April 2010 Santa Lucian Newsletter

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Santa Lucian May 20101

The official newsletter of the Santa Lucia Chapter of the Sierra Club San Luis Obispo County, California

Protecting andPreserving the

Central Coast

Santa

LucianIIIII n s i d en s i d en s i d en s i d en s i d eOpen space close-out 2

Uncooling nukes 3

One order of water, cle an 5

Farm in the city 6

Our solar options 7

Classifieds 11

Outings 12

Please recycle

This newsletter printed on100% post-consumer recycled paper with

soy-based inks

May 2010Volume 47 No. 5

SantaLucianSantaLuciaChapteroftheSierraClub

P.O.Box15755

SanLuisObispo,CA93406

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U.S.POSTAGE

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PERMITNO.84

SANLUISOBISPO

CA93401

continued on page 10

DONT MISS

May 12

Natures Ballet:The Eastern Sierra

-see page 2

June 8 is Election DaySierra Club endorsements and recommendations

Proposition 16 is the most importantitem on the ballot, and likely themost fateful vote you will cast fordecades to come. Even by the histori-cal standards of pernicious, deceitfulballot initiatives powered by geysersof special interest cash and designed

to shaft the public, Prop. 16 is some-thing special. Kersten Communica-tions, a public policy research group,has pegged Prop. 16 as an attempt byPG&E to use the California initiativeprocess to further solidify theirmonopoly of regional electricitymarkets and advance their ownnarrow corporate interests at theexpense of all Californians. PG&E isprepared to spend $35 million to killany chance for new public powerprograms that can reduce the cost ofrenewable energy and allow localgovernments to meet goals forrenewables, air pollution control,carbon reduction and energy security,and save millions on utility bills.

Prop. 16 is PG&Es bid to stranglesuch potential competition in thecradle. Go to: www.powergrab.info.

For Congress, 23rd District: LoisCapps. Theres not much we can add

Vote Noon

Prop. 16

May 23: Save theWhales Again

Plan to be in Morro Bay that day

continued on page 8

to the environmental voting score of100 percent Capps earned from theLeague of Conservaion Voters lastyear, which included passage of thefirst-ever comprehensive climatechange and clean energy legislation,public lands protection, and fundingfor promoting green building tech-nologies. Capps is a key supporter oflegislation to develop a national

policy for healthy oceans, co-foundingthe House National Marine SanctuaryCaucus. As a member of the HouseEnergy and Commerce Committee,Capps is a proven leader in promotingclean, renewable energy, and was an

early supporter of raising vehicle fueleconomy standards. On the HouseNatural Resources Committee, shehas been a leader in the fight to fullyfund our national parks and haspassed legislation to establish afederal program to protect coastalareas from harmful development. Tohelp her campaign, go to:www.loiscapps.org.

For Attorney General: Pedro Nava.This is the second-most importantposition in the state government, nextto Governor. As the top lawyer for the

On May 23, from San Diego toEureka, Californians will gather tosend a message to the Obama admin-istration: Do not consent to allow thelegalization of commercial whalingand lifting of the global moratoriumthat has been in place at the Interna-tional Whaling Commission since1986. The Sierra Club is sponsoringthe demonstration in Morro Bay.

A draft agreement prepared by acommittee of the IWC would autho-rize commercial whaling by Japan,

Iceland and Norway for a ten-yearperiod, erase the distinction betweencommercial and aboriginal subsis-tence hunting, leave enforcement ofquotas to the same nations that havebeen in violation of the moratorium,and allow the killing of whales in theSouthern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.

The so-called consensus package,would result in hunt quotas on theCalifornia gray whale for a ten-year

WanettaA

yers


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Mail changes to:

Sierra Club National Headquarters

85 Second Street, 2nd Floor

San Francisco, CA 94105-3441

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Outings, events, and more!

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Santa Lucian

EDITOR

Cal FrenchMelody DeMerittJack McCurdyEDITORIAL BOARD

TheSanta Lucianis published 10 times ayear. Articles, environmental information andletters to the editor are welcome. Thedeadline for each issue is the 11th of theprior month.

send to:

Editor, Santa Lucianc/o Santa Lucia Chapter, Sierra ClubP.O. Box 15755San Luis Obispo, CA 93406.

[email protected]

Santa Lucia Chapter

2010 Executive CommitteeMelody DeMerittACTING CHAIR

Steven MarxTREASURER

Cal FrenchMEMBER

Megan WorthingtonMEMBER

Linda SeeleyMEMBER

Jono Kinkade

MEMBERLiz Tracy

MEMBER

Cal FrenchCOUNCIL OF CLUB LEADERS

Committee ChairsPoliticalChuck Tribbey

ConservationSue Harvey [email protected]

MembershipCal French

LitigationAndy Greensfelder

Nuclear Power Task ForceRochelle Becker

Other Leaders

Open Space

Gary Felsman 805-473-3694Calendar SalesBonnie Walters 805-543-7051

Chapter HistoryJohn Ashbaugh 805-541-6430

Activities

OutingsJoe Morris [email protected]

Canoe/Kayakopen

WebmasterMonica Tarzier [email protected]

Chapter DirectorAndrew [email protected]

[email protected]

Andrew [email protected]

[email protected]

Printed by University Graphic Systems

Office hours Monday-Friday,11 a.m.- 5 p.m., 547-B MarshStreet, San Luis Obispo

The Executive Committee meetsthe third Friday of every month at1:00 p.m. at the chapter office,located at 547-B Marsh St., SanLuis Obispo. All members arewelcome to attend.

Coordinator

Kim Ramos, Admin and [email protected]

Assistant CoordinatorsMarie CliffordNoelle Cirisan

Santa Lucia ChapterP.O. Box 15755San Luis Obispo, CA 93406

NaNaNaNaNaturturturturtureeeees Ballet:s Ballet:s Ballet:s Ballet:s Ballet:EasterEasterEasterEasterEastern Siern Siern Siern Siern Sierrrrrraaaaa

General MeetingWednesday, May 12, 7 p.m.

Open Space: theFinal Frontier

Denny MynattPRINT MEDIA COORDINATOR

Dont do it!Go back!Youre going the wrong way!!These were basically the sentiments

expressed by many speakers back in2006 when the Board of Supervisorsvoted to split the combined Agricultureand Open Space Element of the countys

General Plan and initiated an update ofseveral elements of the plan. The pro-cess would become the Conservationand Open Space Element (COSE).

There were chapters on Air Quality,Biological Resources, Energy, Water Re-sources, Visual Resources, Cultural Re-sources, Mineral Resources, and OpenSpace but no Ag. The Open Spaceportion of the Ag and Open Space Ele-ment would be revised, but there wouldbe no review of the Ag Element.

Four years later, after considerableexpense, effort, and controversy, the Su-pervisors were scheduled to have ap-proved the COSE on April 20. Then theyannounce a postponement and continu-ance to the following week. So as we go

to press, the Board is preparing to takeanother run at the COSE on April 27.As you read this, the Board presumablywill have completed its labors. But wehave no idea how they will have fixedthe problems weve identified withoutmajor surgery.

For example, any change to the exist-ing Open Space Zoning ordinance, ifimplied in the COSE or added to anadopting resolution, would require athorough environmental review. If re-classifying land is proposed, significantmitigation would be required. And thereis the potential of changing the statusof thousands of acres in the county bylifting the requirement for a variance.

An Open Space Element is one of the

state-mandated General Plan Elements.The Countys General Plan is its blueprint for how it will grow in the future.It describes our land use goals and thepolicies to achieve our goals. The OpenSpace element is no afterthought; thestate directs that the Open Space Ele-ment must be as detailed as the Hous-ing Element. According to CaliforniasGeneral Plan Guidelines, published bythe Office of Planning and Research:

Along with the housing element, theopen-space element has the most de-tailed statutory intent (see 65561 and65562) and, next to land use, is thebroadest in scope (p. 81).

This month,our bimonthly

GeneralMeetingfeaturesacclaimedlocal naturephotographerWalter Robie,presenting hislatest multi-media show,highlightingMt. Whitney,June and Mono Lakes, Alabama Hills, and other spectacles of the EasternSierras.Meeting begins with a tribute to Karen Merriam, recently retiredchair ofthe chapter executive committee.Steynberg Gallery, 1531 Monterey

St., SLO.No charge or reservations. Info: Joe Morris, 772-1875.

General Plan element updates such asthe COSE are intended to expand exist-ing policy, using existing elements,planning documents and ordinances asreferences and foundations for the up-dates.

The Sierra Club and North CountyWatch have followed and commented

on the COSE since the Planning Com-mission hearings. We find the OpenSpace chapter to be inadequate as adocument and inconsistent with statemandates. It ignores the existing policyand ordinance and weakens open spaceprotections, and its Environmental Im-pact Report fails to address these prob-lems or mitigate for the impacts of re-duced protection.

Prior to April 27, efforts were under-way by proponents of the 2006 separa-tion of the Ag and Open Space Elementsto remove the open space designationfrom agricultural lands, thereby mak-ing it easier to convert ag land to resi-dential and urban development.

Such a move would have violated state

law and the Open Space Zoning Ordi-nance, and would have removed thou-sands of acres from open space zoning.The state considers rangeland, agricul-tural lands, and areas of economic im-portance for the production of food andfiber as open space.

While it may be convenient to ignorepertinent documents to suit ones pur-poses, it doesnt contribute to goodplanning and leaves one open to legalchallenges.

Why should we or the County care ifthe Open Space Element is inconsistentwith state statutes? Because any landuse application approved on the basisof local ordinances or policies that areinconsistent with state statutes is a vio-

lation of state law. Ultra vires beyondthe powers is the legal concept thatdescribes this kind of challenge. Localgovernment cannot approve actionsthat violate state law.

It would be prudent to delay adopt-ing the COSE and certifying the EIRbecause the existing conditions havenot been fully analyzed, and there aremultiple inconsistencies between theFramework for Planning and otheradopted elements.

As we write, we dont know if theCounty will vote to adopt the COSE onApril 27. If it did so, it will need to havesomehow first resolved these outstand-ing issues.

by Sue Harvey, Chair, Conservation Committee


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Santa Lucia ChapterP.O. Box 15755San Luis Obispo, CA 93406

By Jesse Arnold

The biotech industry is good atbragging about things it is going todo in the future. You might call itgenetically engineered pie in the sky.

They promised better tasting crops.Instead, they gave us the Flavr-Savrtomato, which didnt have any flavorto save. It was a tomato with a

flounder gene added to give it longershelf life.The biotech industry says it will

bring us more nutritious food. Morenutritious crops have already beendeveloped by regular plant breedingbecause it is cheaper and easier to doit that way. Ive grown three suchcrops: the carorich tomato, high inBeta-carotene; the Health Kicktomato, high in lycopene; and Nutri-Bud broccoli, high in free-glutamine.

The biotech industry has consis-tently claimed its crops are substan-tially equivalent to the non-geneti-cally engineered version of the crop,thus no legal requirement for labelingis triggered. If a genetically engi-

neered crop were higher in nutri-tional value, could it still claim to beequivalent to the non-geneticallyengineered form? Would labeling thenbe required? The biotech industryknows labeling would cut into salesbecause of the number of consumerswho do not want their products.

The biotech boosters claim they aregoing to develop drought-resistantcrops. However, just as with morenutritious crops, drought-resistantcrops already exist. People in Mexico

March 31, 2010

Chief, Rulemaking and Directives BranchDivision of Administrative ServicesOffice of AdministrationMailstop TWB 5B-01MUS Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Washington DC 20555-0001

Dear Sirs:

The Santa Lucia Chapter of the Sierra Club submitsthese comments on the NRCs scoping of the Envi-ronmental Impact Statement for the renewal of theDiablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plants operating

licenses.

We have attached two documents:

1) Excerpts from the 2000 report Licensed to Kill,prepared by the Nuclear Information ResourceService, Humane Society of the United States, SafeEnergy Communication Council, and Standing forTruth About Radiation

2) An excerpt from the December 14, 2006, Califor-nia Coastal Commission staff report on the appeal ofa Coastal Development Permit issued to PG&E for the replacement of Diablo Canyons steamgenerators.

Both documents detail the nature and history of environmental impacts of the power plants coolingsystem. This history stands in marked contrast to the assertions contained in the Environmental

Report submitted by PG&E with its license renewal application.

In particular we draw to your attention the documented history in Licensed to Kill of attemptedsuppression of evidence of the cooling systems environmental impacts and the assessment of finesagainst PG&E by the State of California for withholding that evidence. The attempt to minimize andmischaracterizethe environmental impacts of the plant continues in PG&Es submittedEnvironmentalReport, which reflects the arguments made by PG&E when attempting to refute theconclusions of the 1997 study overseen by the technical workgroup of the Central Coast Regional

Water Quality Control Board. When the Water Board reviewed a report submitted by PG&E thatattempted to refute the findings of the technical workgroup and support a finding of less severe,limited impacts, the Board rejected those arguments, reaffirming the findings of independentscientists that the impacts of the plants cooling system on the marine environment are significantlygreater than PG&E maintained. Despite this, PG&E continues to make the same arguments today.

In light ofthis history,we strongly urge the NRC to discard the reporting of PG&E and researchersin its employ in its self-assessment of the nature and extent of the plant cooling systems impacts.

Instead, we urge the NRC to accept the independent evaluations of the Central Coast Regional WaterQuality Control Board, the California Department of Fish and Game, and the California CoastalCommission, described herein, as the appropriate authorities on which to base an assessment of theimpacts on the marine environment that would result from the relicensing of the Diablo CanyonNuclear Power Plant and an appropriate mitigations for those impacts.

Additionally, the scope of your review should include the results of all seismic studies required bythe state of California. Thank you for your attention to these issues.

Sincerely,

Melody DeMerittChapter Chair

Diablos Uncool Problem

Genetically EngineeredPie in the Sky

continued on page 10

Mothers for Peace has filed objectionswith the California State WaterResources Control Board to proposed

revisions to the policy governing useof ocean water for once-throughcooling as it relates to the DiabloCanyon nuclear power plant.

The proposed policy does notcomply with the Federal Clean WaterAct, but instead provides numerousloopholes for the two nuclear powerplants in California Diablo Canyonand San Onofre to continue todegrade coastal waters indefinitely.

The Federal Clean Water Actrequires that cooling water intakestructures minimize the environmen-tal impacts to aquatic organisms due

to impingement on intake screensand the killing of eggs and larvae asthey pass through the cooling watersystems. PG&E admits in its LicenseRenewal Application that For allregulatory and assessment purposes,entrainment losses caused by DCNPPare considered 100 percent of allorganisms withdrawn from thePacific Ocean with the intake flowunder all conditions. Annual entrain-ment of larval fish is estimated torange between 1.48 and 1.77 billion.

The Mothers for Peace are askingthat the California State WaterResources Control Board enforce theFederal Clean Water Act by requiringboth of the nuclear plants in Califor-

nia to use the best available technol-ogy to reduce the negative effects onthe ocean as they continue to operate.

The Clean Water Act requires that

the location, design, construction, andcapacity of cooling water intakestructures reflect the best technologyavailable (BTA) to minimize adverseenvironmental impacts to aquaticorganisms due to (1) impingementmortality on intake screens, and (2)entrainment of eggs and larvaethrough cooling water systems.

There has been a longstanding,concerted effort by state and federalagencies to implement this rule,which the Water Boards proposedpolicy would significantly undermine.


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The projected cost of the new wastewater treatment plant for Morro Bay andCayucos, even though it is the most expensive project those communities haveever undertaken, is a fraction of the cost estimated for the Los Osos wastewaterproject at the other end of the estuary. That difference aside, the uncanny similarities between the two projects aregrowing.

As with Los Osos, Morro Bay and Cayucos at first proposed only a secondarylevel of sewage treatment. In both cases, environmental activists and deter-mined residents -- and, in the case of Los Osos, the California Coastal Commis-sion -- brought pressure to bearand forced an upgrade to tertiarytreatment. But the Morro Bay City Counciland the Cayucos Sanitary Districtstill seem determined to take theproject down the same road todisaster that the SLO CountyDepartment of Public Works washeaded down with the Los Ososwastewater project before an enlightened County Planning Commissionlistened to public input and went on to make several other big changes in orderto rescue the projects coastal development permit. All of those changes were centered on the need for the Los Osos project todeal with a future of increasing water scarcity, and the biggest of those changeswas the determination that the wastewater treatment plant could not simplytreat sewage and throw it away. The Planning Commission ordered that theproject must include a component for recycled water, over the vigorousobjections of the Public Works Department, which stoutly defended theirpreferred narrow-focus, un-permittable project. The Commissioners blew upthat project, added recycled water, major conservation and restoration of theaquifer, and turned it into a permittable project. At their April 8 joint meeting as the governing bodies of the Morro Bay-Cayucos Wastewater Treatment Plant, The Morro Bay City Council and CayucosSanitary District refused to even consider hearing a presentation on thepossibility of making a change in plans and doing anything with their plantstreated effluent other than throwing it into the ocean. They didnt want to hearabout an alternative that could be done for one-third of the cost of the pro-posed plant, with a smaller footprint. They didnt want to hear about improved

GREEN HOMES

The Morro Bay-Cayucos Plan:Repeat Los OsosMistakes

treatment technologies in the five years since they had set course on thepresent plan. And it was just too late for other companies to bring up lowercost, lesser impact, higher quality alternatives because they had their chance

when the Request for Qualifications was issued (with an erroneous deadline), so

it was offensive that any of them would request the opportunity to make apresentation now.

Morro Bay City Councilmembers Noah Smukler and Betty Winholtz regis-tered laudable, vigorous dissent to this line of reasoning. There will be no intervention of an enlightened Planning Commission to saveMorro Bay and Cayucos. Only a public outcry is likely to prevent the en-trenched leadership of those communities from sleepwalking all the way downa path at the end of which awaits the cold shower of permit denial. A year ago,

the Coastal Commission spelled it out for the County when its Los Osos sewerplan was headed in the same direction. Their basic message: Change or die.Recycle the wastewater after you treat it, or forget about getting a permit. The Calfornia Water Plan, issued by the Department of Natural Resuorces,also makes it clear. The second of its 13 listed objectives and goals is to usewater more efficiently with significantly greater water conservation, recyclingand reuse to help meet future water demands and adapt to climate change.

This is the future. Alas for the residents of Morro Bay and Cayucos, theirleaders are living in the past.

As we mention elsewhere herein, citizens of Morro Bay: on June 8, vote forBetty Winholtz for Mayor and Jack Smith for City Council!

We cant hear youAt the April 8 joint meeting of the Morro Bay City Council and theCayucos Sanitary District, only Morro Bays Betty Winholtz and Noah Smukler wereresponsive so the testimony of the majority of their constituents.

The votes are in for the Chapters 2010 Executive Committee election: Jono Kinkade : 3-year term, ending Dec. 2012

Liz Tracy: 3-year term, ending Dec. 2012 Megan Worthington: 1-year term, ending Dec. 2010 (by appointment)Linda Seeley: 1-year term, ending Dec. 2010 (by appointment)

Continuing ExCom members:Melody DeMeritt, Chair: 3-year term, ending Dec. 2011Steven Marx, Treasurer: 3-year term, ending Dec. 2011

Cal French: 3-year term, ending Dec. 2011Hail and farewell to Dawn Legg, stepping down to devote herself full-time to

her environmentally friendly lighting business.Terms are determined on the basis of number of votes received and seats to

be filled. The Chapter has term limits of two consecutive terms.

Meet Our 2010 Executive Committee

A year ago, the Coastal Commission spelled it outfor the County when the Los Osos sewer plan washeaded in the same direction: Change or die.


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By Steve ShimekMonterey Coastkeeper

Attention all Central Coast residentsconcerned about our environment:We need your voice at the podium andyour butt in a chair on May 12!

On that day, the Central CoastRegional Water Quality Control Board(RWQCB) will hold the first of twohearings on the new Conditional

Waiver for Irrigated AgriculturalDischarges. If you care about waterquality, you need to be there.

As you may know, until very recentyears, agriculture was nearly exemptfrom water quality regulation. Nowthere is a showdown on. Water qualityis getting worse and RWQCB staff isasking: Are we going to regulate ag ornot?

The new order will require:

* Elimination of tailwater nearimpaired water bodies within twoyears* Elimination of toxic discharge nearopen water within three years* Elimination of sediment runoff near

open water within three years

This is Huge* Elimination of nitrate and salt inrunoff above water quality standardswithin four years* Elimination of discharge of nitrateand salt to groundwater above waterquality standards within six years.

This would be huge. The CaliforniaFarm Bureau Federation walked intothe last meeting with a pack oflawyers in tow.The Farm Bureau isworried the Central Coast ag order

will become the model for the rest ofthe state.

Lets hope it does!But well have to do more than

hope. This will not be easy, but themeeting should at least be entertain-ing.

We need your voice on May 12th.Please mark your calendar.

Everything you would ever want toknow about this issue is at:www.swrcb.ca.gov/rwqcb3/water_issues/programs/ag_waivers/index.shtml#announce. Contact mefor talking points, directions, cribnotes, and RSVP for a free lunch:Steve Shimek, Monterey Coastkeeper,831/646-8837 x114,

[email protected].

On May 12, stand up for clean water

TTTTThe Fhe Fhe Fhe Fhe Facts:acts:acts:acts:acts: CalifCalifCalifCalifCalifororororornianianianianiasssss WWWWWaaaaaterterterterters ands ands ands ands andAgAgAgAgAgriculturriculturriculturriculturricultural Pal Pal Pal Pal Pollutionollutionollutionollutionollution

Agricultural discharges have been essentially unregulated for decades. Unlikethousands of other businesses in California, agricultural operations have beenessentially free to discharge polluted runoff without regulation by the Re-gional Water Boards. Twenty-five years ago, state regulators waived most ofthe requirements of Californias clean water law for farmers, rationalizing thatagricultural discharges did not pose a threat to the environment and thatgrowers would self-regulate.

Although some growers in the Central Coast region have taken the lead andare making good efforts to reduce pollution, overall, the increasing impacts ofagricultural runoff demonstrate that stronger protection is necessary.

We Have a Historic OpportunityThere is overwhelming evidence that polluted runoff from agricultural landsposes a substantial risk to our waterways, fisheries, and community health.Consequently, the Regional Water Boards must impose waste discharge re-quirements.

More than 16 million pounds of pesticides are applied to Central Coast farm-land annually. Millions of pounds of fertilizers are also applied throughoutCentral Coast counties. Agricultural runoff washes these wastes into CentralCoast waterways and the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Pollutionfrom agriculture is one of the largest sources of surface water contaminationin Central California watersheds.

Agricultural pesticides, pathogens, nitrates and salts have been detected indrinking water supplies serving 16.5 million people in 46 California counties.Agricultural discharges threaten populations of threatened and endangeredspecies and their critical habitats in the Central Coast region, includingsalmon and steelhead trout. The Department of Pesticide Regulation foundpesticides in 96% of Central Valley locations tested, and over half of these de-tections exceeded unsafe levels for aquatic life and drinking water consump-tion.

There is also widespread groundwater contamination in the Central Coastregion due to the impact of agricultural and other activities - such contamina-tion presents human health risks and is extremely costly and difficult to cleanup.

According to the Regional Boards 2008 list of impaired waterbodies, 167waterbody segments in the Central Coast region, including the Salinas andSanta Ynez Rivers, San Luis Obispo Creek and Morro Bay and Elkhorn Sloughestuaries, are so polluted by agricultural contaminants that they are unsafe forfishing, swimming, and drinking.

www.swrcb.ca.gov/rwqcb3/

Regional Water Quality Control Board Public Workshop

May 12, 10:30 a.m.San Luis Obispo Elks Lodge222 Elks LaneSan Luis Obispo

(check Regional Boards website for last minute changes!)


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Farm to City

Bull session SLO City Farm meets with City staff to hash out the details of the organicfarm incubator project.

The city-owned land next to the

Dalidio Ranch the prime farmlandsurrounded by shopping malls justsouth of downtown SLO could be-come an urban farm incubator. anorganic farming center in the heart ofthe city.The target of this extraordinary ef-

fort is some 15 acres of City propertyadjacent to the portion of the Dalidiofarm that is slated for preservation asopen space. An ad hoc citizens groupconsisting of local caf owners, po-tential growers, Cal Poly profs, gradstudents and others has brought anidea to the City of SLO that the Cityhadnt thought of: Why not lease thisland to farmers who want to use or-ganic farming practices? Why not

take the opportunity to take action tostrengthen our local food security?

The idea started to gain traction ayear ago, when development ofa Master Plan for City-owned agricul-tural land at Calle Joaquin wasdeemed an important objective forthe Citys 2009-2011 budget cycle.When the final Community Workshopon the City of SLOs Ag Master Planwas held last fall, the SLO City Farmgroup was ready with a proposal. Citystaff and the Central Coast Ag Net-work (CCAN) got interested and havesince been working closely with theCity Farm group, which is now inte-grated with CCAN.

There are a number of models the

City could look at in pondering itsoptions for SLOs farm incubator.

The Vermont nonprofit IntervaleCenter has been pursuing the missionof supporting viable farms, increas-ing access to local and organic food,improving soil fertility, protectingwater quality through stream bankrestoration, and educating youngpeople about agriculture and healthyfood since 1988. Raft Swamp Farms,150 acres in Hoke County, NorthCarolina, is a non-profit that leasessmall tracts of land and provides in-cubator farmers with hands-on train-ing in organic methods and farmbusiness management, along withaccess to a community barn and

shared farm equipment. The CarolinaFarm Stewardship Association isworking to create and sustain farmincubators to serve new Carolinasfarmers, thanks to a $15,000 grantfrom the Ben & Jerrys foundationand donor support.

Closer to home is the Agricultureand Land-Based Training Association(ALBA), a Monterey-based nonprofitwith a mission to advance economicviability, social equity and ecologicalland management among limited-resource andaspiring farm-ers, who growand sell cropson two organicfarms inMontereyCounty.

We work to

create opportu-nities for familyfarms whileprovidingeducation anddemonstrationon conserva-tion, habitatrestoration,marketing andwhole farmplanning, saysALBAs website.In addition toproviding op-portunities forfarm workersand other low-

income peopleto create or-ganic farmbusinesses inits small-farmincubator pro-gram, ALBA

ing farmers while also providing salesand marketing education. Sales onbehalf of participating farmers havegrown almost 50% annually since itsinception.

ALBA is part of the network of TheFarm-to-College project at UCSanta Cruz, which links the Centerfor Agroecology & Sustainable FoodSystems farm on the UCSC campuswith other local organic farms and

with UCSC campus organizations tobring organic produce to the campusdining halls and restaurants.

The farm-to-college movement,like the K12 farm-to-schoolmovement, is bringing local produceto student dining halls through directrelationships between farmers andeducational insti-tutions. Farm-to-school or farm-to-collegearrangementshelp farmers gainmore of the fooddollar, benefitlocal economies,

and help students gain access to lo-

cally-produced, fresh food.If the SLO CityFarm project getsthe nod, the 25 acres owned or con-trolled by the City next to the Dalidiosite would be leased to CCAN as aninitial farming area, which would beleased in turn to local farmers, put-ting the profits into farm educationgrants and subsidizing underservedcommunities to enable the purchaseof fresh, local produce. There wouldalso be potential for a communitygarden or native plant nursery andriparian enhancements alongPrefumo Creek.

In Phase II, if or when the Dalidoproperty develops in the City, half ofthe Dalidio site (approximately 65

additional acres) would be placed in apermanent ag and open space ease-ment and the City would make thatavailable to City Farm. The propertysdesignated open space area could beused as an expansion area for farmingactivities and extension of the BobJones Bike Trail.

All phases would be undertakenpursuant to a capital improvement,management and maintenance planbetween the City and CCAN. Underthe formal title Calle Joaquin Re-serve Master Plan, hearings on theproposed project will likely take placebefore the SLO City Parks Commis-sion and Planning Commission, andthen the City Council, from Julythrough October.

We welcome broad communityparticipation in this excitingproject, said CCAN board presidentLouise Schiller. We invite everyoneto come out to the city meetings tohelp this project become a reality.

works with both beginning and es-tablished farmers to advance sustain-able agriculture and community foodsystems. ALBA created ALBA Organicsas a licensed produce distributor togenerate market access for participat-


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Rebecca

Plevin

A Great

Placefor aSolarPowerPlant...is 50 miles north ofthe Carrizo Plain

By Eric Greening

When one stands on the Carrizo Plainon a windy day, watching the shapesof otherwise invisible gusts combingthe grass, the vast grassland feelspowerfully ancient, almost timeless.

While this is true on the scale ofhuman life, when one looks at the fulllength of Earths history, grasslandsare a surprisingly innovative develop-ment.

The dinosaurs no doubt trod overplant life as they went about theirhuge business, but what they steppedon was not grass. The first grassesappeared at least 10 million yearsafter their abrupt disappearance, andat first were only an occasional tuft inhabitats dominated by trees, shrubs,and forbs. It is only in the last 20million years, half a percent of theEarths history to date, that grass-lands as an ecosystem have existed,and during that time they have vastlygrown in extent. Some paleoclima-tologists have proposed that theincreased contrast in temperatureamong different parts of the Earthssurface has increased the averagewind speed, encouraging wind-pollinated grasses to spread over thewindiest areas.

One of the last continents to bedominated by grass was Africa.Through the Miocene and into thePliocene, most of the tropical part ofthat continent was forested, and largeprimates ancestral to apes andhumans experimented with uprightposture in the context of movingamong branches. As the highlatitudes became increasingly frigid,much of Africa became drier, andpatches of grassland and savanna

opened up amid the forests, eventu-ally expanding to cover vast areas.While many of the large primatesstayed with the trees, others usedtheir upright posture to venture intothe grass and became hominids,including our ancestors. Whilemillions of years of grassland adapta-tion preceded the appearance ofHomo sapiens, we still are a grasslandspecies; look at what we eat! Rice,wheat, corn, oats, barley, sorghum,teff, rye...the bulk of the human dietworldwide consists of grass seedsand, for some, animal products fromgrass eaters.

While grasslands may not be asimmediately dramatic as tropical rainforests, their soils are incomparablyricher, supporting an incrediblevolume and diversity of life formsabove as well as below the surface. Ateaspoonful of healthy grassland soilis likely to contain a billion micro-organisms, and their work is a fractalramification of the ceaseless burrow-ing of grassland mammals. Atmultiple scales, living beings areconstantly creating endlessly ramify-ing surfaces for the exchange of gasesand the transformation of the Sunsenergy into living and stored biomass.

The best place in California toexperience, and learn from, grasslandin all its scales, from vast horizons tomicroscopic activity, is the CarrizoPlain. As most readers of theSantaLucian know, this grassland is noweagerly sought by corporationsseeking to harvest solar energy; theysee large level areas in locations thatpencil out according to something faryounger than grasslands: money.What they donot see is that theCarrizo Plain is already a powerful

solar productionfacility. Solarenergy is trans-formed into kit foxand pronghorn,leopard lizard andburrowing owl.

Grasslands areone of the mostinnovative ideasthe Earth has everhad, and we areprivileged to livein a period ofEarths historywhen they havedeveloped to such a height of com-plexity, diversity, and productivity.We would not be human beings if wedid not live in such a time.

As we witness the gusts of windcombing the grass into ever-changingpatterns, we should stop to realizethat humans have been part of thisproductive ecosystem for manythousands of years; that for most ofthat time, human inhabitants felttheir needs were so abundantly metthat they considered the area deeplysacred, that they made paintings to let

A Big Green Solar Power System

The Carrizo Plain is the most biologi-cally diverse habitat in California,with the largest remaining contigu-ous habitats and highest concentra-tion of endangered and threatenedspecies, including the San Joaquin KitFox and California Condor. TheCarrizo is the largest protectedhabitat along the Pacific Flyway,home to successfully re-introducedPronghorn Antelope and Tule elk, andis the largest remaining tract of the

the inner patterns of the land be seenand expressed, that speakers ofdifferent languages gathered here tohonor and celebrate.

Now there is a new wave of humanswashing across the landscape. Someof them entertain the idea thatcovering huge areas with rectangles isthe way to produce solar energy. Idont know where to begin in tryingto make sense of such a notion. Bestto leave explaining to the pronghornand burrowing owls and swirlinggusts of wind.

...is already on the Carrizo Plain

Location, location, locationAbove: Carrizo in bloom. Inset: Kettleman City. continued on page 9


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Endorsementscontinued from page 1

continued next page

state, the AG enforces our environmentallaws, from the Environmental QualityAct to the Global Warming Solutions Actand the Coastal Act.

As an Assemblymember, Nava hasintroducedimportant environmental

legislation. He successfully fought thegun lobby to pass legislation banning theuse of lead ammunition in Condorcountry, established a comprehensive oilspill prevention program, and strength-ened watershed protection. Additionally,he has been a staunch opponent ofoffshore oil drilling in California CoastalSanctuary waters. Prior to his service inthe Assembly, Nava served on the Cali-fornia Coastal Commission for eightyears where he had the highest coastalresource protection voting record.

Sierra Club California sent question-naires to all nine viable candidates in thisrace. None of the three Republicansreturned the questionnaires. All sixDemocratic candidates participated, and

were interviewed by the Sierra Club.The last two Attorneys General, BillLockyer and Jerry Brown, set a highstandard for the protection of Californiasenvironment. Pedro Nava will continuein that tradition and enhance thatstandard. Go to www.pedronava.com tohelp make it happen.For US Senate: Barbara Boxer. SenatorBoxer has been an environmental leaderfor decadesAs the Chairman of theEnvironment and Public Works Commit-tee, she has even more clout to reducethe threat of global warming, promotegreen jobs and ensure that we have asafe and healthy environment for futuregenerations. The Sierra Club has been

my partner on so many issues, fromprotecting wilderness to strengtheningdrinking water standards. Im proud tohave their endorsement and lookforward to engaging Sierra Club mem-bers in my campaign, said SenatorBoxer.

The Sierra Club joins a broad coalitionof organizations and individuals support-ing Boxer, including firefighters, sheriffs,nurses, technology industry and agricul-tural leaders. The Republicans aregunning for her big time. Help herprepare for November at www.barbaraboxer.com

For State Assembly, 33rd District: HildaZacarias. This is a candidate who doesnot need the term environmentaljustice to be defined for her. As a SantaMaria City Councilmember, Zacariassupported supermarket janitors forced touse toxic cleaning supplies, sayingjanitors are already working at wagesthat most of us couldnt make it with. Toask them to take some of those hard-earned dollars and pay an increased costin health care is unacceptable. Attendeesat Sierra Clubs June 2009 Energy TownHall in Grover Beach heard Zacariasspeak eloquently on transportation andenergy issues in Santa Maria and her

vision for the regions clean, greenenergy future.

Zacarias has assisted community-based organizations in their financialand organizational development, mostsignificantly the Dana Adobe in Nipomo

and the Alliance for PharmaceuticalAccess in northern Santa BarbaraCounty.

The Sierra Club is pleased to join alist of Zacarias endorsers whichincludes Atascadero mayor EllenBeraud, Morro Bay City Council-members Noah Smukler and BettyWinholtz, Cambria CommunityServices District boardmember MurilClift, Los Osos Community ServicesDistrict boardmember Maria Kelly, andformer County Supervisors ShirleyBianchi, David Blakely, Evelyn Delany,and Bud Laurent. Get involved athttp://hildazacarias.com

For Secretary of State: Debra Bowen.

Bowen started out volunteering generallegal services to Heal the Bay in SantaMonica, then expanded her practice toenvironmental and land-use cases. Shewent on to six years in the StateAssembly and eight in the Senate,where she demonstrated an outstand-ing commitment to environmentalprotection. We are confident that shewill continue to be a champion ofCalifornias air, water and wild places.

And it doesnt hurt that she hasreceived the John F. Kennedy Profile inCourage Award, an international honorbestowed on public servants who havemade courageous decisions of con-science without regard for the personalor professional consequences, as a

result of her decision to halt the use ofelectronic voting machines after flawswere discovered. She also strengthenedelection fraud prevention efforts, andhas never accepted gifts from thosewho may be trying to influence herdecision-making.

For State Treasurer: Bill Lockyer. Oneof the most reliable votes for theenvironment during his 25 years in theCalifornia Legislature, Lockyer went onto a seven-year stint at AttorneyGeneral, where he did a great job ofenforcing the environmental protec-tions he had previously helped makeinto laws. He also recovered billions ofdollars for defrauded energy ratepayers,

consumers and taxpayers.Hes continued that record whilerunning the State Treasurers Office forthe last four years, acting as Californiaschief asset manager and banker infinancing a variety of public works,including transportation projects,parks, environmental projects, andpollution clean-up.

For State Controller: John Chiang. AsCalitics.com put it: This race isnt onthe radar of most Californians, but wereally have a stark choice.John Chiangwill bring sensible ideas to the office.Tony Strickland, former Assemblyman,husband of current AssemblywomanStrickland, is the president of the

California Club for Growth! You know,the guy that extracts all those No TaxHikes Ever pledges from every candi-date, even if there is a serious reasonwhy we need them.Strickland supportsthe Bush plan on economic reform,including his ridiculous tax cuts in atime of war.

For County Supervisor, District 2:Bruce Gibson.You want at least oneperson on a board of supervisors whoknows land use policy like the back ofhis hand, and fully grasps the reasonswhy we have ordinances and regula-tions, and whats at stake when specialinterests urge changing, relaxing or

eliminating those rules or thecutting of corners. For ourcounty, Bruce Gibson is that guy,and we are pleased to renew ourendorsement in his bid for asecond term.

Gibson insisted on acceptingthe findings of the Air PollutionControl Districts recent NipomoMesa/Oceano Dunes air pollutionstudy, despite attacks on thescience and pressure from the

management of the State Vehi-cular Recreational Area and thePismo and Grover Beach CityCouncils. He understands theneed for a land bank as effectiveincentive to retain the characterof our rural and ag land, and todevelop the potential of our localfoodshed. During the recentboard hearings on the Conserva-tion and Open Space Element, hemanaged to retain crucial policy

provisions to aid in the shift ofirrigation from potable to reclaimedwater and develop a plan to securecounty access for groundwater wellmonitoring.

And to our friends in Los Osos who

have managed to read this far but arestruggling with their blood pressure:In politics, as in life, making adecision with widespread, multipleramifications on the basis of a singleissue is never a good idea. As is wellknown, we have disagreed sharplywith Gibson over the Los Ososwastewater project. But there are toomany other pressing environmentalissues in the county for anyone inGibsons district to cast their vote onthat issue alone. He remains thesmartest, strongest voice on theBoard when it comes to land usepolicy, and as such, he is the Boardsindispensable man.

And if District 2 voters need further

incentive to resist the single-issueimpulse: from the available evidence,Gibsons opponent, MarshallOchylski, was recruited to run byCOLAB, the local alliance of devel-oper-funded property rightsextremists that is suing to overturnthe Countys smart growth principles.COLABs Executive Director has madedire statements about air pollutioncaused by trees as a warning against

On March 24, the potential Republican opponents of Hilda Zacarias in theState Assembly race and held a candidates debate at the Madonna Inn:

County Supervisor Kacho Achadjian, Santa Maria businesswoman EttaWaterfield, Paso Robles City Councilman Fred Strong, and perennialcandidate Matt Kokkonen squared off.

Strong, representing the Colonel Blimp school of political windbaggery,pronounced Zacarias a very charming little lady who lacks his depth ofknowledge and experience (a deficiency, Strong made clear, that hebelieves all of his opponents have in common). After thus characterizingZacarias an honors graduate of Harvards Kennedy School of Govern-ment, former district representative for Congressman Walter Capps, andthe third woman to be elected to the Santa Maria City Council in the citys105-year history Strong then attempted to lecture the audience on thedifference between Environmental Impact Reports and EnvironmentalImpact Statements and got it wrong.Kokkonen waxed eloquent on one of his favorite subjects natural oil

seeps and how their existence somehow equals a green light for offshoreoil drilling. He flourished the statistic that natural seeps in the SantaBarbara Channel emit the equivalent of multiple Exxon Valdez spillswithout seeming to take notice of the lack of local Exxon Valdez-sized oil

slicks, dead seabirds and destroyed fisheries, or any other evidence of thevoid that separates the way the world actually works from the point he wastrying to make.

Overall, the Party of No had just about one idea on offer: environmentalregulations will destroy the world.

The candidates fell over each other in their eagerness to proclaimthemselves walking environmental disaster areas, vying to show howpassionately they agreed that Californias groundbreaking law, AB 32, theGlobal Warming Solutions Act, must be struck down, along with theCalifornia Coastal Act and the California Environmental Quality Act.

And furthermore: drill baby drill, more nukes, and the two-thirdsmajority requirement to pass a state budget is the greatest thing sincesliced bread.

In the effort to one-up each other on the anti-regulatory theme, thecandidates came to collectively espouse a future vision of California as an

Meanwhile At the Party of No

continued next page


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unregulated paradise, not unlike London as described by Charles Dickens whenthe skies and the river Thames ran in several shades of industrial black.

Do you want the government to tell you what car to drive, what color itshould beto tell your pastor what sermons he can preach?, askedKokkonnen, apropos of the regional Water Boards proposal to require thatgrowers monitor irrigation runoff so as to not discharge water into the ground-water that is toxic to aquatic life.

Republican talking points against AB 32 are supposed to be based on (wrong-headed) economic arguments, but the candidates turned the topic into a revivalcamp meeting on know-nothing climate change denial. Said Waterfield: I amnot a scientist, but when the integrity of science is disagreed upon amongstscientists, why would I, as a future legislature [sic], create legislation thatwould desecrate our economy based on unproven facts? She also asserted that

there is only one nuclear power plant in California.Katcho bemoaned the frustrating success of the California Coastal Commis-

sion, on which he serves, in preserving some portion of our shoreline relativelyundeveloped and accessible to the public despite his best efforts, but he had anidea on how to solve that problem: Lets get rid of them.

Twelve days after each candidate struggled to portray him/herself as moreanti-regulatory than her/his opponents, 29 coal miners died in an explosion in aWest Virginia mine that had been cited for multiple safety violations. Theregulations had been ignored. And as attendees at the Madonna Inn RepublicanAssembly candidates debate heard, regulations are bad for business.

The debate was richly evocative of a time and a belief system in which naturalresources were limitless, there was always a new frontier to move on to, atomicpower was the future, and corporations and Wall Street should run on thehonor system because they have our best interests at heart and will bestowendless increasing prosperity, so long as they are unfettered by oversight.

Come November, we trust the voters of the 33rd Assembly District will see toit that Ms. Zacariass opponent stays safely sealed off in that fanciful realm.

leaving too many of them standing. Aspro-sprawl and anti-environment as itgets, COLAB has one goal: tip theBoard back to its previous majorityand return to the pave-it-all days ofRyan, Ovitt, Lenthall and Achadjian.Mr. Ochylski is their man. If you dontagree with that plan, vote for Gibson.And help out at www.brucegibsonforsupervisor.org.

For Supervisor, District 4: noendorsement. No candidates soughtendorsement by the Sierra Club.

For Mayor, Morro Bay: BettyWinholtz. Unwavering defender of hercitys urban forest, councilwomanWinholtz has insisted on protectionfor nesting birds, water conservation,and a bike lane for North Main Street,to name a few items from her resume.

Her elevation to Mayor will bring theavailability of recycled water from theMorro Bay-Cayucos wastewatertreatment plantand a completedurban forest management plan closerto reality. Smart, politically savvy,open and eager to learn what shedoesnt know, a bulldog when she

knows shes right, and above all atireless advocate of public participa-tion and the democratic process,Winholtz is everything an electedofficial should be. Shes someoneMorro Bay has desperately needed asmayor for a long time. Go to:www.winholtzformayor.net.

For Morro Bay City Council: JackSmith. In the great tradition ofcitizen politicians, Smith has thrownhis hat into the ring and is braving

One of our Chapters most loyalmembers is a tea-partying fellow inSanta Maria who has come to take adim view of the gulf that has openedup between conservatives andconservation, and the RepublicanPartys increasing environmentalantagonism.

He keeps us informed and sends

us a check every time the Republi-can National Committee sends him anurgent fundraising appeal.

The full text of the most recentmessage he sent back to the RNC inthe additional comments section ofthe leadership survey form picturedabove reads as follows:

The Santa Lucia Chapter of theSierra Club thanks the RNC forcontinuing to harass an Independentwith contribution mailers. Every timethis member receives one of theseenvelopes (especially labeled FinalNotice!), he contributes to the localchapter of the Sierra Club.

So RNC: Keep it up! Until you

return to your Conserv-ative roots,the Sierra Club wins!

In view of the news stories thatbroke last month concerning themore exotic expenditures of theRepublican National Committee spending their donors money, in onemonth, on such items as $17,000 onprivate planes, $12,000 on limos,

$15,000 at the Beverly Hills Hotel andthe Four Seasons, and an expenditureof $2,000 at a West Hollywood stripclub, followed by revelations of officesupplies bought at a liquor store andthe daughter of the RNCs co-chairbeing paid $13,000 as a speechwriter he feels hes made a wise investmentchoice.

Why waste hard-earned dollars onblack holes of National Committeeswhose obscene carbon footprints arean offense to nature, and all but apenny disappears as gaseous extru-sions?, he writes. I urge my fellowmembers to financially support SantaLucian chapter activism.

We Approve This Message

Party of Nocontinued from previous page

San Joaquin Valley biogeographic

province with only limited evidence ofhuman alteration.

For all of these reasons, the CarrizoPlain National Monument wasdesignated on January 11, 2001.

Current proposals for thousands ofacres of industrial-scale solar panelinstallations adjacent to the Monu-ment threaten this unique habitat andvital connecting wildlife corridors.Fortunately, a much more suitablesite is available just north ofKettleman City. Due to salinitycontamination issues, a portion of thefarmland in the Westlands WaterDistrict has been set aside for renew-able energy development. Theproposed Central California Renew-

able Master Plan will use perma-nently retired farmlands in Westlandsfor solar development. Approximately

30,000 acres of disturbed land,equivalent to 5,000 MW of solarcapacity will be allocated for renew-able energy development. Transmis-sion Pathway 15 passes throughWestlands and can transmit 5,400 MWfrom south-to-north. The transmis-sion capacity from north-to-south is3,400 MW. The Westlands is a low-impact shovel ready alternative tothe Carrizo Plain site for utility-scalesolar projects, requiring no new highvoltage transmission to move up to5,000 MW of solar power to Californiaload centers with no delays.

The development of utility-scalerenewable energy facilities ondegraded/contaminated sites like

YES on Prop. 15, The California Fair Elections Act. Cleaning up our political system is crucial to cleaning up our air and water, curbing globalwarming pollution, andpreserving our coast, parks, forests and deserts. Presently,wealthy developers, oil companies, utilities and other special inter-ests hold too much influence over our elected officials, so Californians do not get the environmental policies we need. The Fair Elections Act on wouldcreate a pilot project to make voluntary public financing available initially to Secretary of State candidates in 2014 and 2018. Public financing is a wayto get politicians out of the fundraising game and back to solving Californias problems. Replacing special-interest money with clean money wouldensure elected officials are accountable to voters, not donors, and open up the political process so the best candidates, not just the wealthiest candi-dates, can pursue elected office. Go to www.yesfairelections.org for more information and to volunteer or contribute to the campaign.

Carrizo Solarcontinued from page 7

Westlands is an environmentallysuperior alternative to the siting ofpower plants in areas that involve

potential impacts to threatened andendangered species. So is the decen-

tralized, distributed generation ofenergy in commercial and residentialareas -- aka putting solar panels on

roofs and building facades, and overparking lots.

the political waters for the first timebecause he wants to make his city abetter place to live. The Iowa trans-plant worked with the Iowa RiverGreenbelt committee to promoterecreation and preserve wildlife alonghis stretch of the river, and has beencleaning up the Montana de Oro

dunes since the early 70s.Heres the other thing Morro Bay

voters need to know: Smith favorsreconsideration of the $28-millionsewer upgrade plan in light of aproposed alternative that couldproduce higher quality water for usein recycling, cost less, and have asmaller footprint. CouncilmembersWinholtz and Smukler agree; theother three councilmembers dont.For common sense to prevail, a thirdvote is necessary. Smith is it. Go tohttp://smithformbcouncil.ning.com/


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The Administration reaffirms the United States position thatthe commercial whaling moratorium is a necessary conserva-tion measure and believes that lethal scientific whaling is un-necessary in modern whale conservation management.

For any package to be acceptable, it must result in a significantimprovement in the conservation status of whales and be basedon sound science.

- WILLIAM T. HOGARTH, U.S. COMMISSIONER, INTERNATIONAL WHALING COMMISSIONBefore the U.S. House of Representatives, May 20, 2009

Save the Whales Againcontinued from page 1

Pie in the Skycontinued from page 3

period without an updated populationstatus report by the National MarineFisheries Service, even though theevidence suggests that their popula-tion is crashing. This season is on

track to mark the fourth consecutiveyear of low gray whale calf counts.Setting a hunting quota that is not

based on current population esti-mates and fixing that quota for tenyears is not scientifically or morallyacceptable, nor is officially sanction-ing commercial whaling.The Obama Administration an-

nounced on April 15 that the U.S.intends to support the proposal toresume commercial whaling.

On May 23, Californians will protestthe IWC proposal to remove themoratorium on commercial whalingand allow the resumption of whaling.We will be gathering signatures on apetition to the President asking him

to keep the promise he once made tooppose whaling and direct the U.S.delegation to the IWC to support thecontinuation of the moratorium.

The Sierra Club and virtually allworldwide non-governmental organi-zations that focus on marine wildlifeissues are opposing this plan andasking President Obama not to allowthe United States to agree to the deal.

The demonstrations held in everycoastal county in California will sendthe message:Mr. President: keepyour word.Oppose the resumption ofcommercial whaling and the settingof quotas for ten years regardless ofthe population status of the species.Simultaneous demonstrations will

send a powerful message to theObama Administration before the IWCmeets in Morocco this June to decidethe fate of the whales.Please join usin this effort.

TAKE ACTION

Come to Save the Whales (Again)Day, Sunday, May 23rd, 10 a.m. -1p.m., Morro Rock parking lot.

Contact Mandy Davis beforehand ifyou want to volunteer to help out:941 993-0996, [email protected], and go towww.wanconservancy.org/whales

Go to www.idausa.org and click onBan On Commercial Whaling May BeOverturned - Act Today! to send a faxto President Obama and your con-

gressional Representative andSenators.

Call the White House at (202) 456-1111 to request that President Obamakeep his word and oppose the re-sumption of commercial whaling.

have been eating cactus pads(nopales) and cactus apples (tunas)for centuries. Native Americans inthe southwest U.S. have developedcrops and methods to grow food intheir low rainfall area.

So far, the biotech industry has not

developed tastier, more nutritious ormore drought-resistant crops. Thebiotech industry has mostly engi-neered one or two traits into sixcrops. Those traits are resistance toinsect larvae and resistance toMonsantos Roundup weed killer.

The industry has engineered majorcrops because that makes the mostmoney for the industry. Corn, soybeans, cotton, canola and alfalfa areall major crops. It helps the industrythat corn, soy beans and cotton are allsubsidized by our tax dollars.

It also helps the biotech industrythat sugar beets and all the above-named crops except alfalfa aretypically processed. These processed

ingredients are then combined inprocessed foods, which tends to hidethe genetically engineered origin ofthe ingredients.

The biotech industry is not aboutserving consumers. It is aboutcontrolling major subsidized com-modity crops. It is about giving moremoney and power to companies likethe Monsanto Corporation.

Biotech fans will argue that GoldenRice is a more nutritious biotechproduct. However, it was not devel-oped by the biotech industry and hownutritious it is is open to question.

I hope to discuss Golden Rice inmore detail next month.

Twenty-four years ago, the concerted efforts of environmental organizations worldwide, acting under the banner savethe whales, succeeded in rousing world opinion and putting in place a moratorium on commercial whaling at theInternational Whaling Commission (IWC), the signal achievement of the international environmental movement.

On February 22, 2010, a committee of the IWC issued a draft package of proposals titled Consensus Decision toImprove the Conservation of Whales (hereinafter referred to as the Package). Ratification of the Package will besought at the annual meeting of the IWC, to be held in Agadir, Morocco, June 21-25, 2010.

If adopted, the Package would amend the international treaty governing whaling so as to lift the moratorium oncommercial whaling for a period of ten years and legitimize the commercial whaling activities of Japan, Norway, andIceland currently undertaken under formal objections to IWC regulations (Norway and Iceland) or as special permitresearch (Japan). The European Commission would be unable to require the termination of Icelands whaling pro-gram as a condition of its pending application for entry into the EU.

The Package makes no provision for reducing or phasing out whaling during the ten-year interim arrangement. Thereis no requirement that the number of whales killed after 2010 remain as low as the interim levels. Catch limits will notbe calculated using the IWCs agreed precautionary scientific approach but would be based on historic catch levels,which have increased in recent years in apparent anticipation of this Package. The Package does not address what type of

whaling will be authorized by the IWC when the interim arrangement ends in 2020 (or later if extended). Once the termsexpire, the whaling nations will be able to return to commercial whaling by filing a formal objection or reservation.Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling is combined with commercial whaling. The Package legitimizes whaling in the estab-lished Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.

The Package represents a step backwards for the IWC, and will eliminate or degrade decades of positive change,achieved in small increments, for the whales. The Package legitimizes commercial whaling for at least a decade, effec-tively rewarding, not penalizing, the whaling nations for decades of intransigence and disregard of the repeated requestsof the international community to cease whaling. It does nothing to reduce or phase out whaling. It ignores the scien-tific evidence that special permit whaling is not necessary for knowledge or management of cetaceans. The end result islikely to be much higher levels of whaling than before or during the interim arrangement.

After having legitimized Norway, Iceland and Japans whaling for ten years, the Commission will not then have eitherthe political or legal momentum prevailing today to address it. The world will have moved on and the conservation ofgreat whales would not have been advanced.

Organizations opposed to IWC adoption as drafted of the Consensus Decision to Improve the Conservation of Whalesinclude the American Cetacean Society, Animal Welfare Institute, Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition, Asociacin doBiologia Marina Guatemala, Australians for Animals, California Gray Whale Coalition, Campaign Whale, CampaignsAgainst the Cruelty to Animals, Centro De Conservacion Cetacea, Cetacean Society International, Comite Ballena AzulNicaragua, The Cousteau Society, Dolphin Connection, Environmental Investigation Agency, Equilibrio Azul, Fundacion

Promar, Fundacion Yubarta, Global Ocean, Humane Society International, The Humane Society of the United States, InDefense of Animals, Instituto de Conservacin de Ballenas, International Fund for Animal Welfare, International Leaguefor Protection of Cetaceans, Irish Seal Sanctuary, LegaSeas International, Natural Resources Defense Council, OceanCare, Ocean Sentry, Orcalab, Pro Wildlife, Save the Whales Again, SELVA vida sin fronteras, The Sierra Club, SociedadEcolgica Venezolana, Vida Marine Sea Vida, Society for the Protection of Marine Mammals, Whale and Dolphin Conser-vation Society, Whaleman Foundation, Whales Alive, and the World Society for the Protection of Animals.

Inside a bad deal

Lets Hold Them to It

May 8 isNationalTrainDay

Saturday, May 8th, 2010Amtrak Station San Luis Obispo(1011 Railroad Ave. at Santa

Rosa)Noon to 4 p.m.Free parking & admission

Celebrate the most environmentally friendlymass transit technology ever devised!Refreshments, paper engineer caps for kidsof all ages, scale model railroad exhibit fromthe SLO Model Railroad Association, railroadphotography display, and musical entertain-ment provided by the local Red SkunkDixieland Band.


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CYNTHIA HAWLEY

ATTORNEY

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

LAND USE

CIVIL LITIGATION

P.O. Box 29 Cambria California 93428

Phone 805-927-5102 Fax 805-927-5220

ClassifiedsNext issue deadline is May 14. To get

a rate sheet or submit your ad and

payment, contact:

Sierra Club - Santa Lucia ChapterP.O. Box 15755San Luis Obispo, CA 93406

[email protected]

541-2716 [email protected]

Law Offices of Jan Howell MarxA Client Centered Practice

BusinessMediation

Environmental LawElder LawReal Estate

Wills and Trusts

Got Graywater if You Want ItThe Sierra Club has on hand alimited supply ofThe San LuisObispo Guide to the Use ofGraywater, the new manual pro-duced by the Appropriate Tech-nology Coalition -- SLO GreenBuild, the Santa Lucia Chapter ofthe Sierra Club and the San LuisBay Chapter of Surfrider.

Graywater systems turn a wasteproduct that can comprise up to80% of residential wastewater into avaluable resource for irrigation andother non-potable uses. Harvestinggraywater to meet your non-potablewater needs utilizes an appropriatetechnology that can recover initialcosts quickly. No permit required.

$10 each, while supplies last. E-mail [email protected], or call (805) 543-8717 to reserve your copy.

hey, santa lucian readers!We know a thing or two about our members awesome creative powers! Send us photos of your favorite awesome places in SLO County,

descriptive essays, and/or poems, and well print em. Beauty should be shared, so lets see what youve got.

Via e-mail: [email protected] (jpeg or tiff files, at least 600K each)

regular mail: Sierra Club, P.O. Box 15755, San Luis Obispo, CA 93406.


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Documents

April 2010 Santa Lucian Newsletter