Hunters Point Power Plant will be decommissioned soon - abatement issues unclear

Many Stakeholders at the key meetings held at 77 Beale took the most important steps to bring about a solution to closing down the Hunters Point Power Plant. Kudos to all of them.

Many of us worked hard to have the Martin-Jefferson Transmision Line in place. We went out of our way to work with Commissioner Loretta Lynch to address some Cultural Resources issues at San Bruno Mountain. Other issues pertaining to the Electro Magnetic Field and related issues that adversely affect many along the route.

Espanola Jackson, Lynne Brown, Mike Boyd, Bob Sarvey are few that were witness to the fact. Many meetings were held at California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), California Energy Commission (CEC), the Federal Regulatory Energy Committee (FERC), San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), LAFCO and a host of other regulatory meetings.

We now have the Jefferson-Martin Transmission line in place and that makes it possible for us to shut down Hunters Point Power Plant. We also have another brand new Potrero-Hunters Point under ground Transmission Line in place. This second Transmission line is a back up and further improves the stability to transmit electricity smoothly within the City of San Francisco.

Are we going to have Blackouts when the need for electricity increases and peaks and we are short in demand? You bet we will experience such difficulties from time to time. Even with the two Transmission Lines in place we still have to figure out a better Engineering Model to address the smooth flow of electricity and leakages at certain points from time to time.

The City continues to build homes and housing units. 35,000 are in the pipe line. Where will this units get the energy from? Other big facilties are planned where will they get the Energy from?

We hope to have another Tranmission Line in place by 2009 the Pittsburg-Potrero Transmission Line under the Bay and one that will finally bring a solution to smooth flowing electricity without any Blackouts with the exception of the Big One and other acts of Nature which no one can control.

The City and County of San Francisco has to focus on Clean Energy but this has not happened as it should have happened. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission with very poor leadership from Susan Leal has not measured up to the expectations of the constituents of San Francisco.

We should focus of Clean Energy and can with Wind, Water, and Solar bring about the production of quality Electricity to off shoot peak times and prospective Black Outs when electricity is in demand.

There are many intelligent folks that made it possible to close down the Hunters Point Power Plant. Most importantly the folks that sat on the table and came out with solutions. It is the same folks that hope to close down Mirant Power Plant. Keep the 3 Combustion Turbines out.

Nothing much happens by shouting at plants and handing over eviction notices to Pacific Gas and Electricity. These tactics fail because they hinder solutions and make direct talks difficult with the concerned parties.

SFPUC, the City Attorney, some Community Based Organization that are into money and made it difficult for us to talk to the key parties and bring about the closure of the Hunters Point sooner.

The City took PG&E to court and lost millions of dollars. We had others shout at PG&E mostly ignorant folks and then at the same time want them to follow their orders. It does not work like that. We are happy that we now have some stability in the power system but that is not all.

Sophie Maxwell wants to build homes right on the site where former PG&E tanks have been removed.

She also wants to build homes right on the spot where the present PG&E plant stands after it is demolished. So you see there are greedy, corrupt, ignorant folks out there thinking about money and not about Quality of Life issues.

Sophie wants to demolish Public Housing by Middle Point and build homes - this is her plan. She is Black and want her own people out. She has had this plan for years. She has Black people should be Middle Class but how can this happen over night? How can it happen with giving poor folks opportunities? Sophie once lived in Public Housing and should have known better!

The San Francisco Redevelopment Agency (SFRA) has the backing of some corrupt Black leaders. They have let us down.

In order to address the clean up on all the sites where the power plants and related projects stand - we need an united effort to come out with an Abatement Plan. You cannot do this by shouting at PG&E and other hostile actions.

We need educated folks that can understand the issues and try to bring about abatement and mitigation to heal the land, the air and the water.

After all the land was stolen from the Muwekma Ohlone - long before many of those that think they know - knew anything about Quality of Life issues. Much before wanabees came into the community some 40 years ago and did not understand really what was happening around them.
Long before the CBOs that get money from the City decided to use Bayview Hunters Point as their Play Ground.

In the interim we must fight SFRA and clean up the over 450 toxic hot spots in the Bayview. We cannot permit SFRA to cap these Brown Fields or Toxic hot spots. Arc Ecology has been given $850,000 to do outreach linked to these hot spots. How you go figure how did that happen?

Demand the clean up of all the parcels at Hunters Point in toto.

Sophie Maxwell wants to build 1600 homes in the middle of Chernobyl. Sophie is for the developers and on the take. We have other fake leaders that cannot read or write and simply cannot understand important issues.

In the year 2006 we cannot have literate leaders trying to fathom important issues.

It is this problem that has made the Bayview what it is. No one reads the Housing Element, no one reads the critical documents on Transportation, no one really understands how SF Planning works, the Environmental Impact Reports did not have comments and a dialogue from many constituents living in the Bay View.

Every one waits for the eleventh hours to shout and scream and that simply does not work in today's world.

We have to respect Mother Earth.

As children of God we have to use our intelligence to make good things happen. Most of all we have to be sincere and truthful and this is lacking in our Black Leaders in the Bayview. I am very clear about it - too many sellouts and folks that want in on the MONEY but not the COMMUNITY.

Francisco Da Costa
Director
Environmental Justice Advocacy