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 ROB SIMPSON NEEDS YOUR
HELP! Do you want someone elected to the City
Council who is making a difference and going the extra
mile for YOU , your property values, your air
quality and your community even as you read this
e-mail?
We need Rob
Simpson elected to the Hayward City
Council.
He has experience.
He has committment.
He has been working to improve Hayward for
years.
He has gone the extra mile to stop both power
plants and is getting results!
What has Rob been up to
lately?
Rob filed an appeal with the Bay Area Air
Quality Management District and then with the
Environmental Protection Agency in Washington
DC.
Alameda County has joined Rob's appeal.
Because of Rob's efforts, the permit for the Russell
City Energy Center has been suspended until a judge
rules on the matter.
Rob also filed a legal injunction against
Tierra Energy/Eastshore Power Plant and is working
to stop it as well as the Russell City plant.
He has done countless hours of research and work on
this issue and many more important issues concerning
Hayward. He is a founding member of the Hayward Clean
and Green Task Force and Chairman of Hayward's first
Sustainability Committee. He has given over 30,000 free
trees to the community, all of this out of his own
pocket.
Rob needs your help!
He needs volunteers to deliver literature and help
with his campaign efforts.
He needs good people like you who care about
Hayward to rally behind him to make a difference!
We need a change in Hayward!
Call Rob ASAP at 510-909-1800 to speak
with him and find out how YOU can help!
City Council Candidates
Night:
Wednesday May
7th
7PM-9PM
Alameda
County
Flood Control
Conference Room
951 Turner
Court
Please Remember:
Despite
community outcry and testimony, City Council candidates:
Mr. Zermeno and Mr. Peixoto voted IN FAVOR of the
Eastshore Power Plant in 2007, while serving on the
Hayward Planning Commission. Mr Zermeno commented that
despite public opposition, we needed this power plant
to; "Power our electric toothbrushes".
Keep this in
mind when you vote June 3rd. We need informed and
responsive Council members who will do their
homework before approving catastrophic projects
so near to our homes and schools.
Many
candidates now claim to be "GREEN" largely because of
the huge public outcry against these plants. I am
here to tell you that ROB SIMPSON is THE REAL DEAL! He
has been a key figure in the power plant
opposition
As you know,
I say it like it is and I don't take this issue
lightly.
Please vote
for Rob Simpson on June 3rd (or sooner by Absentee
Ballot)
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Bill
takes aim at Eastshore plant
Legislation would strengthen communities' hands
in blocking new power facilities
Excerpt from an article by Karen Holzmeister,
STAFF WRITER
02/20/2008 SACRAMENTO — Proponents of the
Eastshore Energy Center might find it tougher to build
the 115-megawatt power plant in Hayward if state
legislation introduced Tuesday is successful.
Under a bill authored by
Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi, D-Hayward, local governing
bodies — such as the Hayward City Council — would have a
stronger voice in prohibiting a second power plant in
communities where one already exists or has been
approved.
Assembly Bill 1909
would prevent the California Energy Commission, which
decides if plants can be built, from overruling local
jurisdictions if approval violates community land-use
laws. Click here to read the
article
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Hayward
fights via land-use rules
City, residents
argue 115-megawatt facility would violate the law
By Matt
O'Brien, STAFF WRITER
Article Last
Updated: 01/15/2008
Following is an
excerpt from that article
HAYWARD — City officials and
residents on Monday made a final case before the
California Energy Commission, arguing that a proposed
115-megawatt power plant should not be built on Clawiter
Road.
After more than a year of
emotional debate, Hayward's strongest case for opposing
the plant appeared to be the city's contention that the
Eastshore Energy Center, if built, would violate local
land-use law.
The California Energy Commission, whose five board
members are appointed by the governor, is scheduled to
meet soon to approve or deny the project. The
commissioners could find that Eastshore does, or does
not, comply with Hayward's land-use and zoning laws.
But even if the commissioners agree with Hayward
officials and find the plant inconsistent, Tierra has
promised to call for an override.
The commission can override local laws if a power
plant is considered important enough to the regional
energy system that its negative effects are outweighed
by its benefits.
click here for the
entire article
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Energy commission gives
locals short shrift
By Matt O'Brien,
Staff writer
Following is an excerpt from that
article.
11/07/2007 - HAYWARD — The
California Energy Commission on Wednesday denied three
requests to reconsider its September approval of a
gas-fired power plant near the Hayward shoreline.
Several organizations, including
the Alameda County Board of Supervisors and Chabot
College, said they wanted their chance to have a say on
the 600-megawatt Russell City Energy Center but were
never properly notified.
The county's next step, according
to briefs filed with the California Supreme Court, is to
ask the court to overturn the commission's approval of
the plant.
Last year, Alameda County supervisors signed off on
the city of Hayward's efforts to incorporate Mt. Eden
land into the city. Part of the deal included an
exchange of property tax revenues related to the
construction of the Russell City Energy Center.
But county officials said they should have been told
more, and should have been invited at the highest levels
to participate in the power plant proceedings.
Commissioners Geesman, Pfannenstiel, James Boyd and
Arthur Rosenfeld disagreed with their complaints
Wednesday, denying the county's request to intervene in
the proceedings and also denying its request to
reconsider. Click here for the
entire article
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October 17, 2007 - Today the Alameda
County Land Use Commission formally recomended an
alternate site for the proposed project outside of the
Airport Influence Area for the Hayward Executive
Airport.
Based on all the
information reviewed regarding potential aviation
hazards and thermal plumes, staff recommends the
Airport Land Use Commission make the finding, by
adopting Resolution 02-2007, that the thermal plumes
of the proposed RCEC project are considered to be a
potential aviation hazard, and recommend the proposed
project be located at a site that will not pose a
hazard to aviation safety and that is outside of the
Airport Influence Area for Hayward Executive Airport.
As was done for the RCEC Resolution, staff has
included CEC staff recommendations in the Eastshore
Resolution for mitigation of potential hazards if the
project is ultimately approved.
October 12, 2007 - Hayward's new city manager
Greg Jones sent a letter to the CEC on October 9, 2007
urging them not to approve the Eastshore Energy center,
which is proposed for a site quite near the location of
the Russell City Energy Center. Greg Jones' letter to
the CEC -
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Final Decision of the CEC approving Calpine's
Russell City Energy Center Click here
September 26, 2007 - The California Energy
Commission today approved the Russell City Energy Center
in the densely populated west Hayward area just
north of the San Mateo Bridge. Matt O'Brien's
article
While Calpine with the
unanimous support of the CEC is busy
polluting the air, Robert E.
Fishman Ph.D., Power Operations Executive Vice
President, is leaving Calpine to join a solar
energy company headquartered in California, as
Chief Executive Officer. Bob Fishman leaves
Calpine for Solar power
Electric Power Industry Leader
Joins Ausra
Robert Fishman, Former EVP
of Calpine, Will Take Solar Thermal Power Company to
Scale, Make Renewable Energy Competitive With Fossil
Power
PALO ALTO,
Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ausra, Inc., the developer of
utility-scale solar thermal power technology, today
announced that Robert E. Fishman will be joining the
company as chief executive officer, effective October
15. Fishman was most recently Power Operations executive
vice president for Calpine Corporation, overseeing
operations, development and construction.
“Bob will lead
Ausra to the next stage,” said
Ray Lane, Kleiner, Perkins Caufield & Byers partner
and Ausra investor and board member. “Ausra’s
technology and cost position is solid, it has the best
scientists, power project developers and financiers
behind it, and now it has one of the most capable,
respected power industry executives in the United States
at the helm.”
“Bob managed
Calpine’s 24,500-megawatt
portfolio of plants and projects. This is exactly the
type of experience Ausra needs as it scales rapidly into
a large, utility-grade provider of cost-effective,
reliable, zero carbon electricity for the world,” said Vinod Khosla, founder of
Khosla Ventures and Ausra investor and board member.
Before joining
Calpine in 2001, Fishman was president of PB Power Inc.
During his nearly 30-year career, he has managed power
project engineering services for more than 6,000
megawatts of gas turbine and renewable energy projects.
He also has power plant operations experience as a chief
engineer in the U.S. Navy. Fishman holds a bachelor's
degree in mechanical engineering from the U.S. Naval
Academy, a master's and engineer's degree in mechanical
engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
and a doctorate in mechanical engineering from the
University of Maryland.
“We’re thrilled that Bob is joining us
to lead our team and our company to the next stage,” said Peter Le Lievre, Ausra’s co-founder and founding CEO, who
will continue in his role leading the company’s international projects. “To have reached this moment where we
are poised for rapid growth after decades of research by
my co-founder David Mills and nearly a decade of early
prototyping and business formation on my part is an
entrepreneur’s dream come
true.”
“During my years
working in the power industry I’ve seen technology changes in the
market that allowed great companies to form and then
become lasting enterprises making global
contributions,” said Fishman.
“Today is another transitional
moment in power technology, as Ausra offers
utility-scale zero-carbon generation with the price and
availability characteristics of today’s fossil-fired plants. I see decades
of opportunity as the solar thermal power industry
becomes the fastest-growing sector of electric power
worldwide, and expect Ausra to become and remain a major
player.”
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September 21, 2007 - The following
excerpt is from an article by Matt O'Brien. You
can read the entire article: FAA: Planned Power
Plant a Safety Risk
In a July letter, an official from a
different division of the FAA said pilots could avoid
the plant if the agency issued a "Notice to Airmen"
warning them to avoid the airspace above or near the
plant.
But the FAA backed off on that assertion this week.
"It will be virtually impossible for pilots to comply
with this (notice)," states the letter written by
Richard Cambra for FAA Regional Administrator William
Withycombe.
With navigable airspace already heavily constricted,
the officials say, adjusting runway traffic to
accommodate the power plant is not feasible.
It remains unknown how the letter will affect the
decision-making process for the five state energy
commissioners tasked to approve or deny the plant.
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FAA Correspondance regarding their position that the Russell
City Power Plant is hazardous.
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Follow the latest on
the CEC meetings to approve the Russell City Power Plant
in the densely populated area
of west Hayward
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September 21, 2007 - In a letter dated September
20, 2007 to the California Energy
Commision, Alice Lai-Bitker, Vice President,
Alameda County Board of Supervisors,
Third District states in part: "... I am troubled that
the unincorporated communities,
which include San Lorenzo and which are located next to
the City of Hayward, have not been
given adequate public notice about this project. Read her letter
here.
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This just in ... Unbeknow to any
of the watchdogs, the City of Hayward has been
processing an application since December, 2006 from
the Salem Broadcasting
Project which would permit Salem
Broadcasting to construct 4 two-hundred feet tall
towers and a building at 3050 W. Winton Ave. - Erik
Pearson with Hayward's Planning
Department is spearheading the approval for this
project. Does it seem to you that no one
in the city cares about Hayward?
Power Plant #2 laying in wait
... Tierra of Texas is continuing
their appeal to the California Energy Commission to
approve the Eastshore power plant in Hayward. The CEC Staff
Report and Tierra's reply pushing the CEC
to approve them spewing 56.4 tons of toxic particulate
matter into the air.
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September 19, 2007
- Last night several Hayward residents including yours
truly, Kim Finn, Audrey LaPell, President of CATS
and attorney Jewell Spalding appealed to the Hayward
City Council to reconsider their 2001 decision
approving the Russell City Energy Center.
The
Mayor and councilmembers refused, saying
they were going to stick with the deal they made
with Calpine even though this plant will spew
86.8 tons of toxic particulate matter into the air you
and I have to breathe.
The City Council remained unmoved by
the myriad of resident appeals. In so many words
they said they just couldn't disappoint Calpine who
intends to build a 600 Mega Watt,
gas-fired power plant on the west side of
Hayward.
Councilwoman Barbara Halliday had the nerve to
say the council would work toward keeping
Hayward clean and green. With that the audience
erupted in laughter and boos.
Once
again the Hayward City Council has demonstrated their
ineptness. Our only hope is in appealing to the
California Energy Commission.
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September 12, 2007 - Today in Sacramento
many Bay Area residents filled the audience at
the California Energy Commission hearing that was
expected to end in granting
final approval to Calpine's Russell City
Energy Center on the west side of Hayward. But
that did not happen.
Instead a reprieve of two weeks or more was
settled upon to allow the Flight Standards division of
the FAA time to further assess the negative impact the
power plant would have on airplanes landing
at, taking off from, and circling the Hayward
Executive Airport, one of the busiest airports in the
bay area with approximately 130,000 aircraft
operations a year.
What
is amazing to me is the health of hundreds of thousands
East Bay employees and residents continues not to matter
to the California Energy Commissioners.
If at the
next CEC meeting the CEC approves the
Russell City Energy Center they are
derelict in the duties to the citizens of California and
to the Governor's executive order. And if they
also approve the Eastshore Energy
Center, a stones throw away from the Russell
City site, they should all be criminally prosecuted
for crimes against humanity.
Contrary to
all those representations the CEC is pushing to approve
those two gas-burning, toxic particulate matter
emitting plants that will without question
dramatically and negatively affect the health of
hundreds of thousands of East Bay workers and residents,
harm the already fragile Eco system in the marshlands
adjacent to these toxic plants, create hazardous flying
conditions for airplanes landing at and taking off from
Hayward Airport, diminish property owner's rights
and reduce residential values with their so-called
"voluntary" fireplace retrofit program that no one in
their right mind would participate.
And, the
power generated from these plants would feed into a grid
benefiting electric users in other areas and other
states, with no promise that the bay area would
have power all the time.
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Consider
this ...
September
13, 2007 -- San
Jose’s Calpine Energy
Center sounds green, but it really stands
for an army of noisy, gas-fired engines the
size of your house spewing plumes of hazy brown
smog across the greater East Bay, not
just Hayward.
Calpine calls their plant the
“Russel
City” power
plant, which sounds far away, but it is physically
right here in the densely populated west side of the
City of Hayward
surrounded by businesses, residences, schools, eateries,
shopping centers, churches, colleges,
etc.
How
polluting is this?
This plant will dump
35,000 LBS. OF AIR POLLUTANTS
DAILY[1] into the
air breathed by workers and residents in and
around Hayward, Castro Valley, Union
City, Newark, Fremont air.
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People living and working in
and around the
one mile and six mile buffer
areas will be most affected.
Free to Everybody ...
especially those in the 6-mile buffer
Main Pollutents from the two Energy
Plants
PM10 (particulate
matter): A
criteria air pollutant consisting of small particles
with an aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to a
nominal 10 microns (about [1/7—the diameter of a single
human hair). Their
small size allows them to make their way to the air sacs
deep within the lungs, where they may be deposited and
result in adverse health effects. PM10 also causes
visibility reduction.
Nitrogen
oxide (NOx): A general term pertaining
to compounds of nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide
(NO2) and other oxides of nitrogen. Nitrogen oxides are
typically created during combustion processes, and are
major contributors to smog
formation and acid deposition. NO2 is a
criteria air pollutant, and may result in numerous adverse health effects.
Carbon monoxide (CO): A
colorless, odorless gas resulting from the incomplete
combustion of hydrocarbon fuels. CO interferes with the blood's ability to
carry oxygen to the body's tissues and results in
numerous adverse health effects. More
than 80 percent of the CO emitted in urban areas is
contributed by motor vehicles. CO is a criteria air
pollutant.
Organic
compounds: A large group of
chemical compounds containing mainly carbon, hydrogen,
nitrogen and oxygen. All living organisms are made up of
organic compounds. Precursor organic compounds (POC)
react with other compounds and can contribute to ozone.
Sulfur dioxide (SO2): A
strong-smelling, colorless gas that is formed by the
combustion of fossil fuels. Power plants, which may use
coal or oil high in sulfur content, can be major sources
of SO2. SO2 and other sulfur
oxides contribute to the problem of acid deposition. SO2
is a criteria air pollutant.
Source: California Air
Resources Board
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"It's time we hitch
up the horses, get a posse to round up
the
desperados, and show them a thing or
two."
 The
late John Wayne might have
said something like that
about people perpetrating the contamination
of the air we breathe. However, what the
Duke did say, was this ...
"Tomorrow
is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at
midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives
and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've
learned something from yesterday." -- John
Wayne
You and I are responsible for tomorrow
whether we want to be or not.
If you have yet to send letters
objecting to these power plants,
consider this:
Final Staff
Assessment Report for Russell City Energy
Center - read pages 4.1-7 through
4.1-16 to see how the CEC staff folded to
the wishes of the Russell City developers. To save the
developers money the CEC staff
is recommending a fireplace retrofit program
for the residents of Hayward. Essentially this
program would be a sum of $300 to $400 would be paid
to homeowners willing to plug up
their fireplace or convert it to gas logs only
and replace their furnace and air conditioner, which
of course would cost homeowners several thousand
dollars.
The
San Leandro Chamber of Commerce is supporting the
power plants for Hayward and has rallied their
vast membership to send letters supporting approval of
the two power plants. According to the article,
Gordon Galvan, a former San Leandro Council
Member, who has been hired by the
Tierra power plant company
persuaded San Leandro Chamber CEO Diana
Gentry to lend support to Tierra. I forgot
to mention, Mr. Galvan lives
in San Leandro. San Leandro Chamber
urges construction of Eastshore Energy
Center.
If
the CEC approves one or both of the power plants for
Hayward, they will set a
precedent, which they no doubt will
cite when placing other power plants in congested
areas. Until now all the other power plants
the CEC has approved sit on dramatically
larger parcels of land in the wide open spaces.
At the last meeting
of the Russell City and Eastshore power
plant applicants with the California Energy
Commission, Ms. Gefter, the hearing officer for
the CEC stressed this point: The CEC has
the power to "over-ride" a
municipality that does not want a power
plant if the CEC decides to put them
there.
When a member of the
audience questioned if other locations were
considered, she was told seven other
sites had been considered. When
she pressed as to where those other sites were located
it was revealed that they all were in
Hayward.
At
that meeting there was not an overwhelming
objection to the power plants. Only about
100 people came to the meeting. Why?
Because most were at work, or didn't know of the
meeting, or were just too busy.
The
commissioners were unimpressed by having received only
1,300 letters objecting to these power
plants.
The commissioners
seemed impressed that Mr. Raty, the
President of the Hayward Chamber of
Commerce said the chamber supports
both of the power plants.
However, members of the chamber spoke
against these power plants. The power plants the CEC is
considering for Hayward belong out in the
open range, maybe down in Death Valley where the Duke
and his possee wrangled with desperados. One thing for
certain is they sure don't belong in
town with all the city folks just a spit
away. By the way, Mr. Raty lives in
Pleasanton.
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The June meeting with the CEC
Commissioners ...
On Wednesday, June 6, 2007 the California
Energy Commission held a meeting in the City of
Hayward office building to further examine two
power plant applications. One is the Eastshore Energy
Center and
the other is the Russell
City Energy Center. In addition to
receiving progress reports from the CEC staff
and applicant representatives, CEC commissioners
listened to objections from Hayward leaders and
citizens.
The commissioners expressed concern
that Calpine's 600-megawatt Russell City Energy
Center will be able to reduce air-quality
problems. Another problem for the San
Jose-based company that wants to build the Russell City
plant on Enterprise
Avenue is to complete its project on time as
required by its agreement with Pacific Gas &
Electric Company.
No, No, it's a gift ...
It is
worth noting that in 2005 when the City of
Hayward approved Calpine's Russell City Energy Center it
was on condition of Calpine donating a
$10 million dollar "gift" to the City of Hayward.
(See the last paragraph on page 2 of the 10/11/05 City
Manager's Agenda Report ).
Maybe
they're not eating enough catsup ...
Although the
Eastshore and Russell sites are both zoned
industrial, the City of Hayward Planning Commission
recommended the City Council not
approve the Eastshore site. In reading both
planning commission reports it seems the Planning
Commission applied the same reasoning in
recommending disapproval
of Eastshore as it did in
recommending approval of Russell City. (See
the 2/15/07
Planning Commission Agenda Report ). The difference seems to be the $10
million donation.
In 2001 when the Planning
Commission recommended approval of Calpine's
application for the Russell City site
its primary concern was the aesthetic affects the
plant would have on visitors to Hayward via the San
Mateo Bridge. No concern was expressed
about air contamination the plant would produce.
(See report by Planning
Commission ).
It can't
be legal to inhale this stuff ...
The proposed Russell City
Energy Center (RCEC) on the west side of
Hayward would be a nominal 600-MW, natural-gas fired,
combined-cycle merchant power plant consisting of two
natural gas fired
combustion turbine generators, one steam turbine
generator and associated equipment, two fired
heat recovery steam
generators, a 9-cell wet cooling tower, and a 300 hp
diesel fired pump engine. The PDOC documents the Air Pollution Control
Officer’s preliminary decision to issue an Authority to
Construct for the
proposed RCEC.
According to
the BAAQMD, the plant is designed to run round the
clock, so the impact of high startup emissions is
reduced. The proposed power
plant would be permitted to emit the following maximum
quantities of regulated air pollutants:
Nitrogen
Oxides 134.6 tons per year
Carbon
Monoxide 389.3 tons per year
Particulate
Matter (PM10) 86.8 tons per year
Precursor
Organic Compounds 28.5 tons per year
Sulfur
Dioxide 12.2 tons per
year
The emissions
of nitrogen oxides (as NO2), carbon monoxide,
particulate matter (PM10), and precursor organic compounds associated with
this project will meet the Best Available Control
Technology (BACT) requirement of District Regulation 2-2-301.1. The
emission increases of nitrogen oxides and precursor
organic compounds
associated with this project will comply with the
emission offset requirements of District Regulation 2-2-302.
Click here for the
full report
Sort of like musical chairs ...
Or the old shell game ...
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Aerial view of original site for
the Russell City Energy Center is bounded by
red. That parcel is owned by Salen Broadcasting
Company and is no longer the site of
RCEC. At the top of the photo is the
City of Hayward's sewer treatment
plant.
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Aerial view of new location on
the Russell City Energy Center outlined in
the red. (See first paragraph on
page 2 of 10/11/05 City Manager's Agenda
Report ).
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Nitrogen
oxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide ... available at
a moment's notice!
Most of the June
6th meeting focused on the progress of the of
the Texas-based Tierra 115-megawatt peaker plant also
known as the Eastshore Energy Center. It is about
a 7 acre site at 25101 Clawiter Road in Hayward.
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California Energy Commission member Paul
Kramer speaks during a meeting with local
officials at Hayward City Hall on Wednesday, June
6, 2007. Hearing Officer Susan Gefter is
seated at left and Commissioner John
Geesman at right,
(Photo by: Jane
Tyska/The Daily
Review)
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The
Tierra's Eastshore Energy Center, which at 115 megawatts
would be about a sixth the capacity, is nevertheless not
far behind Russell City in its ability to pollute.
Eastshore
could release up to 54 tons of nitrogen oxide each
year, 84 tons of carbon
monoxide, 76 tons of precursor organic compounds, six
tons of sulfur dioxide and 64 tons of airborne
particulate matter, according to BAAQMD.
Eastshore
proponents say its efficiency is not as important
because it is designed specifically for "peaking" power
or power available at a moment's notice during a period
of high demand, generally occurring during daytime hours
and more frequently during the summer and times of
the year.
This "peaker"
plant will be able to fire up in 10 minutes during peak
usage to supply PG&E with energy for the greater bay
area. It is estimated the plant could start up no more
than 300 times per year and operate no more than 4,000
hours, just less than half the year.
However, residents say that is a problem because
the peaking plant is so close to where people live and
to where children attend schools. Hayward is
just not an appropriate place to build these
plants, nor is any other densely populated community.
"Over-ride" ... is that
like getting run over?
 Although the City of Hayward turned
down the Eastshore Energy Center, Susan Gefter, Hearing
Officer for the California Energy Commission reminded
everyone at Wednesday's meeting that even though
the CEC's rulings usually follow that of the cities
in which the proposed power plants are intended, it has
the power to "over-ride" local
community decisions.
Ms. Gefter added that the CEC did just that
in 2001 when they approved the proposed
600-megawatt, gas-fired Metcalf Energy
Center (photo at
right) located on a
20-acre site in the sparsely
populated Coyote Valley in south San Jose, and
again with the Los Steros
Plant in 2006.
Aerial view of proposed Eastshore
Energy Center is bounded by red.
This site is east of the
proposed Russell City Energy Center
site.
Immediately south of the site is
the processing center for Fremont Bank.
To the
right of the site is Life Chiropratic
College
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Toxic dust good for biotech ...
hmmm ... I didn't know
that.
Only two people in attendance spoke in favor
of the power plants. Scott Raty, President of
Hayward's Chamber Of Commerce voiced support for both
power plants. "We believe that incorporating a use like this
makes it attractive for other kinds of industry to be
here, for example biotech," said Raty. "Hayward's got a
pretty good concentration of biotech industries. It's
important to them to have reliable energy."
Supporters of
the power plants say the new plants would also bring in
property tax revenue, new jobs, and more financial
support for the community. They argue that upwards
of $1 million dollars would be spent in the local
economy as a result of the energy center being in
Hayward.
However,
residents across Hayward disagree. Kim Finn, who
has lived close to the Eastshore site most of her life
launched a letter writing campaign in February. To date,
the California Energy Commission has received about 1300
letters opposed to the plan.
The need for power in the Bay Area and
throughout California will continue to grow.
Decisions made by the CEC in approving sites
for power plants should not be at the expense of
people's health. Perhaps it is naive
to hope the CEC will keep the well-being
of California residents foremost in their
consideration of these power plant
locations.
Consider this ...
Though these proposed plants are
located on the west side of Hayward, the
prevailing southerly and easterly winds off the bay
will carry toxins across Hayward, the
Hayward Hills, and to surrounding areas
depending one the wind intensity.
These gas-engine plants release an
enormous amount of toxic particulate
matter into the air, the air you and I have to
breathe. 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. And that air
should not be made toxic because people
are too busy with demands on their own
lives to raise objection.
However, without public objection these
plants will be approved by the CEC and they will
be built. And, that's a
fact.
Give the CEC the power to say
"No!"
Ask your friends and co-workers
to join you. Send them a link to this
page. If you would like to receive email updates
tell me on the Contact
Joanne form.
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Is Hayward the next
Pittsburg?
Toxic Gas Leak Under
Investigation
May 27, 2007 - Pittsburg, Calif.
(KCBS/AP) -
"There's been a release from the Los
Medanos Calpine power plant in Pittsburg,"
explained Randy Sawyer, director for Contra Costa
County's hazardous materials program. "And basically
what it looks like is being released at this time is
chlorine gas and it looks like most of it is contained
on site but the chlorine is very toxic and some of it
could be going off site north side of the power
plant.
Sawyer said workers at the plant
accidentally mixed acid with bleach, creating a
chlorine gas. "It was definitely mistake, I think they
hooked up a delivery truck to the wrong tank, but I
don't know for sure," he said."
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The
500-megawatt Los Medanos Energy Center in
Pittsburg, as photographed in May 2001, contains
two natural gas turbine generators and one steam
turbine generator. The natural gas generator is
shown in the foreground. Hayward is up against the
possibility of having two power plants located in
the same area: Russell City Energy Center, a
600-megawatt combinedcycle turbine plant, and the
hotly contested Eastshore Energy Center, a
proposed 115-megawatt peaker plant.
(Nader
Khouri -
MediaNews) |
Contra Costa authorities are
investigating a chlorine leak at an energy plant in
Pittsburg which required a precautionary
shelter in place order.
The order was in place for an area 2,500
ft. to the north of the Los Medanos Energy
Station. It has since been lifted.
Workers at the plant were
mixing some materials and chlorine gas was released into
the building, injuring three people.
"We sounded the sirens in
the area and we're sending out telephone messages to the
people north of that area to shelter in place," Sawyer
described the initial response.
"It's a system that can
call like 500 people at a time," he described the
community warning program. "It'll call everybody that's
north of the facility."
Crews responded to the
scene to neutralize the leak.
Three people were taken to
the hospital, but their injuries are reported as
minor.
According to Sawyer,
chlorine can be a very harmful substance. "Chlorine can actually, if it's in
concentrations high enough, if you breathe it it can
affect the lungs very badly. It can actually produce an
acid like substance in your lungs. It can be
very dangerous to your lungs if you inhale it."
View Map of the
Location
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How to "Shelter In
Place"
 Shelter In Place for
Hazardous Materials Incidents
Description:
There was a hazardous chemicals emergency in
Pittsburg. Here is what those residents had to do
to try to protect
themselves.
Instructions:
People in the vicinity are advised
through public address systems, phone
systems, etc. to 'shelter in place'
immediately. That means: Go inside, and close all
windows and doors.
Turn off all
heaters, air conditioners, and fans. Unless you are
using your fireplace, close your fireplace dampers and
vents.
Cover any
cracks around doors or windows with tape or damp towels.
Stay off the
phone unless you need to report a life-threatening
emergency at your location. Wait and listen to
your radio to be told when it is safe to
go outside.
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Meet one of your new
neighbors?... There will be 13 more just like
it.
Above is a Wartsila
20V34SG natural gas-burning reciprocating
engine.
This is 1 of 14 engines
in Eastshore in Hayward if approved
by the CEC.
|
Fourteen
of these humongous Wartsila
engines, associated equipment, and towering
stacks would comprise the Eastshore
Energy
Plant in Hayward
near the intersection of Clawiter and Depot Road if
approved by the California Energy Commission.
The plant would not be able to
exceed annual emmissions of about 54 tons of nitrogen
oxides, 84 tons of carbon monoxide, 64 tons of
particulate matter, 76 tons of precursor organic
compounds (POC) and six tons of sulfur dioxide per
year. However, many Hayward residents and
Hayward business' object to breathing any
of these pollutents.
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The Air
We Breathe ...
What is ammonia?
Ammonia (NH3)
is one of the most commonly produced industrial
chemicals in the United States. It is used in industry
and commerce, and also exists naturally in humans and in
the environment. Ammonia is essential for many
biological processes and serves as a precursor for amino
acid and nucleotide synthesis. In the environment,
ammonia is part of the nitrogen cycle and is produced in
soil from bacterial processes. Ammonia is also produced
naturally from decomposition of organic matter,
including plants, animals and animal wastes.
Some chemical/physical
properties of ammonia are:
- At room temperature, ammonia is a
colorless, highly irritating gas with a pungent,
suffocating odor.
- In pure form, it is known as
anhydrous ammonia and is hygroscopic (readily absorbs
moisture).
- Ammonia has alkaline properties
and is corrosive.
- Ammonia gas dissolves easily in
water to form ammonium hydroxide, a caustic solution
and weak base.
- Ammonia gas is easily compressed
and forms a clear liquid under pressure.
- Ammonia is usually shipped as a
compressed liquid in steel containers.
- Ammonia is not highly flammable,
but containers of ammonia may explode when exposed to
high heat.
How is ammonia
used?
About 80% of the ammonia produced by
industry is used in agriculture as fertilizer. Ammonia
is also used as a refrigerant gas, for purification of
water supplies, and in the manufacture of plastics,
explosives, textiles, pesticides, dyes and other
chemicals. It is found in many household and
industrial-strength cleaning solutions. Household
ammonia cleaning solutions are manufactured by adding
ammonia gas to water and can be between 5 and 10%
ammonia. Ammonia solutions for industrial use may be
concentrations of 25% or higher and are
corrosive.
How can people be exposed to
ammonia?
Most people are exposed to ammonia
from inhalation of the gas or vapors. Since ammonia
exists naturally and is also present in cleaning
products, exposure may occur from these sources. The
widespread use of ammonia on farms and in industrial and
commercial locations also means that exposure can occur
from an accidental release or from a deliberate
terrorist attack.
Anhydrous ammonia gas is lighter
than air and will rise, so that generally it dissipates
and does not settle in low-lying areas. However, in the
presence of moisture (such as high relative humidity),
the liquefied anhydrous ammonia gas forms vapors that
are heavier than air. These vapors may spread along the
ground or into low-lying areas with poor airflow where
people may become exposed.
What is ammonia’s mechanism
of action?
Ammonia interacts immediately upon
contact with available moisture in the skin, eyes, oral
cavity, respiratory tract, and particularly mucous
surfaces to form the very caustic ammonium hydroxide.
Ammonium hydroxide causes the necrosis of tissues
through disruption of cell membrane lipids
(saponification) leading to cellular destruction. As
cell proteins break down, water is extracted, resulting
in an inflammatory response that causes further
damage.
What are the immediate
health effects of ammonia exposure?
Inhalation: Ammonia
is irritating and corrosive. Exposure to high
concentrations of ammonia in air causes immediate
burning of the nose, throat and respiratory tract. This
can cause bronchiolar and alveolar edema, and airway
destruction resulting in respiratory distress or
failure. Inhalation of lower concentrations can cause
coughing, and nose and throat irritation. Ammonia's odor
provides adequate early warning of its presence, but
ammonia also causes olfactory fatigue or adaptation,
reducing awareness of one's prolonged exposure at low
concentrations.
Children exposed to the same
concentrations of ammonia vapor as adults may receive a
larger dose because they have greater lung surface
area-to-body | | | |
