucks, buses, and other modes of vehicular traffic. The City and County of San Francisco do not seem to give a damn about. Especially, Willie Brown who has filled his personal coffers and has prepared himself for his future exploits. He has turned his back on those who supported him - bit the hand that fed him. The Mayor Willie Brown promised the constituents of San Francisco and Bayview Hunters Point a lot but to date has NOT done an iota. As many San Franciscans have shown in recent months not one candidate of repute Mayor Willie Brown has backed has won. Jeff Adachi trounced Kin Burton because of Willie Brown. Poor Doris Ward had to lick the dust. Willie backed the dot.com companies and saw them crash. He continues to back Catellus Corporation at Mission Bay - Catellus has broken all environmental regulations and buried tons of toxic soil all over Mission Bay. This is wrong. The four power plants should have nothing to do with Mayor Willie Brown - if anyone abides by his dictates the plans will fail. |
