Posts
Desalination Advances in California Despite Opponents Pushing for Alternatives
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Chelsea Campos /Reutersby Daniel TrottaEnvironmentalists say desalination decimates ocean life, costs too much money and energy, and soon will be made obsolete by water recycling. But as Western states face an epic drought, regulators appear ready to approve a desalination plant in Huntington Beach, California.
After spending 22 years and $100 million navigating a thicket of state regulations and environmentalists’ challenges, Poseidon Water is down to one major regulatory hurdle – the California Coastal Commission. The company feels confident enough to talk of breaking ground by the end of next year on the $1.4 billion plant that would produce some 50 million gallons of drinking water daily.
Questions Linger About Environmental Impact of Poseidon Plant
/in Media Coverage, San Diego County /by Mike Lee /Los Angeles Timesby Bettina BoxallEvery year that it converts a bit of the Pacific Ocean into drinking water, the proposed Huntington Beach desalination plant would kill tiny marine life crucial to the sea’s food web.
Questions of how and when to offset that environmental harm remain unresolved in regulators’ ongoing review of Poseidon Water’s plans to build a $1-billion desalting plant on the Orange County coastline.
Permit terms Might Kill Poseidon Desalination Proposal in Huntington Beach
/in Media Coverage, San Diego County /by Mike Lee /The Orange County Registerby Martin WisckolRecommended terms for a permit to build Poseidon Water’s controversial desalination plant in Huntington Beach would make it impossible to get financing for the $1.4 billion project, according to the developer.
Opinion: Governor Newsom Needs To Protect the Human Right to Water Not Water Privatizers
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Chelsea Campos /Voice of OCby Alejandro SobreraGovernor Gavin Newsom frequently says California is a leader in sustainability and the transition away from fossil fuels. The governor has also issued an executive order to fight climate change in response to the deadly wildfires that ravaged our state last year. Despite these public statements and official efforts, it’s puzzling that his administration has been promoting the climate-wrecking Poseidon desalination plant in Huntington Beach as an infrastructure to source additional water for California.
Opinion: Newsom Right to Boost Huntington Beach Desalination Facility
/in Home Headline, Media Coverage, San Diego County /by Chelsea Campos /The Orange County RegisterOpponents of a proposed desalination facility along the Huntington Beach coastline are aghast that Gov. Gavin Newsom has taken steps to help end a years-long regulatory logjam. Although an environmentalist, the governor clearly recognizes the importance of developing new water sources to meet California’s needs. Privately funded facilities plants that turn saltwater into drinking water aren’t the only solution to California’s water shortages, but they are one solution. For instance, a similar plant in Carlsbad has the capacity to meet 9 percent of San Diego County’s water needs.
Opinion: San Diego’s Successful Desal Plant Should Be a Model for California Water Policy
/in Media Coverage, San Diego County /by Mike Lee /Times of San Diegoby Kerry JacksonOften the value of a plan or project can best be judged by its opposition. In the case of the proposed Poseidon desalination plant in Huntington Beach, the forces lined up against it are clear indicators that it’s a worthwhile enterprise.
Tentative Order Released for Controversial Poseidon Water Project
/in Media Coverage, San Diego County /by Kimberlyn Velasquez /Daily Pilot (Orange County)by Matt SzaboThe Santa Ana Regional Water Board released a tentative order Friday detailing proposed revisions to Poseidon Water’s controversial proposed $1.4-billion water desalination project in Huntington Beach.
Regulators on Poseidon Desalination Plant Received Calls that are Likely Prohibited
/in Media Coverage, San Diego County /by Chelsea Campos /The Orange County Registerby Martin WisckolThree members of the regulatory board considering approval of the controversial Poseidon desalination plant were called by the state’s environmental protection secretary at the time of last summer’s deliberations, an apparent violation of a rule that in serious cases can disqualify members from voting on the issue.
Opinion: Poseidon Would Bring Jobs and Water to Orange County
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Los Angeles Times by Gloria AlvaradoWe’ve seen this story before: What do you do when someone doesn’t have science on their side? You make up a conspiracy story. And better yet, you try to piggyback on a politically charged conspiracy theory with no ties to reality.
And that’s exactly what Gary Brown attempts to do in his opinion piece regarding the Poseidon project, “Governor’s talk on environment falls short when it comes to the Poseidon project,” Dec. 3.
He claims that desalination is somehow tied to a bigger conspiracy involving Gov. Gavin Newsom and shady backroom politics. Well, hang on to your tinfoil hat. There’s no government conspiracy here — it’s actual science.