Neighbors Fume Over Backing for Power Plant
As California struggles with a growing electricity crisis, regional air quality officials endorsed a proposed power plant in South Gate over the objection of neighbors and activists.
In a letter to state energy officials, the South Coast Air Quality Management District said preliminary tests indicate that the proposed 550-megawatt Nueva Azalea power plant will meet all air quality emission rules.
The proposed natural gas plant has generated strong objections in the heavily Latino, blue-collar city of South Gate because the community already endures the emissions of nearby industry as well as pollution from trains, diesel trucks and buses on local tracks, streets and the Long Beach Freeway.
A recent AQMD study found that the southeast Los Angeles County region has some of the highest levels of potential cancer-causing pollution in Southern California.
The letter sent Thursday by AQMD Executive Director Barry Wallerstein to the California Energy Commission angered environmental activists and neighboring city officials who are worried about the health effects of the power plant.
In his letter, Wallerstein said: "The AQMD believes that, given the present electricity crisis in California and the advancement of control technology resulting in ultra-low NOx emissions . . . the AQMD recommends that the California Energy Commission expedite the process of certification for this project."
NOx (oxides of nitrogen) is a chemical that makes smog brown and creates fine particulate pollution that has been linked to respiratory illness, heart attacks and premature deaths.
The California Energy Commission, which has been reviewing the proposal for the $256-million plant and holding public hearings and workshops for five months, is expected to make a final decision in August.
Designed to be as large as Dodger Stadium, the privately operated plant would be south of Southern Avenue, close to the Long Beach Freeway, on what is now a truck depot.
Alvaro Huerta, an organizer for Oakland-based Communities for a Better Environment, called the AQMD letter disturbing, noting that the plant is expected to generate more than 100 tons of pollution per year.
"We would hope the AQMD would take a more stringent approach to protect a disadvantaged population," he said.
The letter also was blasted by officials in Downey, a community downwind.
