Although witnesses testifying pro and con at the hearing (held at LB's Grand Events Center) had to swear an oath and speak under penalty of perjury, the presiding Energy Commission member, Karen Douglas, opened the proceeding with self-introductions by parties and Commission staff, during which she let three area elected officials deliver non-evidentiary comments at some length. Assemblyman Patrick O'Donnell (D, LB/San Pedro), Councilwoman Suzie Price and State Senator Ricardo Lara (D, LB-Huntington Park) (the latter via aide Tonya Martin) were allowed to deliver statements supporting the AES-sought project, but weren't sworn and weren't subjected to any cross-examination on their statements. (This can be heard on-demand in hearing audio, below.)

[Scroll down for further.]

Councilwoman Price's position on the project puts her at odds with that of the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust, a non-profit grassroots organization that has worked for many years to restore the SE LB wetlands. Price, who took Council office in mid-July 2014, is LB City Hall's current appointee to the four-member governing board of the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority, a government body charged with providing "a comprehensive program of acquisition, protection, conservation, restoration, maintenance and operation and environmental enhancement of the Los Cerritos Wetlands."

The grassroots Land Trust sought and received permission to participate with intervenor status in the CA Energy Commission proceeding but the Land Trust's request to postpone the hearing to let Land Trust Executive Director Elizabeth Lambe, and one of the Land Trust's expert witnesses, Joe Geever, testify in person (they were out of town) was denied prior to the hearing. During the hearing, the hearing officer instructed Bill Powers, an expert witness for the Land Trust, to "summarize" his testimony on grounds it had already been submitted in writing. The Land Trust's attorney was also occasionally prevented from pursuing pointed lines of questioning in cross-examining company witnesses although considerable cross-examination was allowed.

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LBREPORT.com provides MP3 files of extended audio below.

• The first audio segment (roughly 12:05 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.) opens with introductions of participating parties and staff, as well as local elected officials who were allowed to comment at some length without being sworn or subject to cross-examination. (Audio is initially choppy, self-corrects in a few seconds). For on-demand audio of this hearing segment, click here.

• The second portion of the hearing (following a ten minute break) ran from roughly 1:55 p.m. to 3:40 p.m. and included public comments. For on-demand audio of this segment, click here.

The SCAQMD will eventually submit a determination of air quality impacts of the proposed project. Following receipt of SCAQMD's report, the CA Energy Commission subcommittee that heard evidentiary testimony today will ultimately make a recommendation to full CA Energy Comm'n on whether to license the new AES sought facilities at its current location and a Commission vote will follow.

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AES says its new changes will create what it calls an "Energy Center" on the site that will be less visually intrusive (company graphics below) and provide more electrical capacity with greater flexibility to meet demand.

The Land Trust position, stated in a pre-hearing mass emailing by its Executive Director, is that "On the surface the proposal sounds like progress. And the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust was supportive of the proposal before we did our own research and found flaws with the idea. We are now advocating a down-sized facility that will meet all the desirable parts of the project, and avoid the undesirable parts."

SCAQMD has yet to submit its determination of air quality impacts of the proposed project. Following receipt of SCAQMD's report, the CA Energy Commission subcommittee that heard the evidentiary hearing testimony will make a recommendation to full CA Energy Comm'n on whether to license the new AES requested facilities and a Commission vote will follow.

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AES' webpage page for its proposed LB project at this link states in pertinent part:

[AES text] Since the late 1950s, a natural gas power plant has operated in Long Beach, providing a reliable source of electricity to local residents and the region for more than half a century.

Changes to California environmental law require power plants to significantly reduce the use of ocean water for cooling. And the state's aggressive goals for using renewable sources of energy in the coming years are also creating a greater demand for more low-cost natural gas electricity to fill the gaps created when the sun is not shining or the wind is not blowing.

AES Alamitos has the opportunity to ensure a cleaner, more reliable energy future by replacing our existing plant with a modernized natural gas facility that is more efficient and responsive to California's electricity needs.

The Alamitos Energy Center (AEC) will be a natural gas-fired, combined cycle, air-cooled power plant with the capacity to power millions of homes and businesses.

AEC can serve both peak and intermediate loads, and can provide system stability by delivering reactive power, voltage support, frequency stability and rotating mass in the heart of the critical Western Los Angeles' local reliability area. It will also have much lower stacks and far superior "curb-appeal" than the existing plant.

In addition, we're building the Alamitos Energy Storage System -- a second project on the same site -- with 300-megawatts of flexible, zero-emission energy storage that can provide 600-megawatts interconnected resources. This new storage source -- the largest in the world -- will provide unmatched operational flexibility, enabling the most efficient use of renewable energy resources, lowering costs and emissions, and providing increased reliability to the electrical grid.

These projects will not only provide Long Beach with a sustainable and economically viable future, but also help California meet its aggressive green energy goals by helping integrate more renewable power.

The company also has a webpage for its proposed Long Beach project at www.renewaesalamitos.com. It includes graphics the graphics comparing its current and proposed facility.

In a recent mass emailing, Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust Executive Director Elizabeth Lambe states in pertinent part:

[Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust text] [T]he Land Trust is dedicated to protecting and restoring Los Cerritos Wetlands. But we also recognize the need to modernize electric generation for both economic reasons and to transition to renewable energy for the future.

One reason the local wetlands are so degraded, like all coastal wetlands in Southern California, is the decisions made long ago to fill much of the historic wetlands for projects like the existing power plant. Those decisions were made before scientists knew how critical these wetlands areas are to wildlife populations, flood control, pollution abatement and many more "ecosystem services" to our community. And the operation of noisy power plants--emitting pollutants into the air that fall on our communities and the wetlands, has been a constant source of degradation. Further, these power plants were built on the coast because they used seawater to cool their old, inefficient generators, sucking in and killing marine life so critical to a functioning wetland ecosystem. But now we know better.

Now we know not to build these facilities in wetlands, But the daunting challenge is how to restore as much of what we lost as possible while still maintaining reliable electric supply. We feel very strongly that this is a crucial moment for this generation to reverse some of the errors made in the past. This community will live with this decision long after most of us are gone. It's a decision for our children and their children.

"The Land Trust feels very strongly that the CEC must limit the size of this facility to no more than what the PUC found was needed. And we are still strongly advocating for an even better project than the one the PUC approved. But for the CEC to approve a larger facility than what the PUC found was needed for electrical reliability is bad policy and not acceptable to us," Ms. Lambe writes, adding "This is a critical decision for the wetlands and energy reliability. What happens now will affect the future of our environment and the quality of life in Long Beach for our children and grandchildren. It is our duty to ask the tough questions and advocate for the very best."

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Two state agencies are involved in the decision on whether to allow the new facility. The CA Energy Commission, a five member body comprised of appointees chosen by Governor Brown (details here), decides whether the new facility is safe and minimizes environmental impacts.

The CA Public Utilities Commission, has already approved a 640 megawatt gas fired generator to replace the current generators on site...and the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust is challenging the PUC's approval action, contending there are better alternatives. However AES is seeking CEC approval for a 1,040 megawatt gas fired generator in LB, basically 66% larger than what the PUC approved. The Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust wants the CEC to alternatives to the project that minimize greenhouse gas emissions.

Developing. Further to follow on LBREPORT.com