Some of the best environmental news in San Diego last year surfaced a few weeks ago in Point Loma. On Dec. 15, I had the honor of announcing a groundbreaking environmental project that will use existing SDG&E fuel lines to transport excess methane gas from the city’s Wastewater Treatment Plant. The gas will be recycled and used as renewable electricity. This first-of-its-kind project is expected to eliminate the release of 1.1 million cubic feet of global warming gases each day from the treatment plant, and generate a small amount of revenue for the City. The original plan called for using trucks to haul compressed natural gas — 85 percent methane and 15 percent carbon dioxide — from the plant to two local sites. Many of you contacted me to share your concerns about trucking methane through our neighborhoods. I shared those concerns and together we came up with a safer alternative and a better plan. The collaboration and the results reaffirmed my belief that government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished. I owe a special thanks to Point Loma residents John Pederson and Jim Gilhooly, who were among the driving forces behind the new plan. Mr. Pederson heads the group Citizens for a Green and Safe Point Loma, which had this to say about the new plan: “Point Loma residents are very pleased with the revised outcome for the handling and distribution of excess methane gas from the Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Facility. Utilizing the existing SDG&E pipeline to transport the gas instead of trucking through our residential neighborhoods is a practical, green and safe solution. We are grateful for all the community support. This new solution gives us hope and reaffirms the notion that we can make a difference in our community when residents become involved along with our elected officials.” On Dec. 8, the San Diego City Council voted unanimously to amend a contract between the City and BioFuels Energy LLC that calls for recycling methane gas from the city’s Wastewater Treatment Plant. The contract had been in place for a while. What changed is how the gas will be transferred once the project begins in 2011. A Dec. 19 editorial in The San Diego Union-Tribune put it this way: “This project is a win for the city, a win for BioFuels and SDG&E and a win for the environment. We applaud it.” I applaud the Point Loma community for rallying behind this improved plan. It proves that together we can accomplish great things for our neighborhoods. — Kevin Faulconer sits on the San Diego City Council as the representative for District 2, which includes Point Loma, Ocean Beach and Mission Beach.
