Dead End for San Onofre Toll Road

Hopefully the Toll Road Stops here. Last week the Bush Administration finally gave California a real environmental present. His Secretary of Commerce, Carlos M. Gutierrez rejected the toll road authority's preferred plan and said that they should consider other alternatives.

The Toll Road has been a contentious issue in Southern California for decades.

Over the past several years, the fight over the toll road has grown from a parochial transportation feud into a battle that entangled the state's top leaders. The route chosen by transportation officials would have cut a six-lane turnpike through a state park and skirted the sands of the famed Trestles surf break. That prospect galvanized environmental conservation and surfing groups who were joined by several prominent state officials in opposing the road.

On the other side, advocates hailed the proposed Foothill South toll road as the key to absorbing the traffic triggered by mushrooming development in southern Orange County and the steady truck traffic in and out of San Diego County. The road was decades in the planning, and dozens of routes were studied before planners picked the proposed 16-mile path.

In February, the California Coastal Commission rejected that route, but advocates hoped -- and conservation groups feared -- that the Bush Administration would step in to save it. But in its 28-page decision, the U.S. Commerce Department upheld the commission's position.

One that was mentioned was having the toll road go through San Clemente. Since these are the people that want this so bad, I think that they should pay the environmental price for it.

The LA Times reported on this issue.

Last Week's Budget Stalemate

As you all probably know California is doing the budget dance again, and this time the tunes are pretty bad and everyone seems to be out of step. But I have to say that everyone is really moving.

Here is a recap of last week from the Sacramento Bee's Capitol Alert:

AM Alert: No-budge budget mess

A week goes by, and so much happens, it's hard to keep track.

Here's a recap of last week's actions and inactions on closing the $40 billion state budget hole.

Monday, Dec. 15: Republicans finally put a no-new-taxes proposal on the table that called for cutting deeply into schools and social service programs. Neither Democrats nor Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger embraced the $22 billion plan, which included $6 billion raised by raiding voter-approved preschool and mental health funds. In fact, Democratic legislative leaders made pretty clear the proposal was DOA.

Tuesday, Dec. 16: Assembly Democrats and Republicans split along party lines in rejecting a Democratic plan to end the standoff. The roughly $19 billion package of companion bills included one for $11.3 billion in tax hikes, the other for $7 billion in spending cuts.

Wednesday, Dec. 17: As expected, state officials cut off funds for thousands of public work projects statewide, including roads, levees, schools and prisons. State Treasurer Bill Lockyer called the action regrettable but necessary to preserve cash as the state general fund tumbles toward insolvency. Meanwhile, Democratic legislative leaders announced a complex and controversial package of tax increases and program cuts, an $18 billion effort designed to avoid the need for Republican votes that GOP leaders called illegal.

Thursday, Dec. 18: Democratic legislators approved the budget package, Republican legislators threatened to sue over it, and Schwarzenegger made the issue moot by vowing to veto it. Democratic legislative leaders then announced lawmakers were heading home for the holidays.

Friday, Dec. 19: Schwarzenegger ordered that state employees take two unpaid furlough days each month starting in February and that the least tenured state workers face layoffs. He also called for a new special legislative session, demanding that lawmakers return to Sacramento to resolve the budget gap before Christmas. Democratic legislative leaders said they wouldn't bring lawmakers back until they reached a deal with him to close at least part of the budget hole.

Sunday, Dec. 21: Democratic leaders meet in Sacramento and beam in Schwarzenegger by videophone in an attempt to salvage a deal before New Year's.

San Francisco Public Utilities Adds 5 Mega Watts of Solar Energy

I was forwarded this yesterday,

Published in [RenewableEnergyWorld.com]

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) has approved a new contract with Recurrent Energy to generate 5 megawatts (MW) of solar power atop the recently seismically-retrofitted Sunset Reservoir. The project, which is expected to be completed and generating solar power for the City in 2010, will be California's largest solar photovoltaic system and the nation's largest municipal solar project.

The project will also increase total municipal solar generation in San Francisco by more than 300%, from the current 2 MW to a total of 7 MW of solar power. The photovoltaic system and the solar energy it will generate will be developed and operated under a Power Purchase Agreement between the SFPUC and Recurrent Energy.

It is a good step forward, but I was surprised that San Francisco is only generating two megawatts now.