| June 15, 2005
Fred Holzel RE: Sempra-Granite Fox Environmental Impact Statement Dear Mr. Holzel: I am writing to urge you to deny Sempra's applications related to their Granite Fox coal combustion power plant proposal near Gerlach, NV. Since the draft you are preparing is an Environmental Impact Statement, I will limit my comments as best I can to those issues: *AIR POLLUTION: This is arguably the most severe negative impact that the plant would have on adjacent BLM lands and other private property. The plant would produce hundreds of pounds of mercury, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, and other pollutants which will seriously endanger the health of local residents and the wide range of wildlife in the Buffalo Hills and Granite Range. Indeed, the smog could endanger people for over 100 miles, depending on which way the wind blows. The "Pogonip" inversion layer which lays like a blanket over Gerlach in the winter would concentrate these poisons and deliver them efficiently into the bodies of the residents. Also, a great deal of dust will be kicked up into the air by activities at the plant. So far, Sempra is the only entity conducting air quality tests in the area. I would urge the BLM to conduct an independent study, and keep in mind that this pristine region will not "absorb" these impacts-- it will be despoiled for generations. *WATER POLLUTION: Water is a very precious resource anywhere, especially so in the high desert of Northern Nevada. Air pollution from the Sempra plant would filter down into the water table and contaminate the basin and the water supply for Gerlach. Sempra plans to create holding ponds which, lined or not, may leech heavy metals through the soil and contaminate ground water. Sempra plans to dump fly ash containing poisons which would also make their way through the ground into the water, potentially contaminating the basin for hundreds of years. Ironically, Gerlach has spent several hundred thousand dollars to remove naturally-occurring uranium from its water supply, only to face this intentional risk to their health. *WATER AVAILABILITY/DIVERSION: Sempra proposes a massive water diversion project, collecting and redistributing several springs and drilling "well fields" for the obscene consumption demands of their coal combustion plant. An estimated 14.5 million of water would be lost to their process EVERY DAY. That's over 10,000 gallons per minute, 168 gallons of water per second, gone. The Nevada State Water Engineer has yet to determine whether "vested" rights to this water are valid, and it's not even known whether sufficient water exists in the Smoke Creek basin to meet this demand. Certainly, consumption of water on this scale in the high desert is ludicrous, and would very seriously impact wildlife, neighboring ranches, and Gerlach. *VISUAL IMPACT: This is especially significant, since the specific applications before the BLM include right-of-way for transmission lines along the Smoke Creek road, and in other places. Where before nothing man made could be seen for miles, power lines will stretch as far as the eye can see, all the way to Imlay. This impact will range far beyond the power plant site itself, which will create a glow in the night sky as bright as a small city, further exacerbated by the hazy air. Hikers and hunters on the Granite Range look for miles and have the skies and landscape interrupted only by the railroad and the small communities of Empire and Gerlach. If the Sempra proposal were to go forward, they would see the plant, power lines, ponds, fly ash dump, rail spur, coal cars, coal piles, wells, trucks-- a veritable metropolis of activity and industrial installation. *NOISE POLLUTION: Right now in the Smoke Creek desert near the proposed Sempra coal plant site, it is so quiet that a person could hear nothing but insects, birds, and the wind through the grass. It frequently is that quiet even in “downtown” Gerlach. If the coal plant were built, it would sound like a large industrial power plant. There would be coal cars coming, going, and dumping. Transmission lines humming. Trucks rumbling. Gasses hissing. The animals would be silenced, and for miles around all one would hear would be the activities of industry. *CULTURAL/ECONOMIC: As suggested earlier, the traditional hunting and recreational uses of the region would be severely impacted by the water use, air pollution, and noise pollution created by the proposed Sempra coal plant. Families throughout Northern Nevada have been hunting and fishing in the area for generations-- it is a way for them to get in touch with the land and to be a part of it. This experience would be gone. This plant would require approximately 800 people for 2 years to build. That's more people than are registered to vote in Gerlach and Empire. During operation, 150 workers would be required-- roughly the population of Gerlach. Right now in Gerlach, there is zero unemployment. The jobs and energy created would not benefit the local community. The local fire department and health clinic are near their limits in dealing with the existing population. The water/sewer system is at its capacity. The transfer station, which handles the garbage for Gerlach, frequently fills a debris box in a week. Litter from all the activity at the plant and traffic to and fro would blow all over the place. Surrounded by BLM and large private tracts, there is no land available for expansion of the town. Sempra has stated that their workers would have to commute long distances from Fernley or Sparks. The road conditions are extremely poor on Rte. 447, which connects I-80 to the northern California communities of Cedarville and Alturas, and would be further impacted by commuter traffic and trucks regularly coming and going from the plant. Accidents would increase, and it's a long helicopter ride to Reno. In all, I believe the proposed coal plant would have a negative impact on the economic and cultural well-being of this community. When I first heard of the Sempra coal combustion plant proposal, I found it difficult to accept at face value. I thought that Sempra must have been planning to create a “win-win” situation by compromising on the size and type of plant they wanted to build. As it dawned on me that Sempra actually intended to build the plant they were proposing, I still found it difficult to believe. The proposal is completely out of step with the character and resources of the region, especially since there are other viable alternatives in geothermal, wind, and solar energy. I strongly urge you to deny their applications. Thank you for your consideration.
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