WE HAVE EXCITING NEWS TO SHARE WITH YOU...

IT'S OFFICIAL...WELLHEAD HAS ASKED THE COUNTY TO INVALIDATE THE APPROVALS FOR THE LADERA POWER PLANT. By letter dated May 21, 2008, Wellhead Power Margarita formally withdrew its application for the Margarita Energy Center (a.k.a. Ladera Peaker Power Plant) and requested that the November 2007 approvals by the County Planning Commission of the project (consisting of the Site Development Permit and Variance PA 070024) be rescinded. [click here to view letter]

Here are the recent milestones that got us to this point...

• On May 8, 2008, Ladera Hope submitted to the County of Orange a Request for Revocation of the Site Development Permit and Negative Declaration issued by the County for the peaker power plant proposed for Ladera Ranch. After months of fact finding and independent environmental analysis, Ladera Hope was able to identify many areas where Wellhead and SDG&E omitted key facts and presented the County with inaccurate and misleading information about the project and its environmental impacts. The Revocation Request is separate from the litigation. Ladera Hope determined that there are legal and factual circumstances supporting immediate revocation of the permit and invalidation of the Negative Declaration (prepared pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act or 'CEQA').
• In a unanimous (5-0) vote, the Board of Supervisors decided on May 13 (the day of our Town Hall meeting) to join Ladera Hope in its position that the analysis of the environmental impacts of the peaker power plant proposed for Ladera Ranch is inadequate.
• In a Status Conference Statement filed with the Court on May 13, the County admitted that the Negative Declaration issued by the County for this project was inadequate, incomplete and based on faulty information. The County also told the Court that new environmental review is appropriate. In essence, the County is now saying what Ladera Hope has been saying all along...this power plant may have significant impacts on our community and those impacts have not been adequately analyzed and evaluated. The County's Status Conference Statement is on our website [Click Here]
• This news and the results of Ladera Hope's fact-finding analysis were revealed at out Town Hall meeting on Tuesday evening, May 13. We have posted the PowerPoint presentation from that meeting on our website [Click Here] (16 MB's).
• In a Status Conference Statement filed with the Court this past Friday, May 16, Wellhead told the Court that it would ask the County to rescind the County's approvals of Wellhead's site development permit and variance (which were approved by the County in November 2007). Although we take issue with many of the factual representations made to the Court in Wellhead's Status Conference Statement, we have posted this document on our website [Click Here]. This is GREAT NEWS for Ladera Hope and Ladera Ranch!!
• This tremendous achievement would not have occurred without the support of our County Supervisor Patricia Bates!! We are very grateful to Supervisor Bates and the entire OC Board of Supervisors! We encourage you to contact Supervisor Bates directly with your own words of encouragement and support by e-mail (patbates@hoa.ocgov.com) or by letter (her contact information is on our website). She really came through for Ladera Ranch and we are going to need her continued support!
• Where are we now? We are waiting for the permit to be rescinded (once Wellhead makes the formal request, the County is expected to grant that request). All parties to the lawsuit are discussing who should bear the costs associated with the lawsuit (as such, the litigation is not yet dismissed). These issues may take a month or so to get resolved.
• What next? Wellhead and/or SDG&E can submit a new application for the project either right away or at some point in the future. Therefore, this is not the time to be complacent. Ladera Ranch and Ladera Hope must stay vigilant. It is very likely that Ladera Hope will continue to need your time and your financial support as we move forward. We must stay united and continue to fight for the best interests of our community!
• Also, we call upon San Diego Gas & Electric to immediately begin what is in the best interest of the public and consistent with the State's energy policy: immediately develop a comprehensive program to meet energy demand through efficiency and Demand Response Programs developed in cooperation with county government, business, industry and representatives of residential users, including Ladera Hope. You can read more about these programs on our website -- [Click Here] for 'Post Peaker -- the Future is Now.'
• We encourage SDG&E and Wellhead to consider and seriously explore other sites for this project -- don't put this plant next to 8,000 homes, 7 schools and many, many parks, playgrounds and sports fields just because it is the quickest, most cost-effective siting option for your project.
• Ladera Hope looks forward to working with SDG&E and Wellhead to focus on conservation and the proper siting of power plants.

Ladera Hope