Media Release

Victory! Power Plant Expansion Denied
CEC recommendation supports community demands

(Chula Vista) – Environmental Health Coalition (EHC) and Chula Vista residents today celebrated a hard-fought public health victory as the California Energy Commission recommended denial of the expansion of a power plant that would have sacrificed the health of hundreds of families that live and work nearby.

The 400-page report issued today by the CEC states that the proposed expansion, know as the Chula Vista Energy Upgrade project, is “inconsistent with applicable laws, ordinances, regulations, and standards and it creates unmitigable impacts under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).”

The CEC findings show that the location of the proposed power plant is inconsistent with the Chula Vista General Plan for land use, which EHC was instrumental in creating. The General Plan requires that the city site industries in a way that minimizes the potential impacts of poor air quality on homes, schools, hospitals, and other land uses where people congregate. The immediate area near the plant is an environmental justice community where 81% of residents are people of color and 16% are below the federal poverty level.

“This decision is a testament to the power of people,” said Laura Hunter, director of EHC’s Clean Bay Campaign. “When bad decisions threaten the health of our families and children, we organize and push back. It’s a signal that we are moving away from energy strategies that sacrifice communities. The time for change is right here, right now on Main Street Chula Vista.”

MMC, a New York-based corporation, was seeking to replace the current 44 megawatt peaker plant on Main St. in Chula Vista with a 100 megawatt plant located just 350 feet from homes and 1300 feet from an elementary school. MMC applied to the California Energy Commission (CEC) for certification in September 2007.

“The committee recognized that the General Plan means what it says: energy companies can’t put a power plant within 1,000 feet of homes,” said Diane Takvorian, Executive Director of EHC. “The decision respects the tremendous community efforts that led to the groundbreaking incorporation of environmental justice into Chula Vista’s General Plan. The Committee could have overridden the policies this community worked so hard to adopt, but it chose correctly and courageously to affirm those policies.”

The committee’s decisions recognized that the approval of the MMC project would not substantially contribute to the removal of the South Bay Power Plant. The decision also is remarkable and forward looking in that it recognizes that MMC’s exclusive focus on a natural-gas peaking power plant prevented analysis of more sustainable alternatives like solar panels installed on rooftops and parking lots.

EHC was an official party to the CEC proceedings and officially opposed the expansion. During the more than two year review process, thousands of residents and EHC members testified in opposition to the expansion at public hearings and participated in rallies and protests voicing their opposition.

EHC would like to thank the following elected officials who support was instrumental to this victory: Chula Vista City Council members Rudy Ramirez and Pamela Bensoussan, State Assembly member Mary Salas, and Congressman Bob Filner.

EHC also thanks the Southwest Civic Association, South Bay Forum, and Communities Taking Action and the more than 2,000 residents who provided public testimony, marched in demonstrations, and added their voices to this monumental victory for public health and the environment.