Fight against power plants continues

The already approved Russell City Energy Center (RCEC) power plant is now open once again for debate because of the Environmental Protection Agency and Rob Simpson. The RCEC will be built less than a mile away from Chabot and about 2.5 miles from the purposed East Shore Energy Center (ESEC) power plant.

Many groups in the community including Chabot College have stepped in demanding a stop to both plants whose power supply would not even directly benefit Hayward residents but would supply power for the San Francisco Peninsula residents.

Some of those interveners are upset with the newly elected city council members who swore to stop the power plants in their campaign have since been silent.

Chabot Spanish teacher and newly elected Hayward City Council Member Francisco Zermeno also voted in favor of the RCEC in 2005 when he was on Hayward's Planning Commission. But openly he spoke out against both plants in his campaign this past June.

Due to the city's contract with the Calpine Corp. regarding RCEC as soon as the new council members were sworn in any actions made by them to stop the plants could

be open to litigation with Calpine. Hayward cannot afford litigation because of the city's tight budget. This leaves citizens to fightthe cause that the city council approved in a quick 40 minutes in 2005.

Rob Simpson, an advocate of stopping both plants, won his appeal with the EPA on July 29 2008.

The EPA pulled the RCEC pollution permit ordering the Bay Area Air Quality District to re-open and re-notice a public hearing period.

All arguments for or against RCEC must be filed by 5 p.m Sept 19 with the CEC. The hearing will be held on Monday in Sacramento during the CEC's regularly scheduled business meeting at 10 a.m. Simpson has already filed a petition for the reconsideration of RCEC.

The CEC will then either grant or deny the petition made by Simpson for the reconsideration within 30 days of its filing. If the petition is denied the CEC decision will be upheld. Granted the CEC will hold a hearing within 90 days to determine if it will change the decision.

So far, the RCEC has yet to be stopped. It looks as though the communities' outcry against the second smaller plant, East Shore, may have actually been heard by the CEC.

Whose commissioner Jeffrey Byron has recommended the CEC deny the plants based on the danger of invisible air plumes which are said to directly affect Hayward's airport and the safety of any aircraft landing there. The final decision will be made by the CEC on Oct 6 2008 at 10 am.

To attend the hearing: Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2008 at 10 a.m. in Hearing Room A, 1516 Ninth Street, Sacramento, Ca. Or check out CEC website www.energy.ca.gov