By Dana Matas

Today I received in the mail a "Power Plant Update" from the City of Carlsbad regarding its opposition to the proposed NRG Energy Power Plant along the Carlsbad coast and highway 5. In the mailer, the City highlights the multiple reasons why it opposes this project, which include safety, air pollution, and reduced home values among other things. Yet given these concerns, the City is still "willing to locate a new plant in its industrial area east of El Camino Real and North of Palomar Airport Road."

Those of us who live near the proposed alternative site know that this industrial area is tightly surrounded by residential property--arguably, it is surrounded by more homes than the existing site. Not to mention, should the alternative site prevail, the power plant would seemingly be in the direct line of flight traffic from nearby Palomar Airport--the busiest single-runway airport in the country that that has experienced several plan crash incidents in the last couple of years.

NRG Energy themselves has stated that the environmental and energy experts who conducted a comprehensive analysis of the alternative sites "concluded that an alternative site will not work due to significant adverse environmental and community impacts [as well as]...insufficient electrical transmission capacity" (click for link). 

So how does the proposed alternative power plant location make it any better or safer for Carlsbad residents? And why is the City of Carlsbad using our tax dollars to promote the interests of homeowners near the coast over those inland? Hopefully we can get answers to these questions by emailing the California Energy Commission at PAO@energy.state.ca.us or calling 1-800-822-6228. As well, it would be wise to attend the Public Hearings at the Hilton Garden Inn scheduled for Feb 1 and 2.

In the meantime, please take the time to review the other side to this issue. According to one North County Times article, the NRG Energy Power Plant as proposed is a net plus for Carlsbad (click for link). I will continue to research this issue as it develops and encourage my fellow Carlsbadians to do so as well.

**NOTE:  This blog posting was reprinted in the North County Times. Click here to view the article online.

For more blog entries by Dana Matas, visit http://www.according2dana.blogspot.com/