On August 6, 2008, the California Coastal Commission (CCC) is holding critical hearings to decide the fate of Poseidon Resources' proposed Carlsbad Desalination Plant (CDP), which if constructed would be the largest desalination facility in the western hemisphere.  Some of its damages are known:  Poseidon intends to take over 300 million gallons of ocean water per day, and destroy 11 billion marine organisms per year, including 16 million fish larvae per day, and 1 million garibaldi fish per day, in an attempt to make 50 million gallons of fresh water per day that will be some of the most expensive tap water in the United States.  To do it, Poseidon admits it will contribute mightily to global warming by emitting over 100,000 tons of green house gas (GHG) anually. 

Next week the California Coastal Commission will vote on Poseidon's inadequate and self- serving 'plan' to mitigate the climate and marine impacts of this facility.  Expert analysis has revealed that Poseidon's 'plan' is designed to give them veto power over their climate impacts, and that they seek to dramatically limit the number of acres of wetlands needed to mitigate their massive fish kills. Poseidon seeks to create only 37-acres of wetlands as mitigation when studies show that it will take more than 68-acres to offset environmental damages caused by their plant.  In California, wetlands are normally required to be offset at a ratio of 3:1; meaning, Poseidon should have to create approximately 200-acres of new wetlands.

We are asking you to demand that Poseidon Resources take all necessary measures to mitigate 100% of the environmental impacts of the Carlsbad Desalination Plant.  Please contact the Coastal Commission and urge the Commission to insure that Poseidon complies with the law.

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

I am writing to urge you to require that Poseidon Resources take all necessary measures to mitigate 100% of the environmental impacts of the proposed Carlsbad Desalination Plant (CDP) as the company has promised and the law demands.

Climate change is one of the great environmental and moral crises of our time, and I am very concerned about a proposed facility that will add over 100,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas, to our fragile atmosphere every year. Poseidon Resources has promised that the CDP will be fully carbon neutral, which is also necessary to comply with California's landmark Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, a law requiring the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. Despite their past promises and the requirements of Assembly Bill 32 (AB 32), Poseidon Resources' Energy Minimization and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan would mitigate less than one-third of the greenhouse gas emissions caused by the facility.

Likewise, the 300 million gallons per day (mgd) open-ocean intake facility will continue the devastating impacts on our marine environment of once-through cooling, a technology that several state agencies have officially resolved to phase out. Poseidon's proposed Marine Life Mitigation Plan is not fully detailed and will only mitigate a fraction of the impacts that the 300 mgd intake will cause to Agua Hedionda Lagoon and to San Diego's coastal ecosystem.

There is no doubt that Southern California and San Diego, in particular, are facing difficult choices to meet an even-growing demand for fresh water, including how to enhance our local water supplies. Water conservation and water recycling, long overlooked in San Diego, must play a crucial role in the region's overall water supply strategy. Desalination, too, may play an important role in our approach to addressing water shortages, but only if these facilities use best available technology and fully mitigate environmental impacts. Trading water security for energy insecurity, contributing significantly to climate change and exacerbating the decline of our marine ecosystems is simply not acceptable.

Therefore, I am writing to urge the California Coastal Commission to comply with AB 32, hold Poseidon to its prior commitment and responsibility, and demand that the Carlsbad Desalination Plant fully mitigate its environmental and climate impacts.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
July 31, 2008