Santa Lucian • September 2010 Lucian - Sierra Club...40% post-consumer recycled paper with soy-based inks September 2010 Volume 47 No. 8 Santa Lucian Santa Lucia Chapter of the Sierra

Santa Lucian • September 20101

DON’T MISS

-see page 2

The official newsletter of the Santa Lucia Chapter of the Sierra Club • San Luis Obispo County, California

Protecting and

Preserving the

Central Coast

SantaLucian

IIIII n s i d en s i d en s i d en s i d en s i d eFrom the Chapter Chair 2

Farmers markets: no GMO’s 4

Climate change: here & now 5

Carrizo & solar choices 7

Nipomo’s oil leak 10

Classifieds 11

Outings 12

This newsletter printed on

40% post-consumer recycled paper with soy-

based inks

September 2010Volume 47 No. 8

Santa LucianSanta Lucia Chapter of the Sierra Club

P. O. Box 15755

San Luis Obispo, CA 93406

NONPROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDPERMIT NO. 84

SAN LUIS OBISPOCA 93401

Sept. 22General Meeting:

Mr. Clyde’s Mountains

continued on page 3

Clean Energy Under Fire

Mayor of SLO:Jan Marx

Proposition 23 would suspendCalifornia’s clean energy and clean airlaw, AB 32. Two Texas oil companiesare spending millions to push thisdeceptive ballot proposition thatwould continue our addiction to oiland kill off California’s clean energyand air pollution reduction standards. Four years ago, with support frombusinesses, environmental and healthorganizations, California passed AB32, a law that sets new clean energyand pollution control standards inCalifornia, holding polluters account-able and requiring them to reduce airpollution that threatens humanhealth and contributes to globalclimate change. This law haslaunched our state to the forefront ofthe clean technology industry,sparking innovation and clean energybusinesses that are creating hundredsof thousands of new clean tech jobs. Proposition 23 will kill those jobs,innovation, and billions of dollars ofinvestment in California.

NO on Prop. 23

Clean energy businesses representone of the few bright spots in oureconomy. Since 2005, Californiagreen jobs have grown ten timesfaster than the statewide average.500,000 employees work in cleantechnology or green jobs in Califor-nia. The number of California greenbusinesses has increased 45% andgreen jobs expanded by 36% from1995 to 2008. From 2007 to 2008,when state employment fell 1%, greenjobs continued to grow 5%. Proposition 23 will put California ata significant disadvantage in the raceto be the nation’s clean energy leader.Since the passage of AB 32,California’s clean technology sectorreceived $9 billion in cumulativeventure capital investment, including$2.1 billion of investment capital in2009 -- 60 percent of the total forNorth America. If AB 32 is repealed, it will send achilling message to investors. Accord-ing to the State Legislative Analyst,

the suspension of AB 32 could“dampen additional investments inclean energy technologies or in so-called ‘green jobs’ by private firms,thereby resulting in less economicactivity than would otherwise be thecase.” The Clean Economy Networkconfirmed that prognosis in a reportwhich found that Prop. 23 will resultin billions of dollars in lost privateinvestment and jeopardize hundredsof thousands of jobs and thousands ofclean energy businesses. The reportalso found that Texas-based oilcompanies Tesoro and Valero, thecompanies bankrolling Prop 23, havespirited more than $9 billion inprofits out of California and intoTexas over the past five years.

the November 2 election

Mayor ofMorro Bay:Betty WinholtzJan Marx has served on the San Luis

Obispo City Council, the PlanningCommission and the County Parksand Recreation Commission. She iswell known for her concerns forenvironmental protection. In herprevious stint on the Council, Marxspearheaded the City’s successfulRecycled Water program. She is keen

- see page 6

Councilwoman Winholtz has thevision thing. Her city’s wildlifehabitat, waterfowl, water conser-vation policies, bike lanes, and urbanforest will be safe in her hands, andsince those things are all closelyrelated to the reasons why peoplewant to visit Morro Bay and spendmoney, the economy will likewise

benefit from her election to mayor.She played a major role in buckingbureaucratic inertia in order to pullthe Morro Bay-Cayucos wastewatertreatment plant project to the brinkof sustainability. To make sure thatcrucial project happens the rightway, residents need to make sureshe’s the mayor. With Winholtzholding the gavel, all residents willbe heard. Help make it happen atwww.winholtzformayor.org/ .

YES on Prop. 21

California’s 278 state parks have longbeen an integral public asset thatresidents and visitors alike enjoyed,and it is imperative we maintain thesepriceless assets for our children andfuture generations. With our stateparks facing an insurmountablefunding crisis and irreparable dam-age, We must provide our parks withsustainable and reliable funding.Proposition 21, the State Parks andWildlife Conservation Trust Fund Actof 2010, would provide a dedicatedfunding stream for state parksthrough an $18 annual State ParkAccess Pass vehicle registrationsurcharge and provide vehicles freeadmission to all state parks. Sierra Club California joins acoalition including the State ParksFoundation, The Trust for PublicLand, Save the Redwoods League,Defenders of Wildlife, SurfriderFoundation, State Park RangersAssociation, Audubon California,State Lifeguard Association and theOcean Conservancy in supportingProposition 21 and the adequatefunds it will finally provide to protectstate parks and conserve wildlife. Formore information, visitwww.yesforstateparks.com/.

continued on page 3

2


Change of Address?

Mail changes to:

Sierra Club National Headquarters

85 Second Street, 2nd Floor

San Francisco, CA 94105-3441

or e-mail:

[email protected]

Visit us onthe Web!

w w ww w ww w ww w ww w w. s a n t a l u c i a .. s a n t a l u c i a .. s a n t a l u c i a .. s a n t a l u c i a .. s a n t a l u c i a .s i e r r a c l u b . o r gs i e r r a c l u b . o r gs i e r r a c l u b . o r gs i e r r a c l u b . o r gs i e r r a c l u b . o r g

Outings, events, and more!

2 5 0 0

Santa Lucian

EDITOR

Cal FrenchMelody DeMerittJack McCurdyEDITORIAL BOARD

The Santa Lucian is published 10 times ayear. Articles, environmental information andletters to the editor are welcome. Thedeadline for each issue is the 11th of theprior month.

send to:

Editor, Santa Lucianc/o Santa Lucia Chapter, Sierra ClubP.O. Box 15755San Luis Obispo, CA 93406.

[email protected]

Santa Lucia Chapter

2010 Executive CommitteeMelody DeMeritt CHAIRSteven Marx TREASURER

Cal French MEMBERMegan Worthington VICE CHAIRLinda Seeley SECRETARYJono Kinkade MEMBERLiz Tracy MEMBER

Cal French COUNCIL OF CLUB LEADERS

Committee ChairsPolitical Chuck TribbeyConservation Sue Harvey [email protected] Cal FrenchLitigation Andy Greensfelder

Nuclear Power Task Force Rochelle Becker

Other Leaders

Open Space Gary Felsman 805-473-3694Calendar Sales Bonnie Walters 805-543-7051Chapter History John Ashbaugh 805-541-6430

Activities

Outings Joe Morris [email protected]/Kayak open

Webmaster Monica Tarzier [email protected]

Chapter Director Andrew Christie 805-543-8717 [email protected]

[email protected]

Andrew [email protected]

[email protected]

Printed by University Graphic Systems

Office hours Monday-Friday,12 p.m.- 5 p.m., 974 Santa RosaStreet, San Luis Obispo

The Executive Committee meetsthe third Friday of every month at2:00 p.m. at the chapter office,located at 547-B Marsh St., SanLuis Obispo. All members arewelcome to attend.

Coordinator Kim Ramos, Admin and Development [email protected]

Assistant Coordinators Marie Clifford Noelle Cirisan

Santa Lucia ChapterP.O. Box 15755San Luis Obispo, CA 93406

Denny MynattPRINT MEDIA COORDINATOR

The View from the Chair

by Melody DeMerittChapter Chair

Several changes have hap-pened in the last six months toencourage me about thehealth and strength of theSanta Lucia Chapter. First, many of you gener-ously responded when wecalled or wrote to ask forfinancial help last spring.Thank you so much! Eventhough many of us feel thepinch of recession, includingthe National Sierra Club, you camethrough for your local Chapter. Second, our Executive Committee,the volunteer leaders of the Chapter,reduced the average age of its mem-bers by several years when wewelcomed three new members, allunder 30. And they are already verybusy:

* Jono Kinkade will attend this fall’sCouncil of Club Leaders meeting atSierra Club headquarters in SanFrancisco.* Megan Worthington has brought inresources from the California Conser-vation Corps, including volunteerswho made our move to the newheadquarters easy.* Liz Tracy has brought her expertisewith event management to organizingour fall wine & cheese & chocolatetasting, with silent auction -- locationand date TBA. Third, the aforementioned move toour new headquarters at 974 SantaRosa Street. By doing this, we

reduced our monthly rent by nearly60%. This belt-tightening wasmandatory to meet the fundingreductions meted out to chapters byNational Sierra Club. When thosefunds were reduced by more than80%, we quickly set about reducingour overhead. Of course, I have a wish list for thenext six months. I wish for greatattendance and big fun at our fallfundraiser. I wish for ongoing,sustainable financial support throughregular donations from our members.I wish for great voter turnout at allthe elections this season. Sierra Club is the only environmen-tal organization that is national andlocal at the same time. We have thepower of a national organization. Buteven more importantly, we have thewisdom and street smarts of localpeople who know what happens intheir areas. So here’s my final wish:join your local Chapter, attend our bi-monthly events, and support the workthat we can all achieve together.

I knew Ray McKelligott as a friendand fellow activist in Morro Bay formany years. We lost Ray in July, atage 85. Ray and his wife Marion moved toMorro Bay 25 years ago. As lovers ofnature, they chose a place to settlethat overlooked the Chorro Valley. Here they could listen to coyote,hawks, owls, and songbirds whilereceiving visits from squirrels,raccoons, and opossums. Ray knew that he had found acommunity and environment worthfighting for. At the county level, herepresented a statewide mobilehomeowners association. He spenthours listening to homeownersfrom dozens of parks in San LuisCounty and testified before theBoard of Supervisors on theirbehalf.

At the municipal level, he wastireless. This is a short list of justsome of his activities: - He worked with the City ofMorro Bay on its mobile home rentcontrol ordinance, still in placetoday. - He worked with the CitizensAction League. - He became a founder and thenpresident of Advocates for a BetterCommunity. - He attended many hearings as amember of the Coastal Alliance onPlant Expansion. - He was one of the directors ofSAVE THE PARK.

Ray was a man of courage focusedon social justice and conservation.We will miss him.

A Loss for Morro Bay

- Melody DeMeritt

To equal the climbing prowess of John Muir,there’s only one contender: Norman Clyde.His superhuman feats in completing firstascents of 130 mountain peaks in America—usually with a ninety-pound pack and ironskillet— will never be equaled. Clyde’s cur-mudgeonly style only added to his legend.Biographer Bob Pavlik presents a slide pro-gram with rare photos, stories, and reminis-cences of his friends and fellow climbers.Meeting begins with conservation news &letter writing.

Steynberg Gallery, 1531 Monterey St., SLOInfo: 772-1875.

General MeetingWednesday, September 22, 7 p.m.

“The Greatest Mountaineer Ever?”

from Glen Dawson collection


In his bid for a seat on the StateAssembly, the drumbeat of KatchoAchadjian’s campaign has been aboutthe central myth of his politicalcareer: that he is a “moderate.” In histwelve years on the Board of Supervi-sors, Achadjian allegedly has been theswing vote, the pragmatic centrist,the regular guy who is just there to dothe right thing and achieve thegreatest good for the greatest num-ber. It is an image belied by reality andhis record. Only two examples need becited. For the most graphic audio-visual representation of the kind ofpolitician Achadjian is, anyone whohas not yet already done so should goto YouTube, type in “kookoo forkatcho stuff,” and watch a three-minute video record of Achadjian’scombination of a vindictive tempertantrum and an attempt to exculpatehimself for his Nov. 2007 vote for thenotorious Cayucos Viewshed Ordi-nance. One year after that memorablemoment, as the Three Amigos — thepro-development County troika ofAchadjian/Ovitt/Lenthall — werecoming to the end of their trail,leaving behind them the wreckage ofbad land use policies and wink-&-a-nod deals for developers, the threemen capped their record with a careerworst: the approval of the SantaMargarita Ranch development – amassive project that, if built, willobliterate the largest privately ownedoak savannah left in the state andwould mean, as The Tribune noted,“growth so dramatic that the currentSanta Margarita, and the quiet lives[residents] live there, would be little

Katcho’s Way

It blots out the sun Voters should never forget Katcho’s vote on Santa Margarita Ranch.

more than a memory.” This time, the vote was so egregiousthere could not even be an attempt atan excuse. Having obviously agreedon the strategy beforehand, Achadjianjoined his two colleagues in near totalsilence throughout four hearings thatwent right up to Christmas Eve andthe end of the board majority’s term,barely speaking except to vote “no” onany motion to take the time toactually review the project’s massiveimpacts or try to work out a compro-mise, and to vote “yes” when it cametime to deliver the goods for hisfriends: a permit for a developmentproject that violated planningstandards and the County’s GeneralPlan six ways from Sunday. The late, great Anne McMahon,former district aide to Supervisor JimPatterson, described the results in ane-mail she sent out the day after thevote:

credibility of their own hard-working staff, snubbing theirown Planning Commission anddozens of individuals, andrebuffing strong oppositionfrom the League of WomenVoters, the county WaterResources Advisory Committee,Caltrans, the Department ofFish and Game, the UpperSalinas-Las Tablas ResourceConservation District (repre-senting real ranchers), thecounty Air Pollution ControlDistrict, the Sierra Club,ECOSLO, North County Watch,and more. Why was I expecting anythingdifferent? Why did I let myselfbelieve that maybe - maybe justthis once - one of them mightdo the right thing? Maybe because this timethe evidence was overwhelming,clear, and decisive. And thistime there was no outpouringfrom the Farm Bureau orCattlemen’s Associationmobilizing their members toturn out for the meeting. Thistime it was so clear that thesedevelopers had overreached,blinded by their own arrogance,ambition and confidence thatthey had the three votes theyneeded to prevail. How couldany reasonable person possiblyjustify supporting this madness? Supervisors Patterson andGibson did their very best tobring some sanity and credibil-ity to the process, both clearlyarticulating why they could notsupport the proposal. Sadly, it

The hope that “one of them mightdo the right thing” was primarilydirected at Achadjian. Many of thosewho testified at those hearingsimplored him to remember that brief,long-ago day –- literally from anothercentury — when he really was anoccasional swing vote on the board. Atthe final hearing, the Sierra Clubasked that he “acknowledge that wehave rules for a reason, that there aresome things worth protecting, andthere is a value and an imperativebeyond the calculation of privateprofit.” He didn’t. We bring you this memory-jogger asa public service, so that you willremember to do three things: 1) makesure you are registered to vote, 2)volunteer with the Hilda Zacarias forState Assembly campaign, and 3) votefor Hilda Zacarias and tell all yourfriends to do likewise. This will be well worth your timenot just because Katcho Achadjianspreading his brand of crony politicsaround the state capitol -- enrichinghis friends and impoverishing theenvironment on a statewide scale -- isa distressing thought, but because inher record of public service, HildaZacarias is everything KatchoAchadjian is not. Go to http://hildazacarias.com/to find out what you can do to helpsend two people where they belong:Ms. Zacarias to Sacramento, and Mr.Achadjian back to his gas stations inArroyo Grande.

was the triumvirate of arro-gance, ignorance, and sheerabsurdity that prevailed.

Supervisors Ovitt, Lenthall andAchadjian - the triumviratewhich has presided over somany really awful decisions thatI have lost count - sunk to a new,pathetic and shameful lowTuesday evening, voting in favorof the Santa Margarita Ranchdevelopers. It was almost surreal. Afterhours of public testimony barelyscratching the surface of all thatis wrong with the proposeddevelopment, it took themalmost no time at all to give theirbuddies three thumbs up,ignoring the preponderance ofevidence against the project,discounting and insulting the

SLO City Council:Dan Carpenter facebook: Dan Carpenter for

SLO City Council

Kathy Smith twitter.com/kathy4council

Andrew Carter twitter.com/slocarter

Cambria CSD:Harry FarmerValerie Bentz www.valerie4ccsd.org

SLO City Measure H: Noposition. We encourage the City to

stake out the dimensions of theproposed Prado Road extension/widening on site prior to the electionso that residents can see exactly whatis proposed on the ground.

Endorsementscontinued from page 1

on seeing to it that the Council putsmore energy and resources intoimplementing that agreement, andhas pledged to see that the AhwahneePrinciples are embedded in cityplanning elements, along with greenhouse gas emission targets, requiringall future development to takeclimate impacts into account at theplanning stage. Marx is also anadvocate for alternative transporta-tion—by bus, van, bike and foot—with enhanced infrastructure sup-port. Go to janmarx.com and lend heryour support.

Morro Bay City Council:Jack Smith smithformbcouncil.ning.com

NO on Prop. 26

Companies that pollute orharm the public’s healthshould be required to pay tocover the damage they do.Prop 26 was placed on theballot by oil, tobacco, andalcohol companies thatwant the taxpayers to footthe bill instead. Chevron,ExxonMobil, and PhillipMorris provided virtually allthe funding to get Prop 26on the ballot. It will requirea 2/3 vote to implementpayments by these compa-nies for harm done to theenvironment or publichealth, making thesepayments much harder toenact and leaving taxpayersto foot the bill. Sierra ClubCalifornia joins the Leagueof Women Voters, American

National:

· Barbara Boxer - Senate

· Lois Capps - Congress

State:

· Hilda Zacarias - Assembly, 33rd District

· Gavin Newsom - Lieutenant Governor

· Kamala Harris - Attorney General

· Dave Jones - Insurance Commissioner

· Debra Bowen - Secretary of State

· Bill Lockyer - State Treasurer

· John Chiang - State Controller

Lung Association, California Nurses Association, Peace Officers ResearchAssociation of California, California Federation of Teachers, Consumer Federa-tion of California and local governments in opposing Prop 26.

4


Bag It!By Lesli DanielEnvironmental Advocacy InternSierra Club California

Californians use approximately 19billion single use plastic bags eachyear. However, less than 5% of allsingle use plastic bags are recycled.Instead, many of these plastic bagsbecome litter in our oceans and ourcommunities. The California legisla-ture is poised to pass a bill banningsingle-use plastic bags. But there isstiff opposition from the AmericanChemistry Council and other industrygroups. There have been several attempts topass single-use bag bans since 2006,but this year we have a viable bill inAB 1998, The Single-Use Bag Reduc-tion Act, authored by Assembly-

member Julia Brownley (D-SantaMonica). AB 1998 would:

1. Ban single-useplastic bags atgrocery stores, retailpharmacies andconvenience stores.2. Offer recycled-content paper bagsfor a minimum feeof $0.05/bag.3. Require the saleof reusable bags.4. Does not apply tobags for bulk items(e.g. produce) orraw meat. This bill has thebacking of grocers,labor, environmen-tal groups, andocean protectiongroups. TheGovernor has saidhe’ll sign it. Now

we just need that extra push from youto get it through the Senate. Single-use bags have severalenvironmental impacts:

EmEmEmEmEmploploploploployment Enjoyment Enjoyment Enjoyment Enjoyment Enjoymentymentymentymentyment

The closer I get to workthe more beautiful the drive becomes.As I wind through the parkthe scenery changes nearly every bend.The mountaintop road reveals a panoramic view of bay and seathen slopes down to pass through large groves of fragrant eucalyptuswhile the next turn levels out and takes me down a corridor of bright dunesand flowery hillside.

I feel like I’m driving into summertimeas if my own private beach awaited with strong sunshine and heady sea airat the end of this narrow thistle-lined laneoverflowing with cheery wild buckwheat and lemony monkey flower.

Nearly there I take the sharp corner by the picturesque cove and inspect howbusy the beach is with visitors climbing on the rocks.

The closer I get to workthe more often I see bunnies up ahead as they veer into the road and dartinto the bushesand the more the air smells like sageand the more relaxed I becomeas I open the gate to Point Buchon Trailwhere I’m blessed to work as a gatekeeperblessed to watch birds, and clouds, and whales.

- Kalila Volkov

namics of single-use plastic bags havemade them a huge source of litter.They are the one of the most commonwaste products collected duringcoastal cleanups.- Hidden costs. You might think thatsingle-use bags are free, but isestimated that it costs $18-$30/yearon your grocery bill. Then there arethe millions of taxpayer dollars spenton litter abatement and recycling.- Harm to wildlife. Plastic bags(which resemble jelly fish in thewater) or pieces of plastic bags caneasily be mistaken for food or prey byseabirds, marine mammals, fish, andsea turtles. Littered plastic itemsharm hundreds of wildlife species,some of which are threatened orendangered species.

A 1997 study found that at least 267species have been affected by inges-tion of or entanglement in marinedebris worldwide. Currently, 86% ofall sea turtle species, 44% of allseabird species, and 43% of all marinemammal species, have had reportedproblems of entanglement or inges-tion of marine debris. Plastic bagswere the most common plastic itemfound in the digestive tract of 408leatherback sea turtles according to a2009 study that reviewed historicalnecropsies. Recycling isn’t the answer. TheCalifornia Legislature enacted a law in2006 that required grocery stores andpharmacies to recycle single-use bags,but that program is capturing lessthan 5% of bags. To learn more, visit HealTheBay.org.

Sponsored by the Sierra Club and the California Conservation Corps

5:30 p.m. Wednesday October 6Ludwick Community Center, 864 Santa Rosa St., SLO

info: [email protected]

Farmers Markets Say No to GMOsBy Jesse Arnold

For the past few years, SLO GE-Freehas been educating consumers aboutthe farmers markets that allow thesale of Monsanto’s geneticallyengineered Bt corn. That workcontinues. The good news is that you will notfind Monsanto’s Bt corn at themajority of farmers markets in ourcountry. We think it is time to thank

sumer power and spend our money atmarkets that do not support theMonsanto Corporation. And we canthank the managers and vendors whodon’t. We believe this information iscorrect, but it’s subject to change andwe make no guarantee as to itsaccuracy. We urge consumers to askquestions and be informed. Call Jesse Arnold at 927-3096 if youhave questions.

those markets and encourage them tosee that Bt corn doesn’t come to theirmarket in the future. So a thank-you to the followingfarmers markets that have stated theiropposition to genetically engineeredproduce: Cayucos, Avila Beach,Grover Beach, Shell Beach, and theMorro Bay Saturday markets. The Nipomo Sunday market doesnot have Bt corn. The manager of thePaso Robles Friday and Saturday

markets has said they don’t have Btcorn “so far” and if they did, “Wewould require labeling.” Even if a small market doesn’t havea policy against genetically engi-neered produce, Bt corn is not likelyto be sold at a small market becausethe big growers who use theMonsanto Bt technology would notmake enough money to justify sellingat a small market. Each of us can exercise our con-

- Ocean pollution: Anestimated 60-80% ofmarine debris is fromplastics, and 90% ofthe floating debris isplastic. Eliminatingsingle-use plasticbags is one way wecan stop growing theNorth Pacific TrashGyre, which is nowestimated to be twicethe size of Texas.- Litter. The aerody-


Here Comes the Neighborhood

Item 7B on the July 6 agenda of thePismo Beach City Council was the endof a long road, and a happy ending toa distressing story, for many residentsof the Pismo Heights planning area(see “A Very Poor Plan for Pismo,”June 2009), as well as a textbookexample of “how to save your neigh-borhood” that could serve as a primerfor all county residents. For several years, the residentsfaced and fought the prospect of theircanyon views – designated OpenSpace in the city’s General Plan –being turned into the “Canyon Oaks”housing development in a swap thecity was backing for a developer’s landon Price Canyon Road – 24 not-too-desirable lots that have access andtraffic issues, which the owner wasvery willing to trade for lush canyonlots a short distance away. Neighbors organized and turned outin droves at every step of the processto oppose the project. Originallydenied, the project was resuscitatedby the Planning Commission andpassed along to the City Council,trailing a list of the zoning codechanges and General Plan and LocalCoastal Plan amendments necessaryto do the deed. As California Coastal Commissionstaff pointed out in a letter to the Citythe week before the city councilhearing, the canyon is a protectedresource area, impacts to a live oakwoodland would likely be significant,and the plan called for building onslopes in excess of a 30 percent grade— all in violation of the city’s LocalCoastal Plan. City staff at the July 6 hearingimmediately moved to contradict anddisagree with Coastal Commissionstaff, as did the developer and hisrepresentative. As the Sierra Clubpointed out: “This project needs to beapproved by the Coastal Commission.And they clearly don’t agree with yourstaff’s or the applicant’s assessment ofthe project’s impacts to coastalresources.” At the end of long hearing and aparade of speakers opposed to theproject along with a smattering ofthose affirming that it would meanmore property taxes for the city’streasury, the Council voted 3-1 todeny the development permit.Councilman Ted Ehring refused torezone open space for residentialdevelopment, and expressed publicsafety concerns, saying he had seen afire “sweep up a box canyon in threeseconds.” Ed Waage said “open spaceshould stay open space.” Mayor ProTem Shelly Higginbotham was “reallyuncomfortable” with the increasedtraffic on a road that is already

“horrible,” and said of open space,“once it’s gone, it’s gone, and we’llnever get it back.” Kris Vardas wasthe lone dissenting vote. Good job, Pismo City Council. Andgreat job, Pismo Heights neighbors,who set up a website (welovepismobeach.org), took pictures of thedeveloper’s property and the canyonland he wanted to swap it for, and putthem side by side, showing todevastating effect the contrast withthe developer’s three scrubby road-side acres and the six acres ofbeautiful canyon property he coveted.

No deal Would-be Canyon Oaks developers (in front of monitor)got a decision they didn’t want at the standing room only July 6meeting of the Pismo Beach City Council.

Not this canyon Pismo Heights residents organized to save their canyon from development.

The residents made sure to keepKSBY and The Tribune updated atevery turn as the issue wound its waythrough the process. Let’s hope this was a prelude ofthings to come for the Price Canyonplan, a massive proposed commercial/residential development on unincor-porated land north of the city involv-

ing 634 houses, 200 hotel rooms,conference center, vineyards, etc.,much of it on steep slopes. With the Canyon Oaks project, aneighborhood and a canyon were atstake. The impacts of the PriceCanyon project -- and Pismo’ssprawling march toward the city ofSLO -- would be felt countywide.

Pismo Beach City Councildenies development, savescanyon, open space

Brace for ImpactClimate change is here. Now what do we do?

continued on page 9Risk and reward SLO climate change panel deliberates.

The organizers of the July14 SLO Climate ChangeAdaptation Workshopwere blunt: climatechange adaptation mea-sures are like the air bagin your car. We shouldwork to curb emissions tohalt climate change, butwe are going to need that

air bag because a crash is coming. The Local Government Commissionhas selected one inland and onecoastal region in California in whichto focus its study of local effects ofclimate change and potential adapta-tion strategies. (Go to www.lgc.org/adaptation/slo). San Luis Obispo is the Californiacoastal county that will serve as the

laboratory in the effort to complywith the state law mandating reduc-tion of carbon emissions. The July 14LGC workshop at the SLO EmbassySuites was the third and final meetingpresenting information and gettingfeedback from stakeholders, electedofficials, city managers and thegeneral public. The resulting priori-ties and strategies will help localgovernments prepare for the impactsof climate change in a way thatprovides benefits across multipleecosystems, and includes consider-

6


Bioneers is Here

Founded in 1990, Bioneers/Collective HeritageInstitute is a nonprofit organization that promotespractical environmental solutions and innovativesocial strategies for restoring the Earth and itscommunities. They do this via a radio and book series (you areprobably familiar with Bioneers if you listen to KCBXwith any regularity), a youth initiative, and, for thelast twenty years, one of the world’s largest annualenvironmental conferences, held in Marin Countyand augmented by satellite conferences across NorthAmerica. The Bioneers Conference brings togetherthe most brilliant, compassionate thinkers, innova-tors, eco-warriors, artists and scientists engaged inthe complex mission of saving the planet. The “Beaming Bioneers” program allows selectcommunities to broadcast the morning plenarysessions in a simulcast. About a dozen cities aroundthe world participate. In the afternoon, these “Beam-ing” sites will then hold their own regionally relevantbreakout sessions, where topics of local interest willbe discussed. This year, the Central Coast joins the roster ofBeaming Bioneers conference partners, with thesatellite conference site for our region located at CalPoly. “Our inaugural conference will take place at theSpanos Theater in the Performing Arts Center at CalPoly over the weekend of October 15th,” said StaceyHunt of Ecologistics, host of the 2010 Central CoastBIoneers Conference. “We are committed to captur-ing the sense of excitement, hope, connection andinspiration that is so much a part of the Bioneersconference in Marin. We invite everyone here to bepart of a weekend that will change your life.” That’s not hype. This event can be the single mostinspiring, engaging, rejuvenating experience of youryear. Because Bioneers is constantly cruising forexceptional talent on the cutting edge, speakersroutinely show up at Bioneers just before they breakout onto the national/international stage. Attendeesheard Wangari Maatthai the year before she won theNobel Prize for environmental protection, Van Jonestwo years before President Obama appointed him ashis green jobs czar, Paul Stamets just before he wasawarded international patents for micro-fungi thateat oil. The list goes on. Space is limited. For information or to register, goto www.ecologistics.org/centralcoastbioneers/, or call548-0597. Get ready to be inspired, fascinated,galvanized, and best of all, recharged.

SLO will partner with world’s premier environmental conference

On August 11, after four years ofunproductive negotiations withdevelopment permit applicants byCalifornia Coastal Commission staff,the Commission finally heard theSanta Lucia Chapter’s 2006 appeal ofan egregiously wrong-headed decisionby the County Board of Supervisors.Coastal Commissioners voted over-whelmingly to uphold our appeal. Under the Coastal Act, new develop-ment requires a dedication of publicaccess. This is not a point of debate,though the applicants gave it a goodtry at the Coastal Commission’sAugust hearing in SLO. Santa Lucia Chapter DirectorAndrew Christie pointed out that, in2006, the SLO County Board ofSupervisors, at the behest of Supervi-sor Katcho Achadjian, ignored LocalCoastal Plan and Coastal Act policiesrequiring public access for the

Harmony Coast project, actuallyreducing promised access by deletinga condition from the applicant’spermit that would have required anOffer To Dedicate (OTD) public accessalong the shore, 25 feet above themean high tide line. The property is on China Harbor,used by kayakers, surfers and fishers,and adjacent to a state park. TheHarmony Coast is a vital link in theCalifornia Coastal Trail. We arguedthat the project should be condi-tioned to require a bluff top trailalignment for the Coastal Trail, aseven a 25-foot OTD would not provideadequate public access at high tide iflocated on the beach portion of theproperty. As fate would have it, the very sameSupervisor Achadjian who pushedhard for the bad Board decision in2006 is a sitting Coastal Commis-

sioner in 2010. Saying, “in order notto disappoint Mr. Christie, I won’t besupporting the motion” to uphold theappeal and reinstate public access as acondition of the permit, Katchoinsisted that the development was notnew development, hence applicantswere not obligated to honor theirpermit condition requiring them to

Chapter Wins CoastalCommission Appeal

Wrong again Coastal Commissioner Katcho Achadjian’s opposition to public accessto the coast put him on the losing end of a 10-1 vote.

Public access restored for Harmony Coast project

provide public access to the coast. Katcho immediately got to see whathis fellow Commissioners thought ofhis interpretation of coastal law, fromthe perspective of the losing end of a10 to 1 vote. The Sierra Club corrected SLOCounty’s four-year-old Katcho-sizedmistake, and our coast won.


Carrizo’s Solar Alternatives

To increase the production of renewable energy, Sierra Club California supportsan emphasis on a high distributed generation (DG) approach, primarilythrough the use of photovoltaic (PV) solar as a priority for the rapid increase inthe percentage of renewable sources of electricity towards reaching and thengoing beyond California’s 2020 objective of 33%. We will promote Californiainstalling at least 15,000 MW of solar PV DG capacity by 2020. This resolution was passed on May 16, 2010, by the Club’s California-NevadaRegional Conservation Committee, supporting the California Public UtilitiesCommission’s “High DG Scenario” with an explicit DG target. California lawrequires the state to achieve a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) of 20%electricity generation via renewable resources by 2010, and an executive orderof the governor sets a requirement of 33% by 2020. However, utilities haveonly produced an RPS of about 12%, which has been flat for the last 8 yearsand will fall far short of the 20% goal this year. Achieving these RPS targets can be accomplished through a combination ofenergy efficiency measures to reduce load demand and a portfolio of differenttypes of renewable generation including geothermal, wind, solar thermal, solarphotovoltaic and others. The California Energy Commission, California PublicUtilities Commission, California Independent System Operator, the RenewableEnergy Transmission Initiative process, and electrical utilities are all examiningvarious portfolios, “scenarios” or “cases” to determine the most likelymeansvote for Hilda Zacarias to achieve these targets. The optimal portfolioshould also meet other program objectives including cost efficiency, minimalenvironmental damage, project risk reduction, and ramp-up speed. Examples of various scenarios being considered are the reference case, high

Do we oppose whatwe support, or viceversa? A few months ago, an interestingdialog took place on The Tribune’swebsite. Readers were writing in tocomment on an article the paper hadjust printed about the solar powerplants proposed for the Carrizo Plain. One poster claimed that the SierraClub supports the projects, eventhough they would do great damageto the fragile environment of theCarrizo. Booo, Sierra Club! A second poster responded that thefirst poster must not have beenpaying attention to the recent countyhearings on the Conservation andOpen Space Element if he thoughtthe Sierra Club supports the projects,because the Sierra Club obviouslyopposes the projects, despite theclean, renewable energy they wouldbring. Booo, Sierra Club! There will always be those whoseinterests are served by scribbling acartoon on a wall and writing ourname under it. We don’t think we canclear up confusion for people forwhom the creation of confusion isthe goal, but we know there are somehonestly confused folks out there, solet’s clear this up: 1) We support thereview of environmentally preferablealternatives to these projects thatwould meet the project goals, and 2)there is no publicly available plan fora solar power project on the CarrizoPlain. (These words are being writtenin mid August, and there likely willbe at least one such project, with asecond close behind it, by the timeyou read this – “project” beingdefined as a formal descriptionwritten by consultants hired by anapplicant, attached to an Environ-mental Impact Report, submitted tothe County for permit review andavailable to the public for comment.Meanwhile, there is no project tosupport or oppose.) Some of our colleagues, as long-time proponents of solar power, areunhappy with us for not “supporting”these projects. But how do yousupport a project when you haven’t

wind case, high out-of-state case and the high DG case. All of these casesassume some energy production from geothermal, wind, thermal solar, solarPV and others, but vary in the percentage mix of each. Distributed generation is local electrical generation from widely dispersed,relatively small-scale generators. In the “high DG” case studied at the CEC,electrical generation would come primarily from very small-scale rooftop solarof up to 1 megawatt capacity and from mid-sized wholesale distributed genera-tion of 1 to 20 megawatts capacity. Small-scale generators are net-metered systems connected directly into thedistribution grid. Small-scale DG has been successful, but can be moresuccessful with the removal of capacity caps and the addition of feed-in tariffs(FIT). Wholesale distributed generation (WDG) systems are also directlyconnected to the distribution grid. All electricity is currently paid for throughthe traditional tariff system administered by the utility. The great advantage of DG generators is they can be installed quickly, they donot require new transmission facilities, and they cause little or no environmen-tal damage. In its March 2008 application to build a pilot 250–500 MW urbanPV project, Southern California Edison (SCE) stated, “Because these installa-tions will interconnect at the distribution level, they can be brought on linerelatively quickly.” By contrast, the utilities’ primary approach thus far has focused on largeutility-scale projects that are capital intensive, located remotely from loadcenters and in many cases require new transmission facilities. It typically takes

continued on page 8Here are two Above and below are two potential alternatives to solar power plants on the Carrizo Plain.

Sierra Club Priority: Distributed Generation for Renewable Energy

continued on page 8

8


Letterssend to: [email protected], orSierra Club, P.O. Box 15755, San LuisObispo, CA 93406. Letters may be editedfor space.

Re “The Buzz in the Bay”I would like to express my oppositionto the Port San Luis Harbor Com-mission’s approval of the Wave-Jammers’ 45 minute motorized boatride from Avila Beach to Oceano. I amshocked that the Harbor Commissionwould consider such an intrusion tothe peace and serenity of the oceanenvironment, not to mention thedisturbance to the marine life. It ismy firm opinion that jet skis andmotorized boats belong on lakes withother motor boats and skiers. We donot have a shortage of lakes in thisarea. Please let me know if there isanything I can do or anyone I canwrite to join in the opposition andappeal to this decision. Would this bean item for the Coastal Commission?

DeAnne WilliamsAvila Beach

I am a businessman, teacher andartist and I live here on the centralcoast. I recently read the article inthe SLO Tribune about a gentleman-kayaker who is complaining about theenvironmental effects of a localbusiness (Wavejammers). Further-more the Sierra Club is also trying tohalt this business and deny our localresidents and tourists from seeing andenjoying our beautiful coastline. As an syndicated artist I produced astrip that was titled “Adventures in Nature” which was publishedinternationally in newspapers forseveral years. When it comes tonature few people are as concerned asI am with this magnificent world inwhich we live. Now as a land andseascape artist I paint almost exclu-sively our central coast and thewildlife found therein. I took the opportunity to discusswith the businessmen who runWavejammers and they have takenevery step imaginable to keep theirbusiness clean and green. Because ofthis they were given the green light todo business locally. Their equipmentis not noisy or intrusive and in facton the Avila Beach Coastline thewaves and seagulls make more noise.

In my opinion it would be a gravemistake to rescind a business permitfrom Wavejammers who are trying tooffer the public a unique way to seeour central coast.

Robert PetersonNipomo

The Sierra Club appealed the licensefor the high-speed boat tour conces-sion in Avila Beach to the CoastalCommission not because we are“trying to halt this business” butbecause we believe the Port needs toinstitute some form of environmentalreview for the increasing number ofsuch license requests they arereceiving and granting. Therecurrently is none. A Coastal Develop-ment Permit (CDP) as provided bythe California Coastal Commissionwould provide that review. A CDP isgenerally required whenever there isan intensification of use of coastalresources in the vicinity of environ-mentally sensitive habitat areas. Thereview a CDP entails would ensureand verify that the licensee has“taken every step imaginable to keeptheir business clean and green,”rather than rely on a personalassurance by a self-interested party.The Coastal Commission only deniesa permit if a project would causesevere, unmitigatable environmentalharm. Usually it issues a permit withconditions, mitigations and monitor-ing requirements. At the Wavejammer license hearing,Port San Luis Harbor Commissionstaff said that bringing the CoastalCommission and the CDP processinto the Port’s concession licensingwould be a good idea, as morerequests for such licenses are comingto the Port and Avila Beach. - Ed.

Enemy thineI am a resident of Santa Maria, CA. Ijust recently picked up the June 2010issue of the Santa Lucian, havingnever read an issue before. Imaginemy surprise when I read your articlesabout the County needing to step upon Oceano Dunes, and the headline: “Off-Roaders New Enemy: Pelicans.” I had no idea of the hostility of theSierra Club against the Off-RoadCommunity. I am a member of theOff-Road community, and it appearsthat you (The Sierra Club), views usas the enemy. You know what? We areyour neighbors, your co-workers,your fellow church members, fellow

volunteers, we work on your cars, webuild your houses, we donate to yourcauses, we work at your hospitals,etc., etc. To view us as the enemy, which iswhat I get from reading your publica-tion, is counter-productive, in myopinion. We are not terrorists, eco orotherwise, we are generally not illegalaliens, on the whole we are law-abiding citizens that have a differentmethod of recreation, i.e. off roadvehicles, than you do. To classify us asthe enemy is misleading, and I don’tthink it’s warranted. In my own case, I feel that I rideresponsibly, I stay where it’s legal toride, I don’t pollute, litter or trash theareas that I ride in, and in general, Itry to tread lightly wherever Igo. Other than my form of recreation,what is my major crime that theSierra Club would lump me in withwhat they consider the enemy? Anyresponses?

Robert JonesSanta Maria

In the headline “Off-Roaders’ NewEnemy: Pelicans,” it’s important tonote the possessive apostrophe. Hadthe headline read “Pelicans: Off-Roaders New Enemy,” then, in thegrammar of headlines, the meaningconceivably could have been inter-preted as an announcement bypelicans that off-roaders are theenemy. But that reading would stillrequire some effort, as the storyconcerned the successful efforts ofoff-roaders to remove federal protec-tions from the brown pelican (due tothose protections allegedly “dimin-ish[ing] the group’s enjoyment of theOceano Dunes State VehicularRecreation Area”), not the efforts ofpelicans to remove protections fromoff-roaders. At any rate, Mr. Jones canrest easy: though local off-roadershave accused the Sierra Club ofrigging the results of a scientificstudy that reached conclusions theydidn’t like about the environmentalimpacts of their hobby, and havemade libelous accusations allegingthat we packed a county grand jurywhich reached conclusions they alsodidn’t like, and these attacks takeplace in the context of all thosebumper stickers making livelysuggestions of things off-roaderswould like the Sierra Club to go do,we have not declared off-roaders theenemy. Nor, to the best of ourknowledge, have the pelicans. - Ed.

actually seen it? And if you throwyour support behind a project --commit to it -- on the basis ofinsufficient information, and if, whenthat information becomes available,flaws become apparent and it doesn’tmeasure up to what was promised,will you withdraw your early supportand commitment to the project orrationalize it? (Raise your hands,students of human nature.) The project applicants have notbeen shy about making claims thattheir power plants will incorporatemeasures that will ensure – and evenenhance — the survival of theCarrizo’s native species. They haveclaimed this in mailed flyers, openhouses, and newspaper op eds. This iscalled public relations. When thepublic is told these things and assuredthat the company has “addressedconcerns about wildlife” in the design

of their project, be aware that thoseconcerns have not been addresseduntil they are addressed in theenvironmental review, and thoseclaims have withstood scrutiny byresource agencies, independentscientists and the public. A common argument of projectproponents goes like this: If we don’tbuild all the solar power plants wecan, everywhere we can, globalwarming will get worse, and thoseendangered species you’re worriedabout going extinct on the Carrizowill go extinct anyway. This misstates the case. Climatechange is happening now; thetemperature of the planet wouldcontinue to rise if all fossil fuel wasreplaced by clean, renewable energytomorrow. Threatened and endan-gered species must adapt to thechanges (see “Brace for Impact,” page5). This means that species need tosurvive long enough to have thechance to adapt to new conditions. If

a large industrial development on theCarrizo Plain impacts, say, vitalwildlife corridors for the endangeredSan Joaquin kit fox, the species issimply doomed, another thread cutfrom the fraying fabric of interdepen-dent ecosystems. If this could beavoided and the solar energy produc-tion goals of the proposed projectsmet by other means, everyone shouldbe able to get behind that. The recent County Grand Juryreport “To ‘Go Solar’ Or Not to ‘GoSolar’?” concerned the need for theCounty and cities to promote a muchhigher level of residential andcommercial rooftop solar, which wasthe focus of all of its recommenda-tions. Though not relevant to thoserecommendations, the report alsomentioned the Carrizo projects,noting approvingly that “they wouldprovide significant revenue fromproperty taxes, and contribute towardthe renewable energy requirement forthe county.” The Sierra Club and the

Santa Lucian made an appearance inthe report as having “voiced objectionto the proposed projects.” It went onto state: “The environmental prob-lems with the installations on theCarrizo Plains may be able to bemitigated. Certainly compromisecould help on both sides of thatargument.” We’re not sure what to make of thatstatement. Does it mean that someamount of renewable energy andsome property tax revenues are worththe extinction of some, but not all, ofCarrizo’s threatened species? The environmental review processwill determine whether these projectscan be built on the Carrizo Plain in away that avoids impacts to theCarrizo’s irreplaceable threatened andendangered species. Either this can be credibly shown tobe the case, or it can’t. If not, wewould not support putting the rightproject in the wrong place, andneither should anyone else.

Carrizocontinued from page 7

up to ten years to plan, propose, site,gain approval, fund and develop newtransmission facilities upon whichmany of these large-scale generationprojects depend. Transmissionfacilities are inefficient due toelectrical energy losses over longdistances. Furthermore, large-scale projects,be they solar thermal, PV solar orwind, can themselves be environmen-tally destructive. They normallyrequire large tracts of land. Forexample, a solar thermal plant with acapacity of 500 MW (similar to astandard-sized gas-fired generationplant) can require more than 5,000acres of land. Landowners andenvironmentalists often oppose theseprojects. Court costs due to lawsuitscan add substantially to project costs.With no need of new transmissionlines and land acquisition, DG can beinstalled in months rather than years,for immediate greenhouse gasreductions. Black and Veatch, the primarycontract consultant leading theanalysis and project work on RETI,presented a report in December 2009which indicated, utilizing fairlyconservative assumptions, that thereis a potential of 15,000 MW of PVsolar DG capacity on large urbanrooftops throughout the state ofCalifornia. Based on this information,we believe that setting this as aminimum target is achievable and aconcrete value that should be com-municated to regulators and others toachieve by no later than 2020. Utilizing DG to provide a majority ofrenewable energy reduces the needfor large-scale remote renewableprojects, thereby greatly reducing theneed for new transmission facilities,reducing damage to the environmentfrom both the transmission lines andthe large-scale projects, and providingeconomic growth potential to localcommunities.

Distributed Generationcontinued from page 7

In recognition of the need to protect listedspecies and environmentally sensitivehabitat such as the Carrizo Plain, the SantaLucia Chapter of the Sierra Club supportsthe decentralized distributed generation ofenergy in commercial and residential areasand the development of utility-scalerenewable energy facilities on degraded/contaminated sites as environmentallysuperior alternatives to the siting of powerplants in areas that involve potentialimpacts to threatened and endangeredspecies.

- Executive Committee,Santa Lucia Chapter, 5/21/10

RESOLUTION OF THE CHAPTER


Summary: The free-marketeers at the Cato Institute are saddened that “environmentalists [are] using the [BP oil]accident as a political club against expanded drilling on public lands.” Accidents happen, there’s no such thing as zero risk,the value of offshore oil and gas deposits probably exceeds the theoretical cost of environmental damage, etc.

“The same old arguments,” by Jerry Taylor and Peter Van Doren, Tribune, May 19, 2010.

Upshot: A one-mile-per-gallon improvement in fuel efficiency by car manufac-turers would would result in a reduction in fuel consumption equivalent to all theoffshore oil that exists under US waters. One month into the worst environmentalcatastrophe in U.S. history, the Cato Institute failed to grasp its meaning, or themeaning of the word “value.” In the words of Naomi Klein, the BP oil disaster isabout “our culture’s excruciatingly dangerous claim to have such complete under-standing and command over nature that we can radically manipulate and re-engineer it with minimal risk to the natural systems that sustain us.”

Yes, accidents will happen.And sometimes when theyhappen, they reveal theexistence of fake responseplans that claim oil compa-nies can contain spills thatthey can’t, and illustrate thefact that our technologicalability to drill for oil has outstripped our ability to cope with the catastro-phes caused by those accidents when that technology fails. These are thekind of accidents that make it clear we need to stop doing what we’re doingand do something else. (“You know what happens when windmills collapseinto the sea? A splash.” - Bill Maher.)

As long as human beings areinvolved in drilling (or coal mining orpetrochemical refining or nuclearpower operations or oil transport ornatural gas delivery), accidents willhappen.

The central question is whether the cumulativeenvironmental harms from drilling are likely toexceed $1.3 trillion [the speculative estimate ofhow much oil and gas could be produced fromoffshore areas currently off-limits to industry].

If this is an unlikely proposition, (the minerals serviceestimates that the total costs of any spills, conventionalair and water pollution and lost tourist and recreationaldollars would be about $700 million), then we are betteroff opening up those fields.

Note the carefulyet casual-seeminginsertion of theword “conven-tional” before “airpollution.” Theauthors clearlydon’t wish to upset

their deliberately narrow calculations by having to factor in the costs of risinggreenhouse gas emissions, which the EPA, despite the best efforts of CongressionalRepublicans, now regulates along with the “conventional” varieties of air pollution.Add the costs of climate change induced by the extraction and burning of fossil fuels-- flooding from sea-level rise, saltifying delta waters that both farmers & munici-palities use for fresh water, the drastic reduction of snowpack, all at costs far beyondany society’s capacity to pay to alleviate if allowed to happen under a business-as-usual scenario -- and the authors’ speculative $1.3 trillion worth of oil & gas startsto looks tiny. And more to the point, not worth its true cost.

Aside from thefundamentalimmorality ofthis calcula-tion – wildlifeis worth lessmoney thanoil, so sayonara, sea turtles – it is also economically wrong. The costs ofpollution are the costs to society of destroyed ecosystems, plus thecosts of converting natural assets into liabilities and their attemptedrestoration.The authors are comparing the monetary value of oil andgas — goods exchanged in a predictable closed system – to the mon-etary value of fishing, tourism, and recreation. But the real comparisonis to the value of ecosystems. In the model of ecological economics, theworth of a wetland or estuary is calculated as the cost to replace theservices they provide (flood control, pollination, water purification, fishnursery, climate regulation, etc.) On this basis, the dollar value of theworld’s wetlands is estimated at $4.9 trillion annually, coastal estuariesat $4.1 trillion, forests at $4.7 trillion (An Introduction to EcologicalEconomics, St. Lucie Press). And those $4 trillion-plus valuationsrepresent environmental services provided annually, year in and yearout, not a one-shot $1 trillion worth of offshore oil & gas to be ex-tracted and burned up, while the world picks up the tab for the dam-ages. Sustainable ecosystems and ecological landscapes provide goodsand services, improve economic well-being, and incur no productioncosts, as pointed out by H.E. Daly and J. Farley in Ecological Econom-ics – principles and applications (Island Press). The Cato Institute isignoring – or is ignorant of — the value of environmental services.

Taking Issueproblematic environmental coverage & commentary in our local media

Brace for Impactcontinued from page 3

ation of ecosystem services. The LGC report on adaptationstrategies for San Luis Obispoidentifies vulnerabilities and strate-gies in public health, agriculture,water and wastewater management,infrastructure and coastal. One of the essential texts cited inthe meetings is California ClimateRisk and Response, a Next 10 reportthat found that if California were totake no action to reduce or minimizeexpected impacts from future climatechange, that inaction would incurtens of billions of dollars per year indirect costs, with even higher indirectcosts, by the end of the century. Climate response, on the other hand

– mitigation to prevent the worstimpacts and adaptation to climatechange that is unavoidable – can beexecuted for a fraction of these netcosts by strategic deployment ofexisting resources for infrastructurerenewal and replacement (transporta-tion and energy) and private invest-ments that would enhance bothemployment and productivity. Our local decision-makers will needto be encouraged to act on the LGCreports and recommendations,particularly recommendations tochange land use policies, protectmigration corridors and habitat, andotherwise do what’s necessary toprotect species and ecosystems at

— we must now actively work tocreate habitats where plants, animals,and people are able to thrive on awarmer planet. Animals like grizzly bears, salmon,panthers and the San Joaquin kit fox

Our politicians need to say “Well, youcan vote me out of office next year,but this is what’s needed.” Gettingthat political will is important, andthat’s up to you.

- Larry Allen, Air Pollution Control OfficerSLO Climate Change Adaptation Workshop

risk. The SierraClub’s ResilientHabitats cam-paign does justthat. Settingaside areaswhere develop-ment is re-stricted is nolonger enough

will face a race for life as their foodsources and habitat change. We needto help them survive. The ResilientHabitats campaign is focusing effortson ten key eco-regions nationwide,including the California coast.

Breakout sessions at the Climate Change Adaptation Workshop covered theprimary strategy areas of climate change impact as identified by the Local

Government Commission:Health and EmergencyPreparedness, Agriculture,Water Supply, Coastal Marine,and Infrastructure/Energy. Each session consisted oftwo groups of workshopattendees rotating through in

Now you see it.... That’s aCommunity Choice flyer on theeasel behind SLOCOG’s RonDe Carli at the climate changeworkshop. He’s about to makeit disappear.

Public power gets last-minute save at climate change workshop

continued on page 10

A Close One!

10


The need for speed The soil contaminated by the Conoco pipeline is now a few feet away from the eroding Nipomo Creek channel.

5

By Ralph Bishop, Nipomo Creek Dogs

For the second time in as manymonths, this humble Creek Dog hasreceived a communication from theRegional Water Quality Board. Thefirst, as documented in the SantaLucian, concerned solid wasteclogging Nipomo Creek (“Thank YouProvision #28,” June 2010; “Caught inthe Black Web,” March 2008). Thisone concerns the Conoco NipomoCreek Pipeline oil spill, which is nowjust two feet under the basement ofthe creek. A few years ago, fellow Creek DogDaniel Diaz learned from the looselips of a Conoco employee about thespill, the knowledge of which hadbeen concealed for several years.Having been a Reagan Republican, Iwas an unlikely person to join Danielin taking an ecological stance on oil,but my maturity away from ideology(a driving force but always a threat tologic) and my lifelong interest ingeology made me realize the gravityof this particular spill and that thelong suppression of this informationwas a betrayal of the community thatcrossed a moral line. I have worked for years diggingfossils in Pleistocene tar pits andMiocene agatized oil. Just as theChumash did, I realized fossil tar wasa useful, benign and integral part ofour environment. On the other hand,I had worked as a “worm” in the oilfields, with subterranean oil that forthe good of the environment shouldbe left where it is. And once again the irrepressibleSanta Lucia Chapter has supportedour efforts to bring ecologicalintegrity to Nipomo Creek. The SantaLucian was the only local newspaperthat had the stones to confront withhonesty the collusive power structurethat for years betrayed the trust of thecommunity of both man and nature.God bless our fellow trouble-makers. Having had success with theRWQCB when I presented my firstphoto-documented report “Destruc-tive Failure of Creek Restoration inNipomo Creek,” I provided anotherreport to the water board in which Ilaid out common-sense concernsbased on fifty years experience in thearea below the Dana Adobe. I alsoused data from Conoco’s own reporton the spill (which read like BP CEOTony Hayward’s testimony at hisSenate conflab). The reality of thesituation was difficult to finagle orfinesse. My proposal – a temporary streamchannel to circumvent the contami-nant zone until a long-term solutioncould be implemented — was notmeant to be solve the problem of

neutralizing this huge swath ofcontaminated soil that mingles withpressurized ground water, a virulentand complicated situation, but rathera stop-gap procedure to stop erosionfrom popping the cork and spreadingthe oil downstream. The Water Board didn’t go for that,but they did go for this, per theirPublic Notice of Corrective ActionPlan, released on June 23:

The proposed Cleanup Approach tomitigate the potential for exposure ofcrude-oil impacted soil below NipomoCreek is to excavate the bottom of thecreek channel to a depth of 4 feetover a distance of approximately 300feet. Impacted soil removed from theexcavation will be transported to anauthorized waste disposal facility.The excavation will be lined with animpermeable geotextile fabric to

prevent recontamination of the cleanbackfill material. The excavationswill then be backfilled with native orimported low-permeability materials.To prevent downward and lateralerosion, the clay barrier and banks ofthe creek will be capped with anarticulating concrete block system.Following installation, the new capsystem will be packed and coveredwith native soil. The concrete capalong the bottom of the creek will beburied with natural sand and graveldeposits. Bio-degradable vegetationmats may also be installed over thecapping system on the banks tofacilitate and speed the growth ofvegetation. Site restoration includesreplacement of removed trees,shrubs, plants, and native grasseswithin the areas disturbed by theconstruction activities. The types ofriparian and non riparian vegetationto be planted will be selected incollaboration with the landowner andThe Land Conservancy of San LuisObispo County.

It appears that common sensesupported by photographic corrobora-tion has been embraced by the WaterBoard. But after that paragraph, under theheading “Next Steps,” come the words“…all appropriate agency permits,”and the need to obtain same beforeanything can be done. I know how that goes. How many more winters shall passbefore any implementation can occurwhile permitters chase their tails? Thevagaries of weather do not surrenderto the sloth of man while time wearson and our environment pays forinaction. And the other big question: Howmany more leaks -- in the activeConoco pipeline that caused thisproblem and the old pipeline next toit -- have yet to be discovered?

An Oil Spill of Our Own

discussions of 45 minutes each. In thefirst Infrastructure session, attendeesput Community Choice Aggregation(CCA) – the public power/cleanenergy law that was recently thetarget of Proposition 16, PG&E’s$47-million anti-competition ballotinitiative attempt to kill it – into thetop echelon of energy infrastructurepriorities for the county. Community Choice, a state law thatallows communities to break withtheir local utility and purchase asmuch clean, renewable energy as they

want, is the silver bullet of climatechange and energy policy, bringingmore renewable energy on line fasterthan any privately owned utility hasbeen able to, cutting pollution,improving public health, andincentivizing the growth of the greeneconomy, at a cost to ratepayersgenerally 20 percent less than whatthe utilities charge. Everywhere aCCA program has been proposed,PG&E has fought it with the kind offerocity displayed by tobacco compa-nies in fighting product liabilitylawsuits. When it came time for theworkshop’s Local GovernmentCommission organizers to catalog the

priorities voted on by each breakoutgroup, Infrastructure group spokes-man Ron De Carli, Executive Directorof the San Luis Obispo Council ofGovernments (SLOCOG), read off thetop five issues as determined by thetwo groups. But when it came to CCA,De Carli said that the second grouphad assigned the same level of priorityto “working with private interests onsmart growth principles,” andtherefore the equivalent CCA priority,as determined by the first group,should be deleted and replaced by thesecond group’s priority. As the LGC organizers dutifullybegan deleting and replacing CCA onthe appropriate Power Point slide

projected on the screen at the front ofthe room, Ken Smokoska, director oftraining for the Green Tech Programat Cuesta College, shouted out fromthe back: “Did you just delete CCAafter PG&E spent $50 million tryingto delete CCA?!” The room cracked up. De Carliclarified that the tie score for the twoissues at the same priority level calledfor the addition of the second one at anumber-six spot, and the retention ofthe first one, CCA, where it was. The LGC organizers dutifullyundeleted and restored CCA as arecommended priority climate changeadaptation strategy for the County ofSan Luis Obispo.

A Close Onecontinued from page 9


ClassifiedsNext issue deadline is September 14.To get a rate sheet or submit your adand payment, contact:Sierra Club - Santa Lucia Chapter

P.O. Box 15755

San Luis Obispo, CA 93406

[email protected]

A portion of any commissiondonated to the Sierra Club

Pismo toSan Simeon

GREEN HOMES

Now on Faceboook

search: “Santa Lucia” and become our friend!

CYNTHIA HAWLEY

ATTORNEY

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

LAND USE

CIVIL LITIGATION

P.O. Box 29 Cambria California 93428

Phone 805-927-5102 Fax 805-927-5220

For more info: Chad Worth at Cuesta Green [email protected]

Do you pay over $100 amonth for energy?

Your home could use an energy audit.

Contact us to schedule a date and time.

AnnAnnAnnAnnAnnual Kual Kual Kual Kual Ken Haren Haren Haren Haren Harmount Pier to Pier Pmount Pier to Pier Pmount Pier to Pier Pmount Pier to Pier Pmount Pier to Pier Padadadadaddledledledledle

Saturday, September 11thAvila Pier to the South Side of Pismo Pier 6.5 milesA Benefit Paddle for the Junior lifeguard Program

Meet at Old Port Beach, AvilaRegistration starts at 6:45 a.m.Paddler’s meeting at 7:45 a.m.$5 for Junior lifeguards$25 for Surfrider Members$30 Non-members$35 day of registration- Includes water and a race gift. Contact Central Coast Kayaks at 805-773-3500 forquestions or to pre-register. Please let us know if you oryour gear will need a shuttle back to Old Port Beach afterthe event. All money raised will go to the Junior Lifeguardprogram for scholarships.

12


Outings and Activities CalendarSeller of travel registration information: CST 2087766-40. Registration as a seller of travel does not constitute approval by the State of California.

This is a partial listing of Outingsoffered by our chapter.

Please check the web pagewww.santalucia.sierraclub.org for

the most up-to-date listing ofactivities.

All our hikes and activities are open to all Club members and the general public. If you have any suggestionsfor hikes or outdoor activities, questions about the Chapter’s outing policies, or would like to be an outingsleader, call Outings Chair Joe Morris, 772-1875. For information on a specific outing, please call the outingleader.

CA’s Channel Islands are Galapagos USA! Marvel at the sight of whales, seals,sea lions, rare birds & blazing wildflowers. Hike the wild, windswept trails.Kayak the rugged coastline. Snorkel in pristine waters. Discover remnants ofthe Chumash people who lived on these islands for thousands of years. Or justrelax at sea. These 3-day “live aboard” fundraiser cruises are sponsored by theAngeles Chapter Political Committee & Sierra Club California Political Com-mittee. Depart from Santa Barbara aboard the 68’ Truth. $590 price includes anassigned bunk, all meals, snacks & beverages, plus the services of a ranger/naturalist who will travel with us to lead hikes on each island and point outinterestingfeatures. To hold areservation, mail a$100 check payableto Sierra Club toleaders Joan JonesHoltz & DonHoltz, 11826 TheWye St., El Monte,CA 91732. Contactleaders for moreinformation (626-443-0706;[email protected]).

Island Hopping in Channel Islands National ParkSept. 10-12:

Sat., Sept. 25, 9a.m.-12p.m., CoastalCleanup Day 2010, local beaches.For 26 years, the California CoastalCommission has featured CoastalCleanup Day as the annual highlightof the state’s “Adopt-a-Beach”program. Each year, site captains andvolunteers swarm the designatedbeaches and pick up every scrap of

Wednesday, Sept. 1, 8, 15, 22, and29, 5:30 p.m. Informal HikesAround San Luis Obispo. 1-2 hourhikes around San Luis Obispo, 5-6miles, with elevation gain around1200 feet. For more information orto sign up for Hikers List send an e-mail to Gary Felsman.

Sat-Sun, Sept 4-5, Tamarisk Bashin Surprise Canyon. Help removeinvasive tamarisk from SurpriseCanyon north of Ridgecrest, CA. It iswarm weather, but the year-roundstream will let us soak and cool asthe spirit moves us. We will workSaturday with Marty Dickes, ourcoordinator from the BLM. Sunday isreserved for a hike to cooler eleva-tions above the desert. Enjoycarcamping, a potluck dinner Satur-day, and campfire stories. Contactleader Craig Deutsche,[email protected], (310-477-6670) CNRCC Desert Committee.

Fri., Sept. 10, 10 a.m., City Walk:Mill St. Historic District. Guidedstroll past splendid century-oldhomes to discover SLO in the era of

N. America—usually with a ninety-pound pack and iron skillet—willnever be matched. Clyde’s curmudg-eonly style added to his legend. Biographer Bob Pavlik presents a slideprogram with rare photos, stories,and reminiscences of friends andfellow climbers. Meeting begins withconservation news & letter writing. Steynberg Gallery, 1531 Monterey St. SLO. Info: Joe Morris, 772-1875.

Sat., Sept. 25, National Sierra Club Awards Banquet, San Francisco. TheClub’s annual National Awards Banquet will be held at Empress of China,838 Grant Ave., San Francisco. The bar will begin serving at 6 p.m., dinnerserved at 7 p.m. There will be entertainment and some 20 awards presented.Awards Banquet tickets are $50 each and will be reserved upon receipt of yourcheck. Make check payable to Sierra Club, and mail it with the names of yourguests to Sierra Club 2010 Awards, 85 2nd Street, 2nd Floor, San Francisco,CA 94105. All tickets will be at will call the night of the Banquet. For ques-tions, contact Felicia Gotthelf at (415) 977-5535 or [email protected]/. For travel arrangements or to reserve a hotel room, contactBeyond the Bay at www.beyondthebay.com/scboardmeeting/.

Sponsored by other organizations:

garbage they can find. The stacks oftrash are carefully accounted forthrough data cards and weighed forreporting to the Ocean Conservancy.This data assists with the develop-ment of environmental policy. CallECOSLO for locations or if you wouldlike to bring a group of five or more.(805) 544-1777, [email protected]/.

Hearst, WW I, and the twenties,learning about the rich and not-so-famous who shaped the city of today. Meet in front of the Veterans Mem.Bldg., 801 Grand Ave. (at MontereySt.), SLO. 1 hr. Info.: Joe Morris,772-1875.

Wed., Sept. 22, 7-9 p.m. BimonthlyMeeting: “The Greatest MountaineerEver?” To equal the climbingprowess of John Muir, there’s only onecontender: Norman Clyde. Hissuperhuman feats completing over130 first ascents of mountain peaks in

Fri-Sun, Sept 24-26, Service andHiking in the Carrizo Plains. This isan opportunity to visit and to assist anoutstanding and relatively unknownnational monument. There will be anoptional and scenic hike high in theCaliente Mountains on Friday. Othersmay join us for National Public LandsDay on Saturday when we willparticipate with other volunteersrestoring one of the historic home-steads in the center of the Plain. OnSunday, we will tour a number of thehistoric, prehistoric, and geologicsites in the Monument. Leader Craig

Deutsche, [email protected], (310-477-6670) CNRCCDesert Committee.

Sat., Sept. 25, 9 a.m. Valencia/OatsPeaks Hike. Loop hike, 9 miles rt, inMontana de Oro State Park tosummits of Valencia and Oats pkswith great views of coastline, pluslunch in cypress grove and bluff walk. Return via Coon Creek and Bluff

trails. Bring water, lunch, and dressfor weather. Ticks and poison oak apossibility. Meet at Valencia Pk.trailhead just past visitor center. Possible “refueling” stop afterwards. Info: Chuck, 441-7597.

Documents

Santa Lucian • September 2010 Lucian - Sierra Club...40% post-consumer recycled paper with soy-based inks September 2010 Volume 47 No. 8 Santa Lucian Santa Lucia Chapter of the Sierra