SFPUC rejects any proposals to place Combustion Turbines (CTs) and orders CTs to be sold.

Yesterday, history was made in San Francisco when the San Francisco Public Utilities Commissioners - adjudicated with the facts on board including that of the California Independent Systems Operator (CAISO) that the Combustion Turbines (CTs) - were really NOT needed any more to serve San Francisco's energy needs.

Right now San Francisco consumes roughly 690 MW and we have sufficient energy flowing into the City through the Jefferson-Martin Transmission Line, the internal City transmission lines that have been upgraded and the rest we get from Mirant - the inner city Power Plant situated at closer to Dog Patch near Potrero Hill.

If the idea of placing brand new CTs was followed it would cost the City and County of San Francisco about $300 million. San Francisco does not have the money.

The proposed CTs would be very polluted - emitting very dangerous particulates - PM 2.5, pathogens from the half-treated sewage that would be used for cooling, and other pollutants as any other power plant - emits.

If the Mirant Power Plant follows - the second option to retrofit the present CTs it has - at a price of about $80 million.

The City of San Francisco would not doled out this money. The money would be given to Mirant by CAISO under the Reliability Must Run - protocol.

The SFPU Commissioners did the right thing by shelving this idea of placing brand new Combustion Turbines and creating adverse impacts to the Bayview community - when expensive fossil fuel would be used - thus polluting the constituents with very dangerous - pollutants.

Supervisors Aaron Peskin, Bevan Dufty, Jake McGoldrick have joined Sophie Maxwell by introducing an Initiative that will be on the November, 2008 Ballot Measure. It favors the CTs and is under the false title - Toxic Cleanup and Environmental Justice.

In the interim dirty politics are forcing the SF Public Utilities Commissioners to leave their appointments and some Commissioners do not want to deal with the demeaning politics.

Soon, new SFPU Commissioners will be installed and these new Commissioners can do what they want.

As usual Tony Winnicker the Sopkesman for SFPUC and former campaign manager for Susan Leal the ousted inept SFPUC Manager has told Heather Knight from the Chronicle that the matter linked to the CTs - is an issue that the SF Board of Supervisors will handle. Time will tell.

The truth is that the SF Board of Supervisors cannot over rule this decision without taking into account the facts and the adjudication made by the authorities that know what they are talking about.

The few SF Board of Supervisors and especially Bevan Dufty, Aaron Peskin, Jake McGoldrick an of course Sophina Maxwell has worked against the Bayview Hunters Point Community.

For the longest time ever Sophina Maxwell has favor the Rogue Company - Lennar. Never mind that Lennar is declaring bankruptcy and is not respected all over the Nation for building inferior homes on Toxic Land.

The SF Board of Supervisors and especially Supervisors Aaron Peskin and Sophie Maxwell who recently seem to be attached to the hip - must stop pussyfooting about.

The Bayview Hunters Point community does not want the Combustion Turbines any where near their homes.


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Francisco Da Costa
Director
Environmental Justice Advocacy