After eight hours of discussion and public comment, the California Coastal Commission decided Wednesday to put off a vote on an application to build a desalination plant in Huntington Beach, according to KPCC.
The commissioners voted unanimously to hold off a final decision on the controversial proposal. Shortly after, the company seeking to build the plant, Poseidon Water, withdrew its application.
The unintended consequence of this action, which we support, is that the unions got the shaft too! This project had a PLA on it – a Project Labor Agreement. Had the construction gone forward non-union contractors would have been shut out of bidding on this project.
My personal feelings is that desalination of ocean water has consequences on ocean life that is already in bad shape on our coast. And I absolutely abhor PLAs, which do nothing more than raise costs, slow down schedules and rip off the taxpayers and end-users.
So good riddance to the Poseidon job and its PLA!
Yea! This thing would have ultimately cost taxpayers. It never did pencil.
It is not good riddance. It is just post phoned. I liked the suggestion that we wait until Carlsbad plant is built and operating 2 years before proceeding. If Poseidon does not think our ocean floor of sand and mud will work with under surface intake, perhaps they should go somewhere else that would. If Newport Beach is any better, they want the plant, perhaps they would find NB more supportive.