Gov. Newsom Ousts Key Poseidon Desal Critic from Water Board Ahead of Project’s Approval
Water, Power & Waste
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The move comes as the project’s developer, Poseidon Water, has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars lobbying Sacramento.
Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/tag/desalination/)
The move comes as the project’s developer, Poseidon Water, has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars lobbying Sacramento.
There are mounting questions over whether Gov. Gavin Newsom will replace William von Blasingame, when his current term expires Sept. 30.
Some say the project could fund the Bolsa Chica Wetlands, weighed against the plant’s expected ecosystem damage. Others say Bolsa Chica doesn’t need Poseidon’s help.
The Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Agency board directors anticipate returning to the issue on Sept. 17.
Getting a permit from the Santa Ana regional water board would be one of the last hurdles for the Poseidon Water company to clear for its desalination project.
State and local officials agree that Kris Murray’s upcoming vote for a desalination project pushed by groups she took money from is legal.
If the permit is approved, Poseidon Water, the company proposing the desal plant, would clear a major hurdle after two-decades of pushing it near the final stretch.
A series of public hearings on a controversial desalination project are set to take place over two days.
The Santa Ana Regional Quality Control Board is meeting this morning to hold a public hearing on Poseidon Water’s request for a permit renewal for their facility, which would be built on 12 acres of a power plant and produce 50 million gallons of water per day, according to water district staff.
The exploitation by opponents of seawater desalination of environmental justice concerns is both unfortunate and misguided. The real threat to economically disadvantaged and communities of color is climate change and its effect on the environment and our water resources. LULAC takes this threat very seriously and so does the state of California, which is why every state agency to date charged with permitting the Huntington Beach Desalination Project has done so.