[Sustain] Urgent! Call Today - Ask Supe Mirkarimi To Amend Flawed Power Plant Legislation

[Eric Brooks]

Hi all,

It is urgent that you each call Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi's office today
at 415-554-7630 (please mention your group affiliation) with the
following message:

"Please introduce amendments to Sophie Maxwell's Power Plant Conditional
Use legislation to make certain that any Combustion Turbine 'Peaker'
installation would have to face the same series of conditional use
hearings as all other power plants, and that renewable energy projects
will be protected."

Here's why this phone call is so critical..

The deeply flawed legislation discussed below is going to the full Board
of Supervisors tomorrow!

Last Wednesday, Supervisor Sophie Maxwell, in a very cleverly
manipulated hearing on her legislation for conditional use requirements
on power plants, got the Planning Department to make statements which
created the illusion that the measure will put the Combustion Turbine
'Peaker'(CTs) project through the same conditional use process at
Planning as all other plants. This is simply not the case.

Planning asserted only that Maxwell's legislation 'applies' to the CTs.
They were referring to the final clause of the measure which says that
the Supervisors have to use the same -criteria- when considering the
CTs. However, this in no way whatsoever forces the CTs through full CU
hearings at the Planning Commission. This language simply leaves it up
to the Supervisors, with no requirement for hearings of any kind, to
decide autonomously that previous flawed State approvals are adequate
and immediately pass a polluting CT contract with a simple majority vote.

And it will be even easier for them to do this if Maxwell's measure
successfully blocks all other alternatives, while the State once again
lays pressure on the City to have fossil fuel generation. The polluting
Peakers would then be the -only- option left. And the last time that the
Supervisors were faced with a no-other-options vote like that, they
voted 8-3 to pass the Peaker contract.

The legislation also has serious flaws that will interfere with the
rapid construction of renewable energy projects which are crucial to
stopping the Peakers and closing the Mirant plant quickly.

This is all very dangerous to the fight to stop and close fossil power
plants in San Francisco.

The SF Green Party has helped write an amendment that will repair the
legislation and make certain that the Peakers would indeed have to face
the same series of conditional use hearings as all other power plants,
and that renewable energy projects will be protected.

But we have a very serious problem. We have asked Supervisor Ross
Mirkarimi to introduce the amendment, however he is reluctant to do so
because he watched the hearing and received the mistaken impression from
a couple of public comments that the entire Southeast side of the City
has joined with Potrero Hill residents in unity to support Maxwell's
legislation.

It is absolutely crucial that your groups notify Supervisor Mirkarimi
today and ask him to:

"Please introduce amendments to Sophie Maxwell's Power Plant Conditional
Use legislation to make certain that any Combustion Turbine 'Peaker'
installation would have to face the same series of conditional use
hearings as all other power plants, and that renewable energy projects
will be protected."

You can reach Supervisor Mirkarimi's office at:
415-554-7630

If you have questions, please call me at any time this weekend through
Monday.

peace

Eric Brooks
San Francisco Green Party
415-756-8844

-- 
"I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The people liberate
themselves." – Che Guevara