I-5 Widening Comments Due, Today

If you want to comment on the draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement underlying I-5 widening project in north coastal county, San Diego, today is your last chance. Not familiar with the plan? Take a look here. You don't have to be a lawyer, a scientist or a policy wonk to make a comment or ask a question or to tell them what you think. Did you know that they have to answer your questions? Ask away! I suggest e-mail or online since comments have to be in by 5:00 today. Doooooo it!

Email at I-5_NCC_EIR_EIS@dot.ca.gov; the District’s webpage www.dot.ca.gov.dist11; on www.keepsandiegomoving.com/I-5-Corridor/I-5-intro.aspx; and standard mail to Shay Lynn Harrison 4050 Taylor Street, MS-242 San Diego, CA 92110.

Southern California One Step Away from a Network of Marine Protected Areas.

Last week, over 700 surfers, students, divers, business owners, and elected officials turned out in record numbers to the Fish and Game Commission hearing.   This hearing was the last Fish and Game meeting before the Commission officially adopts a network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in December.  Here’s a great article about the meeting.  

Just a handful of Surfrider representatives (Bill Hickman, Joe Geever and Julia Chunn) amongst the hundreds of people who attended  the meeting. 

At the hearing, Surfrider representatives and local volunteers spoke in favor of implementing a strong network of MPAs and adopting the Integrated Preferred Alterative map (which the Commission has chosen to go forward under the State environmental review process; via the California Environmental Quality Act).   After 2 years of planning, thousands of letters, and hundreds of hours of public meetings, the Fish and Game Commission will finally implement a network of MPAs at the Dec 15^th meeting.  Don’t miss your opportunity to attend the last hearing and speak in favor of Marine Protected Areas, AND witness the Commission make its historic decision.  

If you are interested in attending this hearing (in Santa Barbara, please contact Stefanie at: Ssekich@surfrider.org). 

ACOE is Trashing Mission Beach

Media Contact: Bill Hickman 619-804-6264 or bill@surfriderSD.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Trashes Mission Beach with Dredging Project. Surfrider Foundation San Diego Chapter calls for cleanup and more testing.

San Diego, October 20, 2010 – Often it’s the tourists that trash Mission Beach, now an Army Corps of Engineers project is adding to it. Mission Beach residents and beach-goers have been shocked by debris left behind by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and its contractor, Manson Construction (headquartered in Seattle, WA). Right now a top concern is beach safety as many sharp objects are turning up.

The United States Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) through their contractor are in the middle of a dredging project in Mission Bay to make it safer for boat traffic. The name of the approximate $5.3 million project is “Mission Bay Dredging and Beach Nourishment”. As the name of the project implies, material that is dredged up from Mission Bay is being pumped up the beach through large pipes to various sections of Mission Beach.

Unfortunately, the material being dredged up has included an abundance of debris with apparently no attempt to clean it up. “Beaches should be barefoot friendly but right now we are advising everyone to watch their step on Mission Beach near the dredge and fill project. When I walked the tideline on Tuesday I found armfuls of debris, everything from outdated soda and beer cans to old fishing gear to degraded lobster traps wrapped with wire to leftover caution tape from the project. At first glance it did not look bad but once I got on the beach I was pretty shocked.”, said Surfrider Foundation San Diego Chapter Coordinator Bill Hickman. Photos can be found here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/surfridersandiego/sets/72157625202042496/

The trash (which includes beer cans, sharp metal objects, discarded fishing material and more) is being pumped out right at the water line, allowed to drain, and is then graded into the existing sand. There is no apparent effort by the ACOE or Manson Construction to screen their dredge material to make sure that they are only depositing “clean, beach quality sand”, as their own construction sign indicates.

Multiple residents and beach-goers have been appalled to see old trash and debris being deposited on their local beaches and are concerned about its long term health, environmental, and financial impacts to the surrounding community and businesses.

“Surfrider is calling on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to stop trashing our beaches and to clean up the mess that they’ve already made. In addition they need to increase testing of the water and sand near the outfall to make sure it’s up to health standards.”, said Hickman.

###

Time and Date Set for Important MLPA Meeting. Please Attend!

October 20th is the date for one of the most (if not THE most) important meetings for the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) in the south coast region!

We need supporters of the final map (the Integrated Preferred Alternative (IPA)) to attend the hearing and show your support.  

The meeting begins at 10am and they will take ‘public comment’ shortly after.  You will more than likely have one-two minutes to share your support for the IPA.  If you would like to attend and speak in support of the IPA, and need help with talking points, please contact Stefanie at:  Ssekich@surfrider.org  

If you haven’t already, please take 30 seconds to fill out our action alert asking the Fish and Game Commission to adopt the IPA here.   

Fish & Game Commission Meeting

Date:                     October 20th, 2010
Arrival Time:      9:45am
Start Time:          10:00am
Location:             Four Points by Sheraton
                                8110 Aero Drive, San Diego 92123 map

Actual Agenda: Click here 
 

How Do We Feel About Prop 23? We are Philosophically Opposed.

There's been some confusion on how Surfrider Foundation feels about Proposition 23. Some previous posts were a bit more strongly worded than we would have liked and we felt that there was a need to clarify our position. Surfrider Foundation agrees that this is very important statewide legislation and we are philosophically opposed to Prop 23 (as you can see from our Global Warming Policy linked here: http://www.surfrider.org/policy_gw.asp). However, Surfrider Foundation is also required to make a concerted effort to limit the amount of legislative advocacy that we do in the State of California. For IRS tax purposes of being a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, we must limit our legislative advocacy to an "insubstantial" amount.

This year, we have chosen to support very few bills that fit directly in line with our coastal advocacy programs, such as AB 1998 to ban single-use plastic bags. This bill directly addressed a primary source of marine debris found on our beaches. We also supported AB 1834, which is a bill that affirmed people's right to collect rainwater, consistent with the water runoff and conservation measures of our Know Your H2O program. For more information on these programs, visit www.riseaboveplastics.blogspot.com and http://www.knowyourh2o.org/

Opportunities for those Against Prop 23

We suggest you all vote (and don't forget to vote yes on 21 for our state parks). If you are against Proposition 23 and want to take an active effort against this Proposition there are volunteer opportunities with our friends at Sierra Club, see below excerpt.

We will be calling voters from house parties and phonebanks throughout San Diego County. There are two great ways that you can help out with the campaign:

1) by attending a phonebank at the Sierra Club office this week Mon-Thu 6-8:30 pm or Sat-Sun 2-5pm.

2) by hosting a phonebank of your own.

If you want to help call interested voters, call me at (858) 569-6005, or email me at aadams@sierraclubsandiego.org

Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/sdnoon23

Or just come down to the office at 8304 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Ste 101, San Diego, CA 92111.

Thanks for your support!

South Coast MLPA Updates

Mark your calendars!  The Fish and Game Commission will be holding the final 'discussion hearing' about the MLPA process in San Diego on Oct 20-21 (we are still not sure what day they will specifically discuss the south coast MLPA, but mark your calendars, regardless). The final 'adoption hearing' will be in Santa Barbara (Dec 15-16).  

In other Commission news... this week, the Commission held an "emergency meeting" to discuss delaying the final environmental review process--which would have been a set back for the implementation date.  Fortunately the Commission voted to only postpone comments for the Draft Environmental Impact (DEIR) by 15 days instead of 45; so the hearings in San Diego and Santa Barbra are still on track.

In the next few days Surfrider will be re-launching our Action Alert asking the Commission to adopt the IPA (the final map that is before them).  Surfrider spent the past 2 years meeting with a diverse community of people invested in the MLPA process and we believe the IPA map meets MLPA guidelines; contains viewpoints from conversationalists and fishermen alike; and in the end, the IPA will produce productive Marine Protected Areas in the future (which is vitally important to both the Surfrider Foundation and the Fish and Game Commission).

If you have questions about the upcoming hearings and would like to testify in support of the IPA, please contact Stefanie at:  Ssekich@surfrider.org

Surfrider Action Network Meeting

It was a frustrating legislative session in Sacramento for those of us who supported AB 1998 and other measures. It was equally frustrating locally when we could not get our representatives and local officials to support the measure. Surfrider Foundation San Diego Chapter is ready to help better inform our local leaders about our campaigns, initiatives and our mission. We will be looking for dedicated volunteers in their communities to help get our message out and be our eyes and ears in their local communities. Join us by attending the meeting on October 4 (click the above title).

Park Protection Efforts Move Forward.

Last winter we wrote about the poor state of our state park system.  The Surfrider Foundation has an affinity for parks--not only because our Save Trestles campaign stopped a toll road from running through San Onofre State Park (and potentially ruining the surrounding watershed); but we also appreciate the state park system because 7 of the top 10 most popular parks in California are located along our precious coastline!     


California's state parks are falling apart because of decades of underfunding.  State budget cuts are causing parks to 'fall behind in the system' and there is currently more than $1 billion 'backlog' of maintenance. Our state parks are struggling financially and need permanent funding to ensure they are maintained (i.e. hiking trials, campsites, bathrooms, visitor centers, kiosks, etc), AND that enough staff and personal are hired to ensure our parks are safe (i.e. lifeguards, rangers, facility managers, etc).
 Last November, the Surfrider Foundation supported the California State Park and Wildlife Conservation Trust Fund Act of 2010 as a way to maintain healthy parks.

This summer, the California State Park and Wildlife Conservation Trust Fund Act officially qualified for the November ballot; now called Proposition 21.  Prop 21, slated for the Nov 2 election, will create stable and adequate funding for parks.  The funding would come from an annual "State Park Access Pass" surcharge of $18 per California vehicle.  The surcharge will apply to California vehicles and in exchange, they would receive free day-use admission to Parks throughout the year. 

The folks running the ballot initiative are looking for supporters and volunteers, please visit their website.
  

Please review a recent blog post about why Surfrider is supporting park protection efforts.

Do YOU Live Here? South Bay and Imperial Riverside Counties!

Do you live here? This is the 40th Senatorial District of California, home of Senator

Denise Moreno Ducheny. If you live here or own a business here, we need your support to ask Senator Ducheny to back AB 1998, legislation that would eliminate single-use plastic bags certain stores.

See facts on the bill here and here and a suggested form letter for a business.

Please write and give Senator Ducheny a call locally at

Chula Vista District Office

637 3rd Ave.,
Suite A-1
Chula Vista, CA 91910
(619) 409-7690
(619) 409-7688 fax

El Centro District Office

1224 State St.,
Suite D
El Centro, CA 92243
(760) 335-3442
(760) 335-3444 fax

Coachella District Office

53990 Enterprise Way,
Suite 14
Coachella, CA 92236
(760) 398-6442
(760) 398-6470 fax

Do YOU Live Here? North County!

Do you live here? This is the 38th Senatorial District of California, home of Senator

Mark Wyland. If you live here or own a business here, we need your support to ask Senator Wyland to back AB 1998, legislation that would eliminate single-use plastic bags certain stores.

See facts on the bill here and here and a suggested form letter for a business.

Please give Senator Wyland a call locally at

Carlsbad Office

1910 Palomar Point Way, #105
Carlsbad, CA 92008
Phone: (760) 931-2455
Fax: (760) 931-2477

Please Help Us Pass AB 1998

Please help us pass AB 1998, the California bill that reduces plastic bag litter by banning single-use grocery bags, and adding a 5 cent fee for paper bags. The general public can take action by clicking here, but we especially need them from our business community. If you live or work in their district, please consider sending a letter from your firm in support of this bill.

A sample letter is provided. Please email it to 3 places:

1) Your Senator (http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html)

2) bob.franzoia@sen.ca.gov, the staffer on the Appropriations committee

3) AB1998@surfridersd.org

[Put this entire letter on your letterhead. Please fill in the parentheses, and feel free to change the language as you desire.]


[Insert full date here]

The Honorable [Your Senator’s Full Name Here]
State Capitol, Room [ room number goes here ]
Sacramento, CA 95814
Fax : (916) [ fax number goes here]

RE: AB 1998 (Brownley) Single-Use Bag Reduction Act - Support

Dear Senator [Last Name Here]:

On behalf of [Your Business Name Here], I am writing to express our support of the Single-Use Bag Reduction Act (Assembly Bill 1998) as amended.

I am a California business owner/operator in your Senate district and I support taking immediate action to ban plastic grocery bags. I believe that this is an issue that needs to be addressed at the state level to avoid piece-meal legislation that can lead to confusion. As you know, plastic bags are the most ubiquitous consumer item designed to last for minutes but may persist in our marine environment for hundreds of years. While our community has very strong waste diversion and recycling programs, we can not reasonably recycle our way out of the problem that plastic bags cause to our local marine environment.

Despite efforts to expand recycling programs, less than 5% of single-use plastic bags are currently being recycled. The rest of these bags end up in our landfills or as litter, clogging storm drain systems, and making their way to our waterways and ocean. It is estimated that 60–80% of all marine debris, and 90% of floating debris is plastic. Plastic lasts for hundreds of years in our environment and may never biodegrade in the ocean. As a result, it poses a persistent threat to wildlife. Plastic litter, including plastic bags, has impacted over 267 species worldwide.

Paper bags are not a viable alternative to plastic bags. Paper bag production contributes to deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, and waterborne wastes from the pulping and paper making process. Even compostable plastic bags made of plant-based sources have not proven to degrade in the ocean. Instead, they require industrial composting facilities, and only a small number of cities currently support the infrastructure to collect and dispose of compostable bags properly.

As citizens of a vibrant coastal community, we pride ourselves on our beaches, as well as the healthy lagoons that border our community. Our natural environment resources are an economic benefit to our community and we endeavor to invest wisely in caring for them – and, have very dedicated volunteers who come out on a regular basis to help remove litter and marine debris, including plastic bags, bottle caps, balloons, and other plastic items. These marine debris items pose a threat to marine life, and can be an economic blight to our beach related economy.

San Francisco, Malibu, Fairfax, and Palo Alto have banned plastic bags and at least 20 more cities in California are considering this approach. Rather than taking a piecemeal city-by-city approach, AB 1998 will create one uniform policy for addressing all types of single-use bags to encourage consumers to use reusable bags, the most sustainable alternative. This is a matter of statewide importance and we strongly support the effort being put forth through AB1998 to ban plastic carryout bags and no longer allow free paper carryout bags.

California has a critical role to play in becoming a true leader in eliminating plastic bag waste and preventing the proliferation of plastic pollution in our communities. The passage of AB 1998 will be a major step in breaking our addiction to single-use bags and will protect our coasts and beaches from unsightly and costly pollution caused by single-use plastic bags.

Sincerely,



cc: Surfrider Foundation San Diego Chapter

AB 1998 Fact Sheet

Revised 7/16/10

ASSEMBLY BILL 1998

Single-Use Bag Reduction Act

WHAT THE BILL WOULD DO:

Existing law requires an operator of a store, as defined, to establish an at-store recycling program that provides to customers the opportunity to return clean plastic carryout bags to that store. This requirement is repealed on January 1, 2013.

This bill would repeal those at-store recycling program requirements on January 1, 2011, and would instead, on and after January 1, 2012, prohibit a store of a certain size (July 1, 2013 for smaller stores), as defined, from providing a single-use carryout bag to a customer and mandate that the store offer reusable bags or recycled paper bags (at 5 cents each) for sale.

WHY THE BILL IS NEEDED:

• To reduce the ever increasing amount of marine debris in our oceans and waterways. According to the California Coastal Commission, the majority of marine debris is composed of plastic materials; 60 to 80 percent overall and 90 percent of floating debris

• To stem the pollution resulting from an low recycling rate of 5% with bags ending up in our landfills or the environment

• To recognize that The North Pacific Gyre in the Pacific Ocean is home to the largest accumulation of plastic pollution, now estimated to be the size of the United States and is increasing rapidly.

• To address the threat to 267 species of wildlife, from marine debris through ingestion or entanglement, including sea turtles, fish, marine mammals, and various species of sea birds.

• Plastics made from bio-based sources that are marketed as "compostable" or "biodegradable" are not environmentally sound alternatives to plastic carryout bags because they have not been shown to degrade in aquatic environments and require conditions only available in composting facilities to rapidly break down into constituents that assimilate back into the environment. Most Californians lack access to composting facilities capable of accepting compostable plastic bags.

• Paper bags made from virgin materials are not environmentally sound alternatives to plastic carryout bags because the production of these types of bags contributes to deforestation, natural resource depletion, greenhouse gas emissions, and waterborne wastes.

• Recycled content paper carryout bags are recyclable and have fewer negative impacts than virgin paper bags, recycled content paper carryout bags are not environmentally sound alternatives to plastic carryout bags, because the production of these types of bags contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and waterborne wastes.

TAKE ACTION NOW

Register your Business Support

Please Attend Gregory Canyon Landfill Hearing

Please attend the Gregory Canyon Landfill hearing tomorrow. This dangerous project would impact our watersheds and beaches downstream. See the following notice from our friends at Sierra Club for information and transportation.

As you know the proposed Gregory Canyon Landfill threatens the San Luis Rey River and its vital fresh water supplies. It would also desecrate a sacred mountain. The US Army Corps of Engineers will hold a public hearing to "scope" the contents of an Environmental Impact Statement being prepared for the project. We hope to get a large turnout to demonstrate opposition to the project. Testimony is welcome and should focus on the lack of demonstrable need for the landfill and the imperative of a Least Environmentally Damaging Practicable Alternative (LEDPA) that does not have the severe impacts associated with this site.

Here are the particulars:

June 3, 2010

6:00 p.m.

City of San Marcos Senior Center

Horizon Room

111 Richmar Avenue,

San Marcos, CA 92069

Please let your members know and otherwise try to round up attendance -- especially by signing up for the chartered bus the Sierra Club is organizing. Here is the information for the bus -- please pass along!

Ride With Us on a Charter Bus To Protect Drinking Water!
Gregory Canyon Landfill Army Corps of Engineering Hearing
June 3, 2010 6:00pm
City of San Marcos Senior Center (Horizon Room)
111 Richmar Avenue

4:30 PM -- Bus departs Sierra Club office
8304 Clairemont Mesa Blvd, San Diego
Return, leave Senior Center between 8:30 and 9:00
** Snacks and Water, will be provided
LET US DO THE DRIVING!
Call 858-569-6005 to save your space!

Please ATTEND the public meeting and tell the Army Corps of Engineers to protect our aquifers, the San Luis Rey river basin, the wildlife and precious drinking water supplies that come from this region! We need to make a bold statement; the more people who attend the meeting, the louder the message will be to the Corps.
It is important that the Army Corps get the message loud and clear that placing a garbage dump in a river basin makes NO SENSE! Garbage and water is a recipe for disaster.

For more information contact Ed Kimura at emkimura@earthlink.net or 858-569-2025; or Pam Epstein at pepstein@sierraclubsandiego.org or 858.569.6005.

Take Action to Eliminate Single-Use Plastic Bags

Recently we told you about AB 1998, legislation in Sacramento that would ban single-use shopping bags. Sufrider Foundation Global HQ has put out this Action Alert. Please take a moment and register your support for this important legislation.

Surfspots, Drinking Water and Beaches Imperiled

Sierra Club San Diego is hosting a meeting tonight on the very risky Gregory Canyon Landfill. This horrific project would result in contamination of drinking water, foul the San Luis Rey River and contaminate surfspots and beaches downstream. See the meeting notice below.

Attend a informational meeting on Gregory Canyon Landfill this Wednesday, May 26, 2010, 6:30pm during the Land Use Committee meeting, at the Sierra Club Office located at 8304 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Ste. 101. This meeting will provide a an overview of the project, and will discuss the importance of the Army Corps of Engineers hearing as well as Charter Bus transportation.

YOUR URGENT ACTION NEEDED to Help Reduce Single-Use Bags

We need your help. There is an important piece of legislation working its way through Sacramento that would ban single-use bags at stores of a certain size ("Mom and Pops" would not be affected). Here's what the legislation will do and why it's needed, on a fact sheet that you can read or download. Single-use plastics choke out creeks, streams, rivers and kill aquatic and marine life. This type of legislation has been proposed before but has died in committee because the plastics industry and their lobbyists have long held sway over Sacramento. It's time to change that and here are some easy steps you can take with the simplest ways first! Please take a moment and help.

Sign on to one or all of these action alerts from our friends

Environment California

Heal the Bay

Californians Against Waste

Contact the Bill Sponsor and/or your legislators expressing your support (you can use our suggested language below and click, copy and paste)

Assemblymember Julia Brownley (click on Contact Us)

Look up your legislators and E-mail or call them

Dear ________,

I am writing to you, as a member/supporter of Surfrider Foundation San Diego Chapter ("Surfrider") to urge passage of The Single-Use Bag Reduction Act (AB 1998). For the last several years, Surfrider has been engaged in a highly-active campaign entitled “Rise Above Plastics,” (RAP) with the mission to reduce the impacts of plastic in the marine environment by raising awareness of the dangers of plastic pollution and by advocating for a reduction of single-use plastics and the increase of recycling of all plastics.

AB 1998, as amended, would ban plastic single-use carryout bags and regulate paper carryout bags at supermarkets, retail pharmacies, and convenience stores throughout the state. Already, San Francisco, Malibu, Fairfax, and Palo Alto have banned plastic bags and at least 20 more cities in California are considering this approach. Rather than taking a piecemeal city-by-city approach, AB 1998 will create one uniform policy for addressing all types of single-use bags (including paper bags which contribute to deforestation ads waste intensive processes) to encourage consumers to use reusable bags, the most sustainable alternative. I am requesting that you individually support and send a letter of support to the bill’s sponsor, Assemblymember Julia Brownley.

As a governmental leader whose decisions directly affect the health of our ocean and waterways, you should be aware of the environmental AND economic impact of plastic bag pollution in inland, coastal communities and in our statewide oceans. Californians use an estimated 19 billion single-use plastic bags every year. The state spends $25 million annually to clean up and landfill these littered bags and this figure does not even include the over $300 million that local governments continually to spend to clean littered streets and waterways.

With a staggering less than 5% of single-use plastic bags are currently being recycled, most of these bags end up in our landfills or as litter, clog storm drain systems, and make their way to our waterways and ocean. An estimated 60–80% of all marine debris is plastic. Plastic lasts for hundreds of years and may never biodegrade in the ocean. As a result, it poses a persistent threat to wildlife, and is making it’s way up the food chain – to us. AB 1998 is a first step in addressing this problem.

The State of California has a critical role to play in becoming a leader in eliminating waste from single-use bags and preventing the proliferation of marine debris. The passage of AB 1998 is a first step in achieving these sound environmental policy goals and showing leadership in statewide environmental protection. I again strongly urge that you support this vital piece of legislation.

Sincerely,

Name

Full Address

Gregory Canyon Landfill Community Meeting April 21

Surfrider Foundation San Diego Chapter will be holding its monthly chapter meeting at the Oceanside library on April 21 at 7:00 PM. At this meeting we will be discussing the Gregory Canyon Landfill with the Oceanside community. This dangerous project, on a site previously rejected by the County of San Diego, threatens drinking water supplies in San Diego County and would desecrate Native American sacred sites. Please check here for additional details on our April 21 meeting.

Cycle of Insanity - The Real Story of Water

You are invited to the premiere of our film, Cycle of Insanity - The Real Story of Water. This film, narrated by Zuleikha Robinson (who will be attending the premeiere), Ilana of ABC-TV's LOST, tells the real story of how we manage our water cycle. Check out the trailer and join us for the premiere!

Press Release

Invitation

Directions

Kehoe Opposes Del Mar Fair Expansion, So Does Surfrider

Senator Christine Kehoe has come out in opposition of the proposed Del Mar Fairgrounds expansion according to the San Diego Union Tribune in this article. Read Senator Kehoe's 11 page letter here. We agree. Surfrider Foundation San Diego Chapter, along with other leading environmental groups, also opposes this environmentally destructive plan. The urbanization and overdevelopment would have lasting and devastating affects to the pristine wetlands adjacent to the Fairgrounds.

Destructive Desal To Be Reconsidered, Need You There

Coastal Commission Hearing on February 10 in Oceanside:
Poseidon-Carlsbad Ocean desalination proposal

Please join us at the Coastal Commission hearing in Oceanside and support the efforts of Surfrider Foundation, San Diego Coastkeeper, Coastal Environmental Rights Foundation, and a host of other environmental groups who are working to ensure the proposed Poseidon-Carlsbad ocean desalination project does not result in exacerbating climate change and all the adverse impacts it will cause to our coast and ocean.

The permit issued by the Coastal Commission required this project to be “carbon neutral.” However, the calculations used to ensure this energy-intensive project did not add greenhouse gases to the environment, during a time when California is trying to reduce these emissions, was based on false information and assumptions.

The true facts about Poseidon’s proposed greenhouse gas mitigation were not made available to the Commission until long after the permit was approved. This means the permit must either be voluntarily amended by Poseidon or revoked by the Commission. Either way is fine with us. We just want the error in the permit corrected.

Please add your voice to our efforts with a simple statement to the Coastal Commission: “We want Poseidon to fully comply with the condition in their permit that assures the project will actually be carbon neutral.”

We hope to see you at the hearing!

WHEN: The issue is first on the agenda, so please show up by 9am.
WHERE: Oceanside City Council Chambers, 300 N Coast Hwy, Oceanside, 92054

Port Commisioner Called You a "Nego."

Are you a "nego?" Unified Port of San Diego Commissioner Steve Cushman seems to think you are. He recently characterized those who oppose Port projects as "negos," according to this Union Tribune article, Commissioner Cushman did so at a San Diego City Council. Those of us, from all walks of life and political parties, wcare about the environment and the democratic process should be concerned about an appointed official resorting to childish name calling. Many of these "nego's" are driving around in Commissioner Cushman's former "Cush Automotive Group" cars.

Please take a moment and let the Port Commissioners know that is it not a "positivo," for a Commissioner of a body charged with managing San Diego Bay and surrounding wetlands, to refer to active and concerned citizens as "negos."

E-mail the Port Commissioners

State Parks Being Held for Ransom?

Our last blog post explored new efforts to protect our State Parks (the "State Park Access Pass" ballot initiative)...and (unfortunately) this blog post explores another haphazard plan by the Governor to hold our Parks for ransom.

The Governor released a new budget scheme to fund parks through revenues generated by offshore oil drilling near Santa Barbara, CA.  Never mind that the oil drilling project has been rejected twice (once by the State Lands Commission and then again in the legislative budget process).

Assemblyman Huffman summarizes the situation best:  "Blackmail might be a better term for it," said Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, who chairs the Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee.  "He's saying I'll fund the parks if you'll open up the coast to new oil drilling."

The Governor's plan rubs Surfrider wrong for many reasons.  First, we are partnering with other organizations to protect our state park system--aside from fighting to keep a six-lane toll road out of San Onofre State Beach, we are working to safeguard our underfunded "park system" so our members can enjoy safe and clean state beaches.  Secondly, we think this 'new plan' is especially appalling because California's ocean, waves and beaches are vital recreational, economic and ecological treasures that will be polluted by increased oil drilling.

Surfrider launched a campaign: "Not the Answer".  The campaign asks the fundamental question: why are decision-makers stilladvocating for environmentally harmful ways to meet oil needs, when they should be seeking a comprehensive and environmentally sustainable plan that includes conservation and alternative energy?

The answer to this question certianly doesn't reside in the Governors new plan to hold our parks ransom.

 Take action and tell your elected officials the Governor's plan is not the answer!

Click here to read Surfrider's official response to the swindle.