• The Hayward City Council made a bad decision against Hayward business' and Hayward residents when it agreed to approve Calpine's Russell City Energy Center on condition that Calpine would "gift" the City of Hayward $10,000,000. in exchange for approval of the Russell City Energy Center.  See the last paragraph on page 2 of the 10/11/05 City Manager's Agenda Report. 
  
• Densely populated residential neighborhoods consisting of apartments and single-family homes begin just a couple hundred yards east of where the Russell City Energy Center is now proposed to locate.
  
• With the site for Russell City Energy Center being on the eastern edge of the San Francisco Bay, wind MUST be a key consideration. Every day the prevailing winds come across the Bay, moving west to east and often with significant velocity.
  
• Despite the latest in pollution control technology, the exhaust pipes will emit airborne toxins and particulate matter that includes high a ammonia-slip content. The winds will carry these exhaust plumes directly over densely populated business areas in Hayward as well as to adjoining communities.
  
• Despite the proposed sound muffling plan, noise pollution generated by the very high horsepower engines at these power plants will also travel to the east, accentuated by the same wind conditions off the bay.
  
• The Russell City Energy Center will invite aircraft disasters because the exhaust plumes will create clear air turbulence. Low-flying airplanes landing at and taking off from the Hayward Executive Airport will have little time to recover from encountering this type of air hazard.  Even Airport Land Use Commissioner Dave Needles is against the Russell City Energy Center.    
  
• We cannot go down to the store and buy a different brand of air because we don't like this one.  We can only breathe the air that surrounds us, period.  The Russell City Energy Center’s toxic exhaust plumes will contribute to pollution causing lung ailments and will most likely increase the number of asthma cases. On calm days these toxic plumes will hover and fall in close proximity to the power plant.  On windy days these toxic plumes will spread across Hayward and be carried over the Hayward hills. 
  
• Economically The Russell City Energy Center is a detriment to Hayward business, which already suffers from a glut of vacant industrial space.

The Fitch* rating in July, 2007 for Hayward, CA said in part:  The city risks structural imbalance if new revenue sources are not identified and if expenditure growth continues to outpace revenue growth. The city's population has below-average wealth indicators and the local housing market has been slowing down.

The city is located in Alameda County and, therefore, forms part of the Bay Area employment market. It has a census population of approximately 140,600. There has been minimal growth since 2000.

 

However, the city estimates that its daytime population is almost 148,000, indicating significant in-migration of daytime workers. The city's 10 largest employers collectively employ almost 20,000 people. Nevertheless, census data indicates that the city's labor force and employment has declined slightly since its 2001 peak. Further, the city's unemployment rate remains higher than Alameda County's and the state's unemployment rates, although the gap is narrowing. The city's per capita income and effective buying income are also lower than in the county and the state. 

• Residential real estate values will further suffer because California Civil Code 1102 requires all sellers of 1 to 4 dwelling units disclosure anything that could affect the desirability of the subject property.  This would mean sellers would have to disclose the location, fallout, and noise from the Russell City Energy Center and the potential of Shelter In Place possibilities.  These factors will reduce the number of sales, the selling prices, and the desirability.  
  
• The plans for the power plant are seriously flawed. For example, the proposed site is in a zone where liquefaction is expected from an inevitable Bay Area earthquake.
  
• The site is adjacent to marsh lands, which have a fragile ecosystem.
  
• Scientists who previously didn't believe in the global warming theory now see Antarctic melting as shown last night on the 60-minutes TV show documenting the significant changes. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/03/30/60minutes/main2631210.shtml  - The exhaust from the Russell City Energy Center would contribute to these global problems.

The California Energy Commission should not allow the Russell City Energy Center to be built.

 

Sincerely,

* Fitch Ratings is a leading global rating agency committed to providing the world's credit markets with independent, timely and prospective credit opinions.  Built on a foundation of organic growth and strategic acquisitions, Fitch Ratings has grown rapidly during the past decade gaining market presence throughout the world and across all fixed income markets.