September 9, 2014
Citizens Ready to Respond to
Draft Environmental Impact Report on
Proposed PG&E Project
45-Day Public Comment Period to Begin When
Draft EIR Is Released in October
Draft Environmental Impact Report on
Proposed PG&E Project
45-Day Public Comment Period to Begin When
Draft EIR Is Released in October
APTOS, Calif. – Concerned citizens in Aptos, Corralitos, and Watsonville are preparing for the next step in the review process for a proposed PG&E power line project in their communities. Neighbors Organized to Protect Our Community (NOPOC), an all-volunteer grassroots association, has raised funds to retain a top environmental lawyer and a highly respected power system expert to review the Draft Environmental Impact Report on the massive PG&E Santa Cruz 115 kV Reinforcement Project. The California Public Utilities Commission is expected to release the Draft EIR in October.
"There is a common misconception that an Environmental Impact Report is an objective and impartial analysis done by an independent party simply to determine how a project will affect the environment," said Dr. Thomas Barker, a founding member of NOPOC. "In fact, an EIR is a carefully constructed argument that tries to demonstrate that a project will not adversely affect the environment. An EIR is intended to determine mitigations – 'fixes' – to remove environmental obstacles that stand in the way of a project’s approval.
"That is why NOPOC has engaged experts to analyze the Draft EIR from legal and technical perspectives and to develop alternative solutions," Barker continued. "We support safe and reliable electric power that is environmentally responsible and economically efficient. Unfortunately, PG&E's proposed project fails to achieve these goals. That is why it is essential that community members continue to support our efforts by contributing their time, energy, and money, and by sending their comments to the California Public Utilities Commission when the Draft EIR is released."
The public, ratepayers, and concerned citizens will have 45 days to comment on the Draft EIR. The document was originally scheduled to be released this summer, but has now been delayed until October. No explanation for the delay was given.
"It will be up to the public to point out the flaws, faults, and false assumptions in the Draft EIR during the 45-day comment period," said NOPOC member Jim Kerr. "The CPUC has made 10 requests for additional data from PG&E, and several of the Commission's requests raise the same questions that we are asking. When we reviewed PG&E's responses, we found that 16 out of the last 32 replies were unsubstantiated, incomplete, inaccurate, or did not answer the question that the CPUC posed."
A detailed evaluation of PG&E's responses to the CPUC's requests for data can be found on the NOPOC website: http://www.nopoc.org/evaluation-of-pge-responses-to-data-requests.html.
In the six months since NOPOC was organized, the all-volunteer organization has held a series of community meetings to raise awareness of the proposed project, raised funds to retain an attorney and power system expert, created an informational website, distributed newsletters in the affected neighborhoods, contacted elected representatives at all levels of government, and engaged hundreds of citizens through social media.
About NOPOC: Neighbors Organized to Protect Our Community is a grassroots association of Santa Cruz County residents and concerned citizens who are working together to preserve and protect the natural beauty and character of the community. The association seeks to raise awareness of the impact of the proposed PG&E Santa Cruz 115 kV Reinforcement Project on the environment, wildlife, livestock, agriculture, businesses, and homes in the affected area, and to propose environmentally responsible and economically effective alternatives.
For More Information
NOPOC on Facebook: www.facebook.com/neighborsOrganized
Email: info@nopoc.org
Address: P.O. Box 2425, Aptos, CA 95001
Phone: 831-613-1639
Media Contact:
Rick Voegelin
(831) 761-2201
rick@nopoc.org
"There is a common misconception that an Environmental Impact Report is an objective and impartial analysis done by an independent party simply to determine how a project will affect the environment," said Dr. Thomas Barker, a founding member of NOPOC. "In fact, an EIR is a carefully constructed argument that tries to demonstrate that a project will not adversely affect the environment. An EIR is intended to determine mitigations – 'fixes' – to remove environmental obstacles that stand in the way of a project’s approval.
"That is why NOPOC has engaged experts to analyze the Draft EIR from legal and technical perspectives and to develop alternative solutions," Barker continued. "We support safe and reliable electric power that is environmentally responsible and economically efficient. Unfortunately, PG&E's proposed project fails to achieve these goals. That is why it is essential that community members continue to support our efforts by contributing their time, energy, and money, and by sending their comments to the California Public Utilities Commission when the Draft EIR is released."
The public, ratepayers, and concerned citizens will have 45 days to comment on the Draft EIR. The document was originally scheduled to be released this summer, but has now been delayed until October. No explanation for the delay was given.
"It will be up to the public to point out the flaws, faults, and false assumptions in the Draft EIR during the 45-day comment period," said NOPOC member Jim Kerr. "The CPUC has made 10 requests for additional data from PG&E, and several of the Commission's requests raise the same questions that we are asking. When we reviewed PG&E's responses, we found that 16 out of the last 32 replies were unsubstantiated, incomplete, inaccurate, or did not answer the question that the CPUC posed."
A detailed evaluation of PG&E's responses to the CPUC's requests for data can be found on the NOPOC website: http://www.nopoc.org/evaluation-of-pge-responses-to-data-requests.html.
In the six months since NOPOC was organized, the all-volunteer organization has held a series of community meetings to raise awareness of the proposed project, raised funds to retain an attorney and power system expert, created an informational website, distributed newsletters in the affected neighborhoods, contacted elected representatives at all levels of government, and engaged hundreds of citizens through social media.
About NOPOC: Neighbors Organized to Protect Our Community is a grassroots association of Santa Cruz County residents and concerned citizens who are working together to preserve and protect the natural beauty and character of the community. The association seeks to raise awareness of the impact of the proposed PG&E Santa Cruz 115 kV Reinforcement Project on the environment, wildlife, livestock, agriculture, businesses, and homes in the affected area, and to propose environmentally responsible and economically effective alternatives.
For More Information
NOPOC on Facebook: www.facebook.com/neighborsOrganized
Email: info@nopoc.org
Address: P.O. Box 2425, Aptos, CA 95001
Phone: 831-613-1639
Media Contact:
Rick Voegelin
(831) 761-2201
rick@nopoc.org
