Hi again all, Now that this campaign is gearing up and becoming public, it will be very important for us to start using a tight media message that will get repeated over and over again in the press. It is very important that such a message be very short and contain no more than three very basic concepts. Here is my recommended message (please reply with improvements, especially if they will make it even shorter): First, here are just the titles of the three points, put together, which can be said out loud on their own if you only have 15 seconds. 1) Three Old Diesel Turbines At Mirant Are The Problem & Can Close Now 2) The New Plant Costs Hundreds Of Millions For The Same Pollution 3) Let's Just Replace -All- The Old Plants In 3 Years With Clean Energy Now the actual talking points: 1) The Utilities Commission says we need to build this new plant to close the older Mirant power plant. But if we shut down the 3 -really- dirty diesel turbines that make only 3% of Mirant's electricity, air pollution from the old plant compared to the new plant would be the same. 2) It makes -no- sense to spend 200-500 million dollars in public and ratepayer funds on fossil fuel plants that will emit the -same- pollution, and will actually do so -longer- because the contract for these plants lasts for decades. 3) The City's clean energy projects and environmental laws will let us close Mirant in just -three- years. We need to spend that 200-500 million dollars to build the clean energy now, not to build more polluting power plants. -- IMPORTANT - Main Rebuttal Point: Our opposition will respond with - "The CTs will only run for reliability, so they will pollute less." Our response is simple. "The Federal Energy Commission, California Utilities Commission and the California Independent System Operator are in charge of reliability, -not- San Francisco. Since Mirant is already running for reliability because those agencies demand it, they will still require the CTs to run just as much. - end - If you decide to use these points, print them out on a single sheet so you have them right in front of you when you talk to the press. peace Eric Brooks Our City & SF Green Party 415-756-8844