Santa Clarita Overruled on Power Plant

Tenneco Oil Co. on Thursday won another round in its fight to build a power plant in Santa Clarita that a homeowner association says would contaminate ground water.

At Tenneco’s request, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Miriam A. Vogel lifted a city order that had halted construction of the $35-million plant on Sept. 1.

Tenneco will now rush to complete the plant in Placerita Canyon before permits for the project expire Nov. 22, said Gregory C. Brown, a company attorney. If the company misses the deadline, the project could not be completed and Tenneco would lose more than $100 million, Brown said.

The co-generation plant is being built on an old oil field near Placerita Canyon Road and Sierra Highway. Steven R. Charles, project coordinator, said the plant will pump steam into the ground to recover more than 30 million barrels of oil. The steam will also power generators to produce electricity for Southern California Edison Co.

Moratorium Approved

The Santa Clarita City Council approved a moratorium to block the plant on Dec. 15, 1987, the day the city incorporated.

But before Santa Clarita could organize its government, Los Angeles County issued four building permits for the project in May, July and August, 1988. The county Department of Public Works was unaware of the moratorium when it issued the permits, city attorneys said.

When the city learned of the county’s action in August, it ordered Tenneco to stop construction, saying the permits were illegal. Vogel said in November that Tenneco should not be penalized by the error and told the city to lift the order.

But the order remained firm when the city asked Vogel to reconsider her decision. At another hearing last month, Vogel refused to change her November ruling, prompting the city to file a formal appeal on Dec. 21.

But Vogel’s ruling Thursday allows Tenneco to continue building while the city’s appeal is heard.

Vogel said she had to allow the project to continue because Tenneco would suffer irreparable damage if its permits with the South Coast Air Quality Management District were to expire before the plant is completed.

Brown said the permit deadline already has been extended once and cannot be extended again.

Vogel said she wondered why the City Council and Santa Clarita residents feared Tenneco’s proposal.

“You know what I’ve always had a problem with in this case? I don’t really understand the city’s opposition to a co-generation plant in the middle of an oil field,” Vogel said.

She said the fears would be more understandable if Tenneco were putting the plant in the middle of a residential neighborhood.

Council members and the Placerita Canyon Homeowners Assn. say the plant will pollute the air and ground water and will disrupt the canyon’s tranquillity.

Brown said it will take 10 1/2 months to complete the half-built plant, barely enough time to beat the Nov. 22 deadline.