Drone Industry Boosters Pilot Controversial Local Growth Plan

National Anti-Drone Days of Action launch here in San Diego, "drone capital USA", THURSDAY at 3p at the General Atomics Plant in Poway, continue through Sunday: www.sdcpj.org

April 3, 2013 at 6:26 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

San Onofre Operator Requests to Restart Reactor

That's 88% in the Rochelle Becker quote.

April 1, 2013 at 9:39 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

San Onofre Operator Requests to Restart Reactor

We Are NOT Fooled: "San Onofre hasn't been 'the largest source of baseload generation and voltage support in the region,' as Edison repeatedly claims, for the past 14 months and counting, and the CA Independent System Operator (ISO) says we'll do just fine without it for the second Southern California summer upcoming. For example, voltage support will be provided by retrofitting the retired, Edison-owned Huntington Beach power plant as a 'synchronous condenser' ...

"Per the CA Energy Commission, despite increased population and more appliances consuming power in homes and businesses, energy efficiency standards have helped keep per capita electricity consumption in California flat for the past 30 years. California's per capita electricity consumption has remained constant at approximately 7,000 kilowatt-hours/year (kWh) for the last 30 years due in large part to strict standards for homes and appliances. The rest of the U.S. has increased 40 percent (to roughly 12,000 kWh/year per person). And there is even more savings to be gained through additional advances in energy efficiency as well as conservation by users. Not to mention the boom in rooftop solar installations, with San Diego County leading the state.

"Edison needs to stop with the Chicken Little routine -- the sky is NOT falling. The 21st Century is just moving forward."

As of last summer, California generates 1,255 MW of electricity from 122,516 rooftops (more than one of the San Onofre Nuclear Reactors). Rooftop solar installation can be done in a matter of months, and the CA Air Resources Board estimates that 150 permanent jobs are created for each 100 megawatt (MW) of local solar added. As an indication of the growth potential of this job sector, in San Diego County, we have only installed 2% (or 140 MW) of rooftop and parking lot capacity -- this is a GROWTH industry!

Here is a weblink to our letter faxed to Senator Boxer and Congressman Waxman today, with cc's to Senator Feinstein, NRC Chair Allison Macfarlane and several senior NRC managers, including those responsible for the decison on Restart of San Onofre, Eric Leeds and Art Howell: http://sanonofresafety.files.wordpres...

The Coalition to Decommission San Onofre is comprised of community-based, grassroots organizations in San Diego and Orange Counties concerned for the safety of 8.5 million residents living within 50 miles of the defective San Onofre nuclear reactors, and for the economy of Southern California. These organizations include: Citizens Oversight, Earthkeepers San Diego, the Peace Resource Center of San Diego, San Clemente Green, SanOnofreSafety.org, and Women Occupy San Diego.

April 1, 2013 at 2:28 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Restarting San Onofre Isn't Cost Effective, New Study Suggests

Note to SCE's Jennifer Manfre: San Onofre hasn't been "the largest source of baseload generation and voltage support in the region" for 14 months and counting, and the CA ISO says we'll do just fine w/o it for the 2nd summer upcoming. Voltage support will be provided by retrofitting the retired Huntington Beach power plant to be a "synchronous condenser" -- although SCE as owner of that plant has no doubt put JP Morgan up to obtructing that very wise plan by the ISO and other CA energy officials. Thankfully, CA pushed through that obstruction and that plan is being carried out.

Per the CA Energy Commission, despite increased population and more appliances consuming power in homes and businesses, energy efficiency standards have helped keep per capita electricity consumption in California flat for the past 30 years. California's per capita electricity consumption has remained constant at approximately 7,000 kilowatt-hours/year (kWh) for the last 30 years due in large part to strict standards for homes and appliances. The rest of the U.S. has increased 40 percent (to roughly 12,000 kWh/year per person). And there is even more savings to be gained through additional advances in energy efficiency as well as conservation by users. Not to mention the boom in rooftop solar installations!

Edison needs to stop the Chicken Little routine -- the sky is NOT falling. The 21st Century is just moving forward.

March 29, 2013 at 5:16 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Filner, City Council, Tourism District Agree On Revised Operating Agreement

More transparency and accountability for the Tourism Marketing District, authorized by the City Council and funded by taxes collected by the City, is a very good thing. Thank You, Mayor Filner!

March 29, 2013 at 4:55 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Edison Says One Of San Onofre's Reactors Could Run At 100% Power for 11 Months.

HOW can we trust SoCal Edison after all its intentional avoidance of regulatory and public scrutiny? On top of this dismal track record, there's THIS: SoCal Edison's "Chief Nuclear Officer" and Sr. Vice President in charge of San Onofre was "site vice president" of the James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant in Lycoming, New York before being hired by SoCal Edison in late 2010. http://www.electricenergyonline.com/?...

Dietrich took over the FitzPatrick Plant in May 2006. http://oswegocountybusiness.com/index...

In Sept. 2011, the Syracuse Post-Standard reported: "A series of investigations at the James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant in Scriba has resulted in four workers being fired and 34 being disciplined, a spokeswoman for the plant owner said Thursday. Meanwhile, federal prosecutors announced that one of the fired workers has pleaded guilty to falsifying tests of safety equipment at the plant." http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ss....

The records falsification happened on Dietrich's watch: "Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Benedict said that on 32 documented occasions between 2006 and 2009, McCarrick falsely claimed he had completed such tests. Benedict said the incidents were investigated by special agents from the NRC." http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ss....

Per the above news story from the Oswego County Business Magazine (http://oswegocountybusiness.com/index...), before Dietrich's tenure at the Fitzpatrick Plant, he was General Manager, Plant Operations at Pilgrim Nuclear Station, another troubled Entergy plant located in Massachusetts. He joined Entergy in 1991 at Arkansas Nuclear One in Russellville, AR, where he held positions in operations and as maintenance manager. In 2000, Dietrich became director of strategic planning for deregulation and merger activities at Entergy Corporation? s headquarters in New Orleans. Dietrich is a US Naval Academy graduate (Naval Architecture) and served 5 years in the Navy Surface Nuclear Power Program (NOT subs); has an MBA from Tulane (no doubt earned while at Entergy HQs).

He looks like a "fixer" to me, all the plants he's run since his stint as Director of Strategic Planning for Entergy are troubled plants (FitzPatrick is rumored to be the next one Entergy closes after Kewaunee, and Pilgrim has been the object of strong opposition for decades, including most recently litigation by the MA Attorney General.) Dietrich is not a "tech guy" -- not a nuclear scientist nor engineer, but a business manager.

March 19, 2013 at 3:16 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

City Council Shows Strong Support For Tourism Marketing District

Would be nice if this KPBS article referenced its own reporting from last Friday: "But the IBA [Indpendent Budget Analyst] report said there is no way to account for how much the TMD accounts for the city's room tax revenue, known in government parlance as the Transient Occupancy Tax, or TOT.

"While TMD promotions and marketing does support hotel room night stays, which is the basis for TOT assessments, it is extremely difficult to quantify the TOT receipts directly related to the TMD's activities,'' the IBA report states.

"There are many factors that drive the choice of destination for travelers, such as local attractions, recreational opportunities, general economic conditions, visitor age and income, transportation costs and available alternatives. While marketing is surely one of these factors, it is very difficult to isolate its impact.''

February 26, 2013 at 6:50 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

City Council Shows Strong Support For Tourism Marketing District

"Mayor Filner’s insistence that the tourism industry should be obliged to pay living wages is a righteous argument. His belief that industries that get public subsidies give back is also a just and eminently reasonable position. And his concern that any deal that benefits the tourism industry also needs to be clearly good for the city legally and economically is both correct and a breath of fresh air. If he is successful we’ll get a deal that will help create better jobs and lift all of us up at the same time." http://sandiegofreepress.org/2013/02/...

February 26, 2013 at 6:44 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

San Diego Union Members Attend San Onofre Hearing For Costco Gift Cards

I've known Tom Lemmon through local Democratic Party circles for the past several years. As so often, it's not that he's a bad guy, just woefully uninformed and not very strategic. He is an unabashed advocate for his union and for decent-paying jobs and benefits for his members -- who taken a HUGE hit in the economic free-fall we've been in since 2008. HE is not the visionary who will lead them to the New World, he's just trying to hang on to what they've got, thinking that is better than the uncertainty ahead.

February 17, 2013 at 8:32 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

San Diego Union Members Attend San Onofre Hearing For Costco Gift Cards

Mr. Lemmon is the same guy who suggested in the NRC meeting on Tuesday night that Unit 2 would be restarted to "collect data" ... which is exactly what it is -- an EXPERIMENT. One of the NRC Panelists practically shouted, "If we allow Unit 2 to restart, it will NOT be to 'collect data', it will be because we believe it to be SAFE."

February 16, 2013 at 2:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )