April 16, 2003

ISO on Potrero plant

The March 5, 2003, Hall Monitor on improvements to the Potrero power plant does not appear to represent an accurate description of the facts of the planned air-quality upgrade of the Potrero plant's Unit 3.

The community has known for a long time that Potrero Unit 3 would undergo retrofit work in 2004. At a meeting July 22, 2002, with the community representatives and other members of the Working Group, the matter was discussed in great detail. The Potrero power plant has a contract with the California Independent System Operator that allows for improvements such as the proposed emission retrofit. Community representatives asked to be a part of deciding whether there would be an upgrade, but the contract provides for a confidential decision-making process.

The ISO remains committed to the community's goal of closing the Hunters Point power plant as soon as possible. That goal was factored into the decision to approve the Potrero Unit 3 retrofit. After the retrofit, the Potrero Unit 3 will significantly reduce its NOx emissions, and be able to continue providing essential local generation to San Francisco. Simply stated, in order to continue delivering reliable electric service to San Francisco, and be able to shut down the Hunters Point plant, Potrero 3 needs to remain in service until other alternatives are in place. To stay in service, the plant needs to meet new air-quality restrictions. No alternatives are expected to be in place by 2005. The Potrero 3 project will allow the needed time for the city to develop and implement its energy plan. The community energy plan specifically assumed that Potrero 3 would undergo the retrofit work in 2004.

The retrofit does not extend the life of Potrero Unit 3 and the ISO did not extend the term of Mirant Corp.'s contract to run it. The ISO will continue to look at alternatives each year and factor in reliability, economics, and environmental concerns.

The ISO remains committed to the goals of the community and welcomes any feedback or comments. Please address comments to Julie Gill, c/o California ISO, P.O. Box 639014, Folsom, CA 95763 or webmaster@caiso.com.

Randy Abernathy
Vice President, Market Services
California Independent System Operator

Rachel Brahinsky responds: Abernathy is wrong when he says the community energy plan includes the retrofit of Potrero's Unit 3. That's not true. Even the city's (slightly more conservative) energy plan, approved by the mayor and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, is clear on this issue. "The city should facilitate the early retirement of Potrero Unit 3, to avoid costly upgrades and the extended operation of this outdated plant," the plan says.

Community members who attended the July 2002 meeting Abernathy refers to – the one place where he says the public was told about the status of the retrofit proposal – have told us they weren't informed about the likely retrofit at that meeting. It's true that ISO has its rules about confidentiality processing the retrofit plan. But it seems that with such a controversial proposal – especially in a town where community members are actively and regularly meeting with ISO on related matters – ISO should find a way to allow for public comment before the deal is done.

Sole's humor

J.H. Tompkins has typed out a humorless hack job of a record review for Sole's new album (Local Grooves, 4/9/03). While proclaiming the "third law of writing" as "incontrovertible," Tompkins violates himself with such original constructs as "enough is enough" and "at this stage of the game." Perhaps someone should inform the reviewer of an obscure literary device employed by Sole: humor. The I-wanna-be-black lyrics are sardonic. The lines about parking tickets are obviously absurd: no one has to face a small army over unpaid parking tickets. And Sole "flows like AC Transit"? He's an extremely versatile vocalist, despite being an "ofay." And if this audience of one – the reviewer, that is – is bored with Sole's inventive record, then perhaps he should try the non-challenge of a generic indie rap group or a formulaic thug rapper.

Zachary Scribe
Oakland

For peace, live poor

Given your strong antiwar stance, I was surprised by the namby-pamby articles on "how to make sure your money isn't going to support the war machine" in your 3/9/03 issue ("The Peace Portfolio"). The reality is that each of us is pouring thousands of dollars down the U.S. military maw every year. Our tax dollars have been used to build the cluster bombs, the MOAB, the fighter-bombers, and the missiles that have slaughtered hundreds of innocent Iraqis (not to mention Palestinians, Afghanis, ... ) who have had the misfortune to experience the business end of our weapons of mass destruction.

Virtually any investment props up our unsustainable and parasitic economy. Even the solar panels that Peter Camejo advocates are built by oil companies (British Petroleum owns Solarex – the panels we have on our roof) or else large industrial conglomerates.

The only moral solution is to live at the poverty level. The rest of us are as much mass murderers as if we'd fired the weapons ourselves.