The KUSP Land Use Report #53: Time To Discuss The Calpine Peaker Plant

"Listen Live"

The following Land Use Report is presented by Gary Patton, Executive Director of LandWatch Monterey County. The opinions expressed by Mr. Patton are not necessarily those of KUSP Radio, nor of any of our sponsors.

Regular listeners know that the Calpine energy company wants to build a new energy plant in Pajaro. Next Tuesday, July 30th, you can get directly involved. A meeting is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. at 29-A Bishop Street in Pajaro. The Pajaro Community Advisory Committee will conduct the meeting.

Pajaro is a low-income community, and has been officially designated as “blighted,” but there are great plans to revitalize and redevelop it. The big question to be discussed next Tuesday is whether the proposed energy plant will be to the benefit, or to the detriment, of healthy community growth.

Clearly, adding a new energy plant will increase the tax base. However, the plant would be noisy; its 80-foot smokestack would be unattractive; and the plant’s cooling system would use ammonia, which is a pretty dangerous and toxic material. At peak use, the plant would consume 79,000 gallons of water per day. In an area where there is a huge water overdraft, this is not insignificant.

The community meeting on Tuesday is informational. The Advisory Committee is scheduled to make its official recommendation on Thursday, August 15th. The Monterey County Planning Commission is set to make the final decision on Wednesday August 28th.

You can get more information by going to the bottom of the main page at the KUSP website, and you can make a comment or suggestion as well.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information:
LandWatch Letter on the proposed Calpine Plant: www.landwatch.org
Sentinel article: http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2002/June/17/local/stories/02local.htm
Contact at the Monterey County Planning Department: Thom McCue, Senior Planner - (831) 883-7528
Contact at the Monterey County Redevelopment Agency: Jim Cook – (831) 786-1350
Casa de la Cultura: http://www.3americas.org/casacultura/casa_eng/home_eng.html
Action Pajaro Valley: http://www.actionpajarovalley.org/
Calpine’s Corporate Website: http://www.calpine.com/.

[Back to KUSP News Index]