2 Cities Intensify Fight Against Power Plant

The neighboring cities of Downey and South Gate have stepped up opposition to the first proposed power plant in Los Angeles County in 20 years, citing concerns over health risks and the effects on property values.

The South Gate City Council voted 3-0 this week, with two members abstaining, to oppose the 550-megawatt Nueva Azalea plant proposed for the industrial outskirts of that blue-collar community in southeast Los Angeles County.

But the vote is nonbinding, as will be a citywide referendum scheduled for March. The final decision to permit the plant rests with the California Energy Commission, which is scheduled to decide in August.

Neighboring Downey is trying to mobilize its own residents against the project by mailing out fliers today to all 39,000 households, alerting them to what critics allege are the plant’s potential hazards and urging them to attend a coming public hearing.

Gov. Gray Davis has declared the construction of new power plants a top priority for easing the state’s energy crisis. But the protest over the Nueva Azalea plant is an example of the ardent not-in-my-backyard opposition that such plants can face, especially in urban settings.

The plant is proposed for a 13.5-acre site now occupied by a diesel truck depot south of Southern Avenue, next to the Long Beach Freeway in South Gate, near the border with Downey. The natural gas-powered plant would be nearly the size of Dodger Stadium and would cost $256 million to build.

The project has already won the preliminary approval of the South Coast Air Quality Management District, which says the plant is expected to surpass all air-quality regulations and would help ease the power crisis.

Still, California Energy Commission officials say the plant would emit as much as 56 tons of oxides of nitrogen, 17 tons of carbon monoxide, 24 tons of volatile organic compounds and 287 tons of particulate matter into the air each year.

All four compounds contribute to the formation of smog and have been linked to health problems.

New Majority Opposes Plant

Until this week, the South Gate City Council had taken no position on the project. Critics say that inaction was based on anticipation that the plant would generate as much as $6 million per year in tax revenues for the city, plus $1 million in neighborhood improvements and $150,000 in community scholarships.

But a November recall election put in power a new majority that is vehemently opposed to the plant.

That majority voted against the plant Tuesday after a loud march on City Hall by Communities for a Better Environment, a Huntington Park group that calls the project an example of environmental racism because it is proposed in a heavily Latino, working-class community--a charge vehemently rejected by Sunlaw Energy Co., the company seeking to build the plant.

South Gate Mayor Raul Moriel said the health risks associated with the power plant are not worth the financial benefits.

“There is no amount of money that our city can make in revenues that is worth one life,” said Moriel, who voted along with council members Xochilt Ruvalcaba and Maria Benavides to oppose the project.

Councilmen Hector De La Torre and Henry Gonzalez abstained. De La Torre said he is concerned about the plant’s health risks but wants to wait until further studies are completed before taking a position.

Sunlaw officials strongly defend their project but promise to abide by the outcome of the March referendum.

“If the public wants us out, we will leave,” said Sunlaw project manager Tim Smith. “If they vote for us to stay, we will progress with our project.”

Sunlaw officials say the plant would be the cleanest power plant in the United States. They add that it would benefit Downey and other surrounding cities because it would generate far less air pollution than the diesel truck depot it would replace.

“The city of Downey is getting huge positive impacts from the power plant,” Smith said. “They are getting less pollution than they get from the trucks.”

Unlike South Gate, Downey stands to receive no financial benefits from the project. But, according to state energy officials, prevailing winds would blow about 85% of the power plant’s emissions into Downey.

“The simple fact is, we have nothing to gain from it,” said Downey Mayor Robert Winningham. “What we do gain is whatever is produced environmentally that is harmful.”

Winningham said the power plant would not be obligated to sell electricity to Downey in the case of blackouts.

The Downey City Council has already hired an environmental expert to scrutinize the proposal and is considering hiring a public relations firm to spread the word about it.

The council voted unanimously Tuesday to spend $8,000 to mail the fliers, urging residents to attend a hearing Wednesday hosted by the California Energy Commission.

Downey’s business community hardened its opposition to the project when real estate agents recently learned that the existence of the power plant would have to be disclosed on all residential real estate sales in the city.

Maria Larkin, president of the Downey Assn. of Realtors, said her organization fears the plant could endanger the health of Downey residents and reduce the value of their property.

“I know California is in an energy crunch now, but they need to get a better location,” Larkin said.