BAKERSFIELD – Citing the potential loss of economic development and job opportunities as a primary concern, Kern County staff have recommended to its board of supervisors for Tuesday’s meeting to oppose the transfer of emission reduction credits from the San Joaquin Valley to the Antelope Valley.
The recommendation, from Kern County Planning and Development staff, states the Palmdale Power Plant “will not provide any economic benefit” in jobs or property taxes for the San Joaquin Valley county.
A conceptual rendition of the Palmdale Power Plant
“Staff is concerned that without careful consideration of each ERC transfer out of the SJVAPCD (San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District), future opportunities for attracting and fostering new industry will be limited,” the staff report stated.
A transfer of emission reduction credits (ERCs) is needed for construction of the proposed Palmdale Power Plant, the report stated.
Palmdale officials have not responded yet to the Kern County staff recommendation made public by a news release on the City of Lancaster site, http://www.cityoflancasterca.org.
However, Palmdale is very familiar with Lancaster officials’ vocal opposition to the power plant. In an Aug. 8 statement, Cityofpalmdale.org/community/press/2013-08, the City of Palmdale dismissed various criticisms from Lancaster officials over the power plant.
“If it’s not one thing, it’s the other,” said Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford in the August news release. “They keep throwing out ridiculous statements with the hope that something will stick. The problem is all the science, all the studies, all the evaluation and all the testing done by the CEC and EPA have shown that this project is in full compliance with all health and air quality regulations, which in California, are the highest standards in the world.”
In Thursday’s announcement from the City of Lancaster, Mayor R. Rex Parris claims that Palmdale has failed to complete “even some of the most basic tasks to ensure the project’s viability,” in spite of spending a number of years in the development process and investing approximately $35 million in taxpayer dollars.
“As Vice Mayor Crist and I have stated previously, at this advanced stage, the plant still lacks an interconnect agreement, an offtaker, and the transfer of ERCs required to create additional pollution in the Antelope Valley,” Parris said in the release.
The Kern County staff recommendation also advises that the board of supervisors write a letter to SJVAPCD “opposing transfers of Emission Reduction Credits outside the Air District unless they benefit Kern County or other Valley Air District counties or related cities,” according to the report.
The City of Lancaster announcement, said Palmdale officials have not yet presented a plan for the transfer of ERCs to the Antelope Valley Air Quality Management District.
The California Energy Commission decision issued in August 2011 regarding the Palmdale Power Plant outlines a plan “to mitigate the project’s contribution to ambient ozone,” which includes acquiring emission reduction credits for nitric oxide (NOX) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the SJVAPCD, as well as paving roads to mitigate particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), according to the City of Lancaster release.
