Final Marine Life Protection Act Map goes to Fish and Game Commission

This week, the Blue Ribbon Task Force unanimously voted to forward the Integrated Preferred Alternative (IPA)map to the Fish and Game Commission. The IPA is a hybrid map containing shapes from all the Regional Stakeholder Group maps.

Surfrider is pleased with the map because we believe some of our recommendations were considered and incorporated into the final map. The BRTF will present the IPA to the Fish and Game Commission on Dec 9 and the Commission will make a final decision early in 2010

See a write up on Surfrider's thoughts about the final map here.

Activists Needed as RWQCB Considers Gregory Canyon Bridge

Thought a Toll Road through a State Park was a bad idea? How about a landfill on top of an aquifer and near an aqueduct in a geologically unstable region containing Native American sacred sites? This is exactly what the proponents of the Gregory Canyon Landfill have been trying to do for the last twenty plus years, despite the fact that the landfill site has been rejected by the County of San Diego, by using the initiative system to try to invalidate years of local government studies. The landfill would be squarely ontop of the aquifer that provides Oceanside and other communities with much of their current drinking water as well as adjacent to aqueducts providing fresh water to the City of San Diego. Sacred sites of the Pala Band of Mission Indians would be destroyed by the building of and operations of a landfill in this area. Earlier this year this damaging project was to go before the San Diego Regional Water Quality Board however their application for a "discharge permit" was deemed to be incomplete after a local water authority decided to not provide the proposed landfill with the reclaimed water it needed for its operations. Now the proponents are trying to piecemeal their application by getting a bridge needed for landfill operations approved before the discharge permit. The Board will be considering approval of this bridge at its November 18, 2009 monthly meeting. Concerned citizens and environmental groups are speaking up in order to oppose both the piecemeal approach to this project and this devastating project itself.

Contact Johnny Pappas or Stefanie Sekich if you are in need of additional information and are able to attend the meeting. Thanks!

Background Information on this project:

County of San Diego

Pala Band of Mission Indians

NRDC

Metro Water District to Consider Subsidy of Poseidon Resources

Dear Board of Directors:
As an environmentalist and a rate-payer, I urge you NOT to approve the subsidy for the Carlsbad Desalination Project through the San Diego County Water Authority. The Metropolitan Water District should instead prioritize support for public projects that provide regional water independence, and are environmentally sustainable and fiscally responsible. Providing $350 million to subsidize water produced by a company with an unproven track record meets none of these goals.

In Florida, Poseidon's Tampa Bay desalination plant was $40 million over budget, five years late, and has yet to produce the 25 million gallons per day it promised on a regular basis. Now Poseidon plans to bet the health of our marine environment on its latest attempt to build a plant twice that size.

Poseidon Resources is seeking a $250 per acre foot subsidy from Metropolitan Water District for its Carlsbad Desalination Project. Poseidon's plant is a bad deal for the environment and for customers. The company's previous attempt at a major desalination in Tampa Bay was an utter failure. This project is not the solution, merely exacerbating global warming at rate-payers' and the ocean environment's expense. While you may have seen recent news stories that final approval has been granted, there are still a few hurdles to clear such as funding. Tell the Metropolitan Water District not to subsidize this project and the irresponsible use of our precious ocean resources.

Take action now by emailing the Board of Directors, suggested text is below: OfficeoftheGeneralManager2@mwdh2o.com

This project cannot be reconciled with MWD's promise to address climate change through responsible water supply options in the Integrated Resources Plan. We all share the responsibility of ensuring a reliable water supply. To meet that responsibility, we all play a role in water planning as well. But we cannot trade water security for energy insecurity. This project will only exacerbate some of the very threats to our current water supplies.

Moreover, the Carlsbad Desalination Project is extremely destructive to the marine ecosystem. By using an open-ocean intake system to draw in 304 million gallons per day of ocean water to create merely 50 million gallons of drinking water, the project will kill vast amounts of fish and other aquatic life in the process. EPA estimates that power plants in California using such intakes destroy 312.9 million pounds of fish each year, a $13.6 million loss to California fishermen.

I urge you to reject the proposed $350 million in subsidies. Instead more money should be allocated to environmentally beneficial water programs such as conservation, reclamation, and low impact development.

Sincerely,
(your name here)

Marine Life Protection Act Regional Stakeholder Group Meeting in Carlsbad, CA

One of the Last Chances to Provide Input on Maps for Marine Protected Areas

The MLPA Regional Stakeholder Group (the people tasked with making the maps for protected areas) is entering into “Round 3 of map making”. After Round 3, the proposed maps will be given to the Blue Ribbon Taskforce and ultimately forwarded to the Fish & Game Commission for adoption into law. The time to provide input on where you want Marine Protected Areas is now! The Surfrider Foundation has been obtaining information from our supporters through our survey. Please complete the survey by Aug 1st, if you haven't already. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=jweijd4I8d5vtscSSwjSHw_3d_3d

We plan on sharing the information we have gathered with the Regional Stakeholder Group (RSG) in order to help them create maps that reflect what local communities want. On August 3rd and 4th, the RSG will be coming to San Diego (Carlsbad area). If you are interested in testifying about marine protected areas, we encourage your attendance. If you can attend and/or would like to help, contact Stefanie at: Ssekich@surfrider.org. Please visit Surfrider’s MLPA blog to see the work we are doing, to stay informed about meeting locations, and to view links to proposed RSG maps. http://mlpasurfrider.blogspot.com/