Why R4RD opposes the MTF Development
Residents for Responsible Desalination (R4RD) was founded in 2005 to oppose the proposed Poseidon Resources seawater desalination project on the Huntington Beach coast. R4RD was also equally concerned about the 20 other such desalination projects proposed at that time for California’s coast.
R4RD was and remains dedicated to coastal protection – just as opposed to the Magnolia Tank Farm development as we were to the Poseidon desalination project.
Here’s why:
o The actions of the Huntington Beach City Council then and now approved the desalination plant and the development of the Magnolia Tank Farm with the same disregard for coastal protection and with the same goal of exploiting the coastal resources for profit.
o In 2005-06 the City Council violated its own Local Coastal Program (LCP) by approving Poseidon’s proposal. R4RD, O.C. Coastkeeper, and Surfrider Foundation appealed the city’s approval to the California Coastal Commission (CCC), which determined the City had indeed compromised its LCP.
o In 2010, the City Council again approved Poseidon’s revised project proposal – once again violating the City’s LCP. And again, that was appealed to the CCC, which sustained our appeal.
o As to the Magnolia Tank Farm (MTF) development, the City of HB rezoned the site and gave preliminary approval of the project despite that approval’s clear violation, once again, of the city’s own LCP. Sound familiar? The City of HB had advanced a development project by a private company to exploit coastal resources for profit. However, this time the City applied to the CCC for an amendment to its LCP to accommodate the MTF project — as if the amended LCP would mitigate the exploitation!
There are a few more onerous similarities between the Poseidon and MTF projects. Those similarities and one described above are why R4RD opposes the MTF development in the coastal zone. It’s a slam dunk for R4RD.
Alert: We expect the City’s application for its LCP amendment to be on the November CCC hearings’ agenda. Please stay tuned.