In the News

Kyocera Putting First U.S. Solar Manufacturing Plant In San Diego Posted March 4, 2010

Kyocera International announced plans today to start manufacturing solar modules in San Diego. The expansion means up to 75 new jobs for the region.

Kyocera picked San Diego as the location of its first U.S. manufacturing site for solar panels.

Kyocera Solar President Steve Hill said the company's existing headquarters on Balboa Avenue in San Diego will be used to manufacture several types of solar modules.

"We also have solar module manufacturing operations in Tijuana, Mexico, just over the border and we have a management team that supports that operation and staff there that we thought we could utilize to get this operation in San Diego up quickly," said Hill.

Hill says California's Solar Initiative helps make the state ideal for a solar manufacturing plant.

The state recently doubled "net metering," which allows homes and businesses to earn credit for any excess solar power they generate.

Hill says that move also supports the growth of solar.

http://www.kpbs.org/news/2010/mar/03/kyocera-locates-first-us-solar-manufacturing-plan-/

More Water Coming From State Water Project Posted March 2, 2010

The California Department of Water Resources is increasing the amount of State Water Project water it will be able to deliver this year. That includes deliveries to San Diego County, which gets about 40 percent of its supply from Northern California.

The Department of Water Resources (DWR) increased State Water Project deliveries to California's water contractors from 5 to 15 percent of requested amounts.

DWR Director Mark Cowin said the allocation estimate is still one of the lowest in the history of the State Water Project.

"In terms of rain and snowfall, we are in better condition this year than we were last year," said Cowin.

He said the state is still recovering from three years of drought.

http://www.kpbs.org/news/2010/feb/26/more-water-coming-state-water-project/

Calif. may ban cos. from using ocean as coolant Posted March 2, 2010

State water board regulators are mulling a plan to stop power companies from vacuuming the ocean for water to cool their machinery.

Environmentalists said the practice destroys too much sea life, while utility advocates said the impact is minimal. Banning the practice would cost too much, jeopardize the reliability of the electricity grid and slow the state's transition to clean energy, supporters of the practice said.

Screens prevent larger animals from entering the plants, but fish can die while trapped against these barriers. Anything smaller than the openings in the screens, including millions of tiny fish larvae, can enter the power plants and also die.

Federal rules ban new operations from drawing in seawater for so-called "once-through" cooling systems. State regulators now want to apply this rule to the 19 existing plants from Eureka to San Diego.

The board's proposal would give owners a dozen years to comply and contains special provisions for nuclear-plant safety issues. In most cases, plants would have to replace seawater pipes with massive cooling towers that recycle water or use air-cooling platforms.

Environmental groups support the proposal, but utilities said it would force expensive retrofits or shut down plants.

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_14492167

Population growth estimate presents challenge Posted March 2, 2010

Faced with the prospect of a million more people living in the county 40 years from now, elected leaders yesterday questioned whether local jurisdictions will have the financial wherewithal to furnish the services and public facilities needed to serve the future population.

The source of their consternation is a 2050 growth forecast projecting a population increase of 1.2 million residents and nearly 390,000 additional homes, most of which would probably be apartments and condominiums.

The San Diego Association of Governments, which serves as a regional planning agency, prepared the forecast. It relied not only on national economic projections and future demographic trends, but also on the ongoing land-use-planning efforts in the 18 cities and unincorporated areas of the county.

Although the region’s rate of growth will slow considerably over time as the population ages, people will continue to have children, which will be the main driver of the population gains.

“We’re already congested, we have water shortages, aging infrastructure, and now we’re talking about more people coming into a situation already in bad shape,” said Solana Beach Councilwoman Lesa Heebner. “How are we going to pay for it? This (forecast) doesn’t paint a pretty picture for me, and it’s something we’re going to have a bigger discussion about.”

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/feb/27/growth-estimate-presents-challenge/

The State of Sustainability in San Diego Posted March 1, 2010

President Barack Obama, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders have delivered their latest “State of the ...” addresses.

Understandably, much in their speeches focused on the economic challenges we face – partly because we ignored signs of strain and weakness in the system for too long. Neglecting the signs has put our quality of life at risk; now tough choices have to be made to get the nation, state and city back on solid footing. As the governor stated, “We are about to get run over by a locomotive and we can see the lights coming at us.”

But it’s not just banks and Wall Street we need to look at. The president, the governor and the mayor also addressed other critical issues that are key to our region’s future: a reliable water supply, clean technology and renewable energy.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/feb/26/the-state-of-sustainability-in-san-diego-county/

Obama’s Partnership for Sustainable Communities will put the feds’ weight behind smart growth Posted February 25, 2010

The word “silos” is most often used to talk about grain or coal, not the federal government. But in the case of transportation and housing—two sectors that accounted for more than 43 percent of the nation’s carbon emissions in 2008—Washington’s siloed approach of divided, blindered policymaking could put wheat farmers to shame.

The Obama administration is starting to break down those barriers between agencies, asking the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to take an all-hands-on-deck approach to smart growth. Dubbed the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, the effort aims to provide federal support for localities that want to offer more walkable neighborhoods and cleaner commuting options than the car.

“When it comes to housing, environmental, and transportation policy, it’s time the federal government spoke with one voice,” HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan said this month in a speech that officially tapped his deputy, former Seattle-area official Ron Sims, as the Partnership’s leader and “Designated Silo Buster.”

To smart-growth advocates who have waged long battles against sprawl without much backup from Washington, the Partnership is a cause for celebration. The White House’s 2011 budget request included $527 million for the Partnership, though Congress may not actually allocate the funds. Separately, HUD plans to award $100 million in new grants for regional sustainability plans that integrate transportation, housing, and land use by late summer.

The biggest pot of money for the administration’s smart-growth focus is coming from the stimulus law—$1.5 billion in TIGER grants (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) for transportation projects that create jobs and help develop livable communities. DOT is administering the program, but it asked HUD and the EPA to help choose the grantees.

http://www.grist.org/article/2010-02-24-obama-admin-wants-to-green-your-local-community

Building Law Seen As Threat To California History Posted February 25, 2010

In California, lawmakers have approved a measure that requires all new construction to meet significant green building standards. The law, which takes effect next year, is the first of its kind in the country.

But it's already under attack from a couple of directions. Some environmentalists say the rules don't go far enough, while some preservationists say the law could encourage the demolition of historically significant buildings.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123861278

San Diego Sewer Spills: Declining Posted February 25, 2010

Ten years ago, the city of San Diego averaged a sewer spill a day. That's dropped sharply. Last year, the city had 38 sewer spills -- roughly one every 10 days.

The progress, highlighted by Mayor Jerry Sanders at a morning press conference, comes as the city invests $1 billion in replacing the oldest pipes in its 3,000-mile network of sewer pipes. The expenditure is required as part of a 2007 legal settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and two local environmental groups: San Diego Coastkeeper and the Surfrider Foundation.

To date, $500 million has been spent, said Ann Sasaki, the city's assistant public utilities director. That's replaced 300 miles of aging concrete pipe with new PVC pipe and has reduced the average age of San Diego's sewer pipes from 45 years old to 32 years old, she said.

Before the city was sued over its sewer spills, it had been replacing an average of 20 miles of sewer pipe annually. That rate has more than doubled, though, and it is now replacing 45 miles annually. It'll stay at that rate through 2013, when the terms of the legal settlement expire.

Even then, Sasaki said, the city plans to continue replacing 40 miles annually.

http://voiceofsandiego.org/environment/muck/article_df00cca6-21b9-11df-8ad6-001cc4c03286.html

$20.2 million federal stimulus grant to fund construction of SR 905 To I-805 interchange Posted February 23, 2010

The U.S. Department of Transportation has selected San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG)  to receive a $20.2 million grant to help fund a State Route 905 to Interstate 805 interchange, completing a freeway connection between the Otay Mesa Port of Entry (POE) and the rest of the highway system.

“Thanks go out to the Department of Transportation and to our federal representatives who appreciated the regional and national significance of our border crossings and worked to bring this money to the San Diego area,” SANDAG Chair and Escondido Mayor Lori Holt Pfeiler said. “This project will improve safety and mobility, and it will also accomplish the goals of the stimulus – putting people to work right away, as well as boosting our economy by improving the flow of people and goods between the United States and our biggest trading partner, Mexico.”

The Department of Transportation released a statement late Tuesday announcing 51 Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants – which are part of the overall American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) economic stimulus program.

“This is a project with national and regional significance,” the announcement stated. “It is the largest freight border crossing from Mexico to California.”

http://www.sandiegocountynews.com/?p=1577

The Case of the Invisible Water Hog. Posted February 23, 2010

You could call it the Case of the Invisible Water Hog.

Someone -- or more than one someone -- appears to have been using extra water in the San Diego apartment complex where our senior reporter Rob Davis lives. The landlord posted a note on his door announcing that water usage in the complex is up by 17 percent.

Whodunnit? Good question. In San Diego's apartments and condos, it can be impossible to know who's using more than their share of water.

Nosy neighbors could investigate, but imagine all the trouble that could cause. Janelle next door looks well-moisturized! Is she using the shower to create a steam room each morning? And why do Francisco's azaleas look so darned healthy? Could he be watering on the wrong days of the week?

Next month, the City Council will consider what may be a better idea: ordering new apartments and condos (with some exceptions) to install individual water meters.

http://voiceofsandiego.org/this_just_in/article_b6954530-2088-11df-a464-001cc4c002e0.html