Legal News

Carlsbad desalination plant approved

By Richard Binder

The California Coastal Commission voted 8-to-4 yesterday to allow Poseidon Resources to continue to develop an ocean-water desalination plant in Carlsbad, denying a revocation request from Surfrider Foundation and San Diego Coastkeeper.

KBPS reports that the issue at hand was whether the water produced by the desalination plant in Carlsbad would mean the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California would reduce the amount of water it imports from the State Water Project in Northern California. Ric Zbur, an attorney for Poseidon, said the company never claimed the MWD would relinquish its imported entitlements from the Project. He went on to say that the supply from the desalination plant would eliminate the need to to pump 56,000 acre feet of water into the San Diego region.

SignOnSanDiego also reports that the dispute was over greenhouse gases and whether Poseidon should make amends for the gross increases in emissions created by the plant.  Poseidon argued it should only pay for the net increases, and emissions associated with shifting water south should be subtracted because the plant would lessen the amount of water being imported.

The Coastal Commission did conclude that Poseidon may have omitted or misrepresented facts related to its claimed reduction of imported water.

Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on February 11, 2010 (boomark / email).