Laird Calls on State to Defer Action on Carmel River/Cal-Am Draft Order, Urges Full Consideration of Alternatives

SACRAMENTO – Assemblymember John Laird (D-Santa Cruz) today in a letter to the State Water Resources Control Board called on the agency to “defer acting on the draft order regarding the Carmel River and Cal-Am Water until at least after the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) issues its draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) later this year and the PUC’s Division of Ratepayer Advocates completes its work on its ‘seawater intrusion barrier/no once-through-cooling’ alternative.”

Additional excerpts from Mr. Laird’s letter:

“If the State Water Resources Control Board proceeds with hearings on the draft order, Cal-Am and the local community—already well-known statewide as leaders in water conservation—may respond by working hard to resist the order because the schedule calls for larger and larger water reductions.  It would be better if they could fully focus on the alternatives that will soon be presented to them.  In addition, it would be ideal if the various state agencies collaborated and coordinated their expertise to assist the community in selecting the least costly, most environmentally appropriate alternative.” 

“It is difficult to understand why it has been almost 13 years without action since the original Board order.  And yet, the draft order effectively proposes to punish residents and businesses in the Monterey Peninsula area (rather than Cal-Am, due to the way PUC rules are structured with regard to profit and Cal-Am’s financial investment in the Monterey area) by cutting back on water diversions and thus water deliveries.”   

“We need an innovative solution that restores flows in the Carmel River and effectively considers the many objectives and needs of the local community and the state.”

To view the letter, go to:

http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/members/a27/pdf/Laird_SWQCB_CAL%20AM%20CDO_25MAR08.pdf