YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER ward Winning News al A pa
Vol. 9, No. 41
Including Surrounding Communities
www.thepress.net
Judge halts Cypress development by Samie Hartley Staff Writer
The Contra Costa County Superior Court has halted Oakley’s plans to develop thousands of acres of farmland as part of the East Cypress Corridor Specific Plan, ruling that the environmental impact report (EIR) for the project is still incomplete. Last week Judge Barry Baskin ruled in favor of Greenbelt Alliance, a San Franciscobased environmental group that sued the city in order to protect the agricultural land that it claims would be sacrificed as part of the development. “Inexplicably, the City failed to consider a reasonable range of mitigation measures or potentially feasible alternatives to lessen the impact to important farmland,” Baskin wrote in his ruling. Greenbelt Alliance has been challenging this project for several years. The group initially challenged the EIR in 2006, suggesting that the city failed to approve a complete EIR, violating
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October 9, 2009
THIS WEEK
Wrenching reflections
A child-safety advocate explores the implications of the Jaycee Dugard kidnap case.
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Press file photo
Cows will continue to graze off of East Cypress Road now that a county judge has ruled that the city of Oakley needs to do more to protect local farmland. the California Environmental Quality Act in the process. The court ruled in 2007 that the city was in compliance for the most part, but it needed to do more to protect air quality and prime farmland. The council voted to approve a second EIR this past
March, which Greenbelt Alliance challenged in July. The judge ruled that the new EIR addresses the air quality matter, but adequate mitigation must be made to make up for the farmland that would be lost. City Manager Bryan Mont-
gomery said the ruling is disappointing, but the city will work with developers to comply with environmental regulations and move the project forward: “We thought land preservation was
Documenting the downturn A new report breaks down the unemployment rate among East County cities.
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Edged out by fellow Falcons
see Cypress page 22A
Plans for power plant move forward by Samie Hartley Staff Writer PG&E has announced its intentions to purchase the proposed Contra Costa Generating Station that is currently being considered by the California Energy Commission (CEC). The proposed power plant, which Radback Energy, Inc. has petitioned to build on 20 acres of the Dupont property on Bridgehead Road in Oakley, is undergoing an in-depth certification analysis in which the CEC will examine public health and safety, reliability, economic and environmental ramifications of the 624-megawatt gas/electric facility. During this time the CEC will also make sure that the construction and operation of the plant complies with all laws, ordinances, regulations and standards. The process is expected to take 16 months. In that time, the CEC will conduct a series of public workshops and evidentiary hearings to
Photo by Samie Hartley
The former Dupont property could be home to a PG&E power plant as early as 2013 if the California Energy Commission approves the project. present information to Oakley city staff, as well collect input from the City Council and the community. Oakley City Manager Bryan Montgomery said regardless of the city’s stance on the project, the
CEC ultimately decides whether or not to approve the construction of the power plant. “The state has the power to make the decision,” said Montgomery. “Even if the city says no,
the state can overrule us. It stinks, but that’s just how it is. We have no control in the matter. It’s not the most comfortable position to be in.” However, what the city can do is be involved in the public hearings and be an active participant in the process. The city has hired two consultants to help staff navigate through this unknown territory. “We need to know more about the project,” Montgomery said. “The overall impact of this project remains to be seen. It could be a positive thing for the city or it could be a negative thing, but that is all to be determined. We don’t know how this will impact the city of Oakley. We’ve entered the learning phase.” While Montgomery said the proposed plant wouldn’t be “the prettiest thing to look at,” he did acknowledge that were the plant approved, the creation of new jobs would be a great benefit. Radback Energy, Inc. stated see Power plant page 22A
College Park hung on to bring Freedom’s final surge to a screeching halt.
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