Date: Wed, 9 Oct 1996 10:19:16 -0400
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) -- The California Coastal Commission will hear more testimony on a plan by Southern California Edison to cut back on building an artificial kelp reef near the San Onofre nuclear power plant.
The utility company that operates the nuclear plant had promised to construct a 300-acre artificial reef as part of a sea-life restoration plan. However, it asked the Coastal Commission to build a 16.8-acre reef instead.
More testimony on Edison's request will be heard Nov. 12-15 in San Diego.
A public hearing in Santa Monica Monday night stretched into Tuesday morning. About 100 people attended the meeting including representatives from environmental groups angry at Edison's request.
``Why should Edison be allowed to evade permit conditions for 20 years, collect the money from the ratepayers for resources taken from the public and divert the dollars into profitable enterprise,'' said Michelle Sypert, California Earth Corps staff attorney.
Sypert was referring to a pact with state government allowing Edison to charge ratepayers for mitigation expenses.
``The mitigation Edison is proposing doesn't come anywhere near matching the impacts,'' said Susan Hansch, Coastal Commission deputy director.
The project to which Edison agreed in 1991 was one of the most comprehensive marine mitigation packages ever proposed in California. It would have constructed the nation's largest artificial kelp reef and included ongoing wetlands restoration and monitoring.
AP-WS-10-09-96 0812EDT