PALMDALE – Staff for the Antelope Valley Air Quality Management District have recommended approving the transfer of emission reduction credits for the Palmdale Hybrid Power Plant at Tuesday’s meeting, according to the staff report.
Adopting a resolution to approve inter-district and inter-basin transfer of offsets for the Palmdale Power Plant project completes the remaining phase of approvals needed to begin construction of the plant, according to city officials.
“It brings us one step closer to beginning construction on the power plant and bringing 800 construction jobs and millions of dollars into the local economy, along with a reliable and clean source of energy,” said Palmdale’s Public Works Director Mike Mischel in a city news release, noting that the transfer is a routine procedure with the AVAQMD.
The AVAQMD meeting will take place 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Performing Arts Theatre on the campus of Antelope Valley College, 3041 West Avenue K in Lancaster. Visit avc.edu/…/map for directions.
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AVAQMD staff recommended the adoption of the resolution to approve the transfer of certain offsets credited and registered within the Mojave Desert Air Quality Management District (MDAQMD) and the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District (SJVUAPCD) to the AVAQMD for the potential use as offsetting emissions for the applicant, Palmdale Energy, according to the release.
MDAQMD approved the inter-district transfer of offset Emission Reduction Credits (ERCs) to AVAQMD for the Palmdale Power Plant at its Oct. 28 board meeting in Victorville.
“In the case of the Palmdale Power Plant, ERCs are being acquired at a rate of 1:3 to 1, which means it will be taking more emissions offline than it will contribute,” Palmdale’s Director of Public Works Mike Mischel said in an earlier news release. “That method ensures that our air continues to become cleaner and cleaner with each new project and technology.”
Tuesday’s resolution, which makes the transfer of credits official, states that the AVAQMD “finds that construction and operation of the project as mitigated by the implementation of the Conditions of Certification contained in the CEC’s Final Commission Decision will ensure the protection of environmental quality and that the PHPP project will neither result in, nor contribute substantially to, any significant direct, indirect or cumulative adverse environmental impacts. As such the Governing Board of the Antelope Valley Air Quality Management District concurs with the CEC’s Final Commission Decision and hereby adopts the applicable Conditions of Certification as its own and incorporates them herein.”
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However, the City of Lancaster does not share that same feeling of assurance regarding the project’s environmental quality.
A November press statement from Lancaster city officials states that the power plant is estimated to produce 546 tons of pollutants per year, “which, due to the prevailing winds in the Antelope Valley, has the City of Lancaster officials deeply concerned.”
Vice Mayor Marvin Crist has been vocal in his efforts to warn fellow residents how the power plant presents a crisis to his constituency due to its proposed location, which is 60 feet from Lancaster’s border.
“Due to the prevailing winds in our region, Lancaster will receive the great majority of the plant’s air-borne pollution and negative effects,” Crist said in the release. “Lancaster would be saddled with all of the burden and receive no benefit whatsoever.”
Lancaster Councilwoman Sandra Johnson encouraged her constituents to attend the AVAQMD meeting on Tuesday to air their concerns. “It’s definitely not too late for your voice to be heard,” Johnson said in the release. “The outcome of that meeting will have an undeniable impact on the Antelope Valley.”
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But despite the naysayers, the City of Palmdale stands behind its Hybrid Power Plant, saying it has been “hailed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as the cleanest power plant ever permitted, will also provide the County of Los Angeles with $6 million dollars in tax revenue annually, 4 to 6 miles of paved roads, a $20 million dollar trunk line to connect the Palmdale and Lancaster recycled water systems, 35 permanent high paying jobs at the power plant, dozens of indirect jobs as a result of the power plant’s operations, $5 million infused into the local economy annually, and enable older and dirtier power plants to be taken offline,” according to the city’s news release.
The release also addresses safety issues, stating that “the transfer and ultimate use of these ERCs for the PHPP is expected to comply with all applicable health and safety, air and water quality standards as well as to provide a degree of regional economic benefits.”
For more information, visit cityofpalmdale.org.
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The California Energy Commission approved the Palmdale Power Plant in August 2011, after three years of studies. The Environmental Protection Agency issued the City of Palmdale a permit for the construction and operation of the project in November 2011. The plant is currently designed to produce 570 megawatts of electricity, which can service approximately 600,000 homes.
For more information on the Palmdale Hybrid Power Plant, visit Inland Energy online at inlandenergy.com/projectpalmdale.
For more information on Tuesday’s meeting, contact the AVAQMD at 661-723-8070, ext. 1 or visit them online at avaqmd.ca.gov.
Read more on the Palmdale Power Plant from an earlier Civic Bee article at civicbee.com/2013/10/30.