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Here are notes for the September Sustainability Working Group meeting and
an invitation to attend the next meeting Thursday, October 25, 7:30 PM at
the Green Party office.<br><br>
I hope you can come,<br><br>
Don<br><br>
SFGP Sustainability Working Group 9/26/07<br>
<br>
Present: Eric Brooks, Don Eichelberger<br>
<br>
Agenda:<br><br>
I. Proposal to oppose nuke ban repeal; II. Community Choice; III.
Moratorium on Lennar; IV. Combustion Turbine update<br>
<br>
I.
No Nukes Proposal- Don- State Senator Chuck DeVore has been trying
to introduce legislation to repeal California’s ban on new nuclear
power reactors pending a resolution of the waste issue. Legislation
was stopped in the Natural Resources Committee, chaired by Loni
Hancock. Now, DeVore has submitted language for a repeal initiative
to the State Attorney General. Fortunately, Jerry Brown’s title and
summary did not leave intact DeVore’s effort to frame it as an effort to
reduce greenhouse emissions. But the initiative already has the
endorsement of the state Republican Party. <br>
<br>
Discussion:<br>
<br>
Don is asking for SF Local support for a resolution he is attempting to
get on the state Green Party plenary Consent Calendar opposing this
effort, as follows:<br>
<br>
GPCA platform continues to oppose nuclear power to produce electric
energy. GPCA opposes the Chuck DeVore initiative, which would overturn
California's state ban on new nuclear facilities and end our protection
from this costly, dangerous and unnecessary technology.<br><br>
We are especially concerned that proponents of nuclear power are trying
to characterize nuclear as "green energy" that can address
Global Warming. Greens know the difference:<br><br>
SAFETY-Green Energy does not endanger the public by threats of
cataclysmic accidents. <br>
ENVIRONMENT- It does not leave behind long-lived, dangerous wastes that
can, themselves, be used as weapons. <br>
RENEWABLE- It uses renewable and cyclically available energy, such as
wind, solar, tidal and small hydro. No mines, no drills.<br>
SECURITY- It is decentralized and not as susceptible to regional outages
from accident or attack.<br><br>
There was no objection to forwarding this proposal to the SFGP County
Council for inclusion on the next General Membership agenda.<br>
<br>
II.
Community Choice- Eric-. Background: In June, CCA passed the Board
of Supervisors. Mayor Newsome signed it, although noted problems around
costs in his signing statement. CCA Coalition had to accept SFPUC
administration, although LAFCO will have some oversight.<br>
<ol>
<li>Update on current status: In mid-August, SFPUC was to have called for
feedback on a request for information. The RFI missed the
mid-August deadline, but SFPUC put it up on their web site in
mid-September.
<a href="http://sfwater.org/detail.cfm/MC_ID/12/MSC_ID/138/MTO_ID/237/C_ID/3621#top">
http://sfwater.org/detail.cfm/MC_ID/12/MSC_ID/138/MTO_ID/237/C_ID/3621#top</a>
</ol> LAFCO was not invited to review the RFI, but did not formally
oppose the bypass.<br>
<br>
Paul Fenn and Rick Galbraith saw problems with it and Rick has made
efforts to have his concerns addressed. Tom Ammiano is no longer on
the LAFCO board. Chris Daly may replace him at least for the next
meeting tomorrow, which will discuss ways to work with SFPUC and vote on
a monitoring program. $2.1 million will be requested to fund it,
down from $3 million originally agreed to between Susan Leal and Tom
Ammiano.<br>
<br>
LAFCO will put out an RFP (request for proposals) for a contractor to
monitor the program, and Local Power’s Paul Fenn is expected to
file. A representative from LAFCO will work with the
contractor. Tom Ammiano’s former staffer, Angela Calvillo. will be
nominated to oversee the committee.<br>
<br>
B. Other Information<br>
<ul>
<li>LAFCO has an opening for a Citizen Representative. Interested
people should apply.
<li>The Citizen Grand Jury, set up in the mid-1990’s to audit city
projects and make recommendations and suggestions has issued a report
saying the City should move forward on CCA “with all due speed”
<li>Gov. Audits and Oversight Committee members Elsbernd and Alioto-Pier
weakened the report by striking the “all due speed” language. LAFCO
is expected to wholeheartedly endorse the report and call for restoring
the “all due speed” language.
<li>Lawsuits are moving forward by Earth Justice against PG&E’s
efforts to undermine CCA, which is specifically prohibited in the
language of the passed legislation (AB 117)
<li>Sierra Club students are organizing to get state colleges included in
the CCA. State entities are not automatically opted in as are
businesses and citizens.
</ul> <br>
III.
Moratorium on Lennar- Eric- Lennar Corp., in charge of shipyard
clean up in Bayview Hunters Point had been forced to fix air monitors,
which were barely operational for several months last year.
They are running now and have recorded many violations. Local residents,
as well as Green Party, Our City and others issued an alert calling on
people to notify the BoS that they support a moratorium on Lennar
activities until the work is proved safe<br>
<br>
Since Sophie Maxwell was unwilling to introduce the resolution, Chris
Daly was asked to do so. Public comment at the BoS meeting strongly
supported the resolution to stop Lennar, although some in the community,
including a couple of influential reverends came out in favor of
Lennar. At hearings on the issue, SF Dept. of Health signed off on
the Lennar Project, stating that since EPA allows certain levels of
asbestos, it was OK. The BoS vote was 6-5 opposed to the resolution, with
Peskin and McGoldrick voting against it.<br>
<br>
Eric Mar had the idea that the School Board should take action on such a
resolution to protect school children in the neighborhood. School
Board got a lot of support for the resolution, and it was adopted
unanimously. However, it is not a binding resolution, but merely
asks the city to take action.<br>
<br>
We need to lobby supervisors and see if we can discuss possibilities with
Ross.<br>
<br>
IV.
Combustion Turbines/SF Energy- Eric- BoS approved the Transbay Cable, so
it could be bringing 400 MW of grid power from Pittsburg to the city by
2010. Concerns of bringing in that much power and negative impacts it
might have on CCA conservation and renewables. Might be mitigated
if we can leverage renewable power through the lines, such as CCA wind
power in the vicinity.<br>
<br>
Bayview Hunters Point residents have pointed out that since that much
power will be coming in to the city through that cable, there does not
appear to be any reason to site the CT’s there. The ISO, in charge
of grid resources, thinks we should have both, in anticipation of future
growth projections. ISO is saying they want the CT’s sited, or they
will not remove the requirement for Mirant to run, so it cannot be
closed.<br>
<br>
Community activists were mobilized to speak out at SFPUC Board meetings,
and are being paid attention to. On 7/10, it was agendized, and
many from BVHP community attended to speak out against the CT’s.
But at the beginning of the meeting, the item was pulled from the
agenda. People were not told that they could still comment on the
item.<br>
<br>
Community members went to the SFPUC staff and asked why the item was
pulled, and were told it was because no one had responded to the RFP and
bid on the project, so it did not appear the project could move
forward. At this point, most of the community members left the
meeting.<br>
<br>
Then, 45 minutes later, during a discussion of water, Deputy General
Manager Tony Irons brought up the CT’s and said there were responses to
the RFP, but companies suggested different ways, including purchasing
them from the city and running them elsewhere. Mr. Irons spoke with
the City Attorney, and was told it is OK to consider new proposals, but
not as bids.<br>
<br>
By the July 24 meeting, they had a potential contractor- J. Power, USA
wants to purchase the CT’s, install and run them privately for 10-12
years, then “gift” them to the city. A letter was sent to SFPUC
Commissioners by Peskin, Maxwell. and Mayor Newsom recommending approval
of the contract.<br>
<br>
Maxwell also got a similar resolution before the SF Board of
Supervisors. But Espanola Jackson was able to get it sent to
committee and not acted upon. <br>
<br>
SFPUC voted to continue negotiations with J. Power. Werbach and
Sklar were both unhappy with the decision and community activists are
continuing some pressure. <br>
<br>
PG&E created a non-profit front group to oppose the CT’s, which SFBG
found suspect. <br>
<br>
Bright Line Defense is a non-profit filing suit against the CT’s through
the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, who were recently found to
have jurisdiction over CO2 emissions as a pollutant. A.
Phillip Randolph Foundation is a co-plaintiff. They have taken
$50,000 in contributions from PG&E, but they claim none of that money
is going in to the court case.<br>
<br>
SFPUC agreed at their last meeting that they need to slow down and
consider the process carefully and review the contract before it is
finalized.<br>
<br>
Eric will draft a resolution to take to the next General Membership
meeting to oppose building the new CT’s due to the Transbay Cable and
concerns about undercutting efficiency and renewables efforts. The
ISO says the city needs generation within the city to assure grid
stability and the Transbay Cable is not considered suitable for
this.<br><br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br><br>
<br>
<x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
Don Eichelberger<br>
DJ Fix Independent Productions<br><br>
Green Uprising Blog<br>
<a href="http://www.greenuprising.blogspot.com/" eudora="autourl">
www.greenuprising.blogspot.com<br><br>
</a>My You Tube<br><br>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctRp5rGJoUc" eudora="autourl">
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctRp5rGJoUc<br>
</a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iySwwyZfDgE" eudora="autourl">
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iySwwyZfDgE<br>
</a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r9rK8nPREA" eudora="autourl">
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r9rK8nPREA<br>
</a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5UbnJ0kUqo" eudora="autourl">
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5UbnJ0kUqo<br>
</a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SktIYTyC1U" eudora="autourl">
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SktIYTyC1U<br><br>
</a>Donny Fix del.icio.us book marks<br>
<a href="http://del.icio.us/donnyfix" eudora="autourl">
http://del.icio.us/donnyfix<br><br>
</a>The Hegelian/Marxist goal is emancipation. Marx said it best in
1843:<br><br>
"Human emancipation wll only be complete when the real, individual
man (sic) is absorbed into himself the abstract citizen; when as an
individual man, in his every day life, in his work and in his
relationships, he has become a <i>species-being</i> (<b>politically
accountabe to the whole</b>); and when he recognizes and realizes his own
power as <i>social</i> powers, so that he no longer separates this
<i>socia</i>l power from himself as <i>political </i>power."<br>
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