9/30/10
Good afternoon.
If you read the story in today’s BEE titled, “MID agrees to reconsider wood-burning power plant”, you probably got a very incorrect impression of what happened at yesterday’s “special” MID Board meeting.Let me state an absolute fact that the BEE refuses to report.
First, the BEE tells us that the proposed plant would “... help (MID) meet a state mandate to get at least 33 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2020.” Let me be very clear; THERE IS NO STATE MANDATE THAT REQUIRES MID TO ACQUIRE GREEN POWER. PERIOD. END OF DISCUSSION. I have attached the facts excerpted from the State of California Legislative Analysts’ web site.
Please read at least the three highlighted areas. You will see that “Publicly Owned Utilities”, or POU’s are exempt from all state mandates. MID is not telling you the truth, and MID is not telling the BEE the truth, and the BEE story is incorrect. (By the way, we did personally hand the attachment to the BEE.)Second, it is likely that the story headline is misleading.
If the “MID agrees to reconsider....”, it is STAFF who has made that decision, it is NOT the Board of directors who did so. It is my opinion that there is some VERY heavy duty strong arm pressure being put on the three Directors who correctly voted for the plant proponents to complete an EIR. It is obvious that MID management has a very significant agenda to build this plant, despite the lack of any requirement to do so.
One must ask “Why?”Third, plant proponents have steadfastly refused to do a complete Environmental Impact Report. They have said publicly and privately to me personally, that, “If we have to do an EIR, it would kill the project.” Fourth, the plant proponents have said, and the BEE has published, the comment, “The pollution coming out of the plant is very low.”
Privately, their documents submitted to the Air Pollution Board tell a very different story. If you want to know what that material says, please message me with your questions. But, let’s use our heads here. If you BURN coal to make electricity, you create gross pollution. If you BURN natural gas, you create gross pollution.
If you BURN diesel, you create gross pollution. So, we are supposed to believe that when you BURN WOOD, you will NOT produce gross pollution? Fifth, if the proponents CAN miraculously burn wood so clean that it complies with pollution requirements in MODESTO, let them prove it.
DO AN EIR. Oh, gosh, I forgot what they said in “Third”, above. All the Association has asked, all the MID Board of Directors have asked, and all MANY citizens have asked, is, DO AN EIR.
Prove that this plant will be clean, unlike any other plant in existence. JUST PROVE IT. If they can, we will be happy to have clean power. You know, life is pretty simple. Do the right thing, tell the truth, and you will be respected by those you serve. The MID needs to follow this simple advice.
Thank you,
Dave Thomas,
President, Stanislaus Taxpayers Association.
