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Politics : High Tolerance Plasticity -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Think4Yourself who wrote (886)	3/3/2001 10:43:08 AM
From: gamesmistress	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 23153

I agree with you about the impending disaster in CA. The politicians are doing nothing to address the supply and demand issue, apparently because of fear of another "Proposition" undoing any rate hike, and the "consumer activists" continue to insist it's all the fault of the greedy utilities and out of state power generators. (I'd say that some generators did some gouging, but that is NOT the cause of the problem). And almost any announcement of a new power plant is met with resistance (one outside of San Diego is being met with hunger strikes by members of a local government). I posted this article on the National Energy Crisis thread as another example of the CA attitude - it cracked me up but it is a good example of the disconnect from reality. Posted at 9:53 p.m. PST Thursday, March 1, 2001 San Jose mayor announces plans for small plant south of downtown BY NOAM LEVEY Mercury News With pressure building on San Jose to help solve the state's power crisis by allowing a power plant in Coyote Valley, Mayor Ron Gonzales announced plans Thursday for a much smaller plant south of downtown and reiterated his pledge to build even more around the city. The power plant proposed by Jason DiNapoli, the 32-year-old scion of one of San Jose's most influential development families, represents the first new power plant proposal in San Jose since the city last fall roundly rejected Calpine Corp.'s controversial Coyote Valley project. And it marks the mayor's first substantive step to blunt growing criticism in Sacramento that Silicon Valley is shirking its responsibility to generate its own power. Gonzales hailed DiNapoli's 124-megawatt project -- along with Gilroy's proposal to host a major new power plant, also announced Thursday -- as evidence of the region's ability to generate enough power without Calpine's power plant. ``As we have in the past, we will develop real solutions to meet the needs of our growing community,'' the mayor said. But with pressure building in Sacramento to override San Jose and permit Calpine's proposed Metcalf Energy Center, it now appears less certain than ever that Gonzales and other Calpine opponents will be able to stop the Coyote Valley project. The state Assembly on Thursday unanimously approved a resolution sponsored by Saratoga Assemblywoman Rebecca Cohn urging the California Energy Commission to override San Jose and approve the 600-megawatt-hour Metcalf plant. Assemblyman Lou Papan, D-Millbrae, denounced Silicon Valley leaders on the floor of the Assembly as ``local yokels'' who have turned their backs on the energy crisis. ``One of the reasons we are probably in an energy crisis is that local officials have not made the kinds of decisions that would have enhanced our local supply,'' Papan said. The San Jose City Council last fall turned down Calpine's bid to build at the north end of Coyote Valley near planned high-tech campuses and residential neighborhoods. In the months since, as the state's energy crisis deepened, local leaders, including the mayor, have been forced to defend their decision against mounting criticism from state leaders, many of whom have now endorsed the project. Smaller plants in San Jose Last month in his State of the City address, Gonzales outlined his own energy plan with a promise that he would find other locations for power plants around Silicon Valley, including smaller plants in the city's industrial areas. Thursday's announcement was the first specific proposal to emerge since the mayor's pledge. The Spartan Energy Center, which would be built on a three-acre warehouse site along South Seventh Street near Spartan Stadium, has been warmly greeted by city officials, and DiNapoli said he was excited about the opportunity to get into the power business. But he faces some daunting challenges. The DiNapoli plant will likely use the same technology as Metcalf, even though Calpine's opponents have called on Calpine to use more advanced emissions control technology in Coyote Valley to limit discharge of harmful pollutants. New to the business DiNapoli also has no experience building power plants. His company, Spartan Power, was only formed four weeks ago and still does not have a board of directors. And already, there are grumblings from nearby residents. Several residents at Pepper Tree Estates, a mobile home park about a quarter of a mile from the proposed plant, said Thursday they were less than thrilled at the prospect of a power plant in their back yards. ``It doesn't sound like a good idea,'' said Charise Sandoval, a 26-year resident of the park. ``I don't think I like it, even if it is safe.'' But DiNapoli and city leaders said they won't be deterred. A spokeswoman for Spartan Power said the company will be looking for partners with experience in power plant development. Carl Salas of Salas O'Brien Engineers, which is doing preliminary engineering work on the project, said Spartan expects to file an application with the energy commission soon and believes it could complete the project in about two years. City leaders, including the mayor, argue that smaller plants in industrial areas will have far less impact on the environment and on local residential neighborhoods. ``I don't think this project will have the same effect as a bigger plant,'' Vice Mayor George Shirakawa Jr. said of DiNapoli's project, which would be in Shirakawa's district.