Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Shore Power topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
SFPUC warns shore power at Piers 27–29 will pause for America's Cup construction; advocates urge mitigation
Summary
SFPUC staff told commissioners the shore power hookups at Piers 27 and 29 must be removed for demolition and terminal reconstruction tied to America's Cup work, likely rendering shore power inoperable for roughly two years; environmental groups urged offsets and said the shutdown could add 30–97 tons of pollution annually.
Barbara Hale, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission assistant general manager for power, told commissioners on Oct. 25 that shore power hookups at Piers 27 and 29 are complete and operational but must be removed during demolition and reconstruction tied to the America's Cup venue work.
Hale said demolition is expected to begin in January 2012 at Pier 27, core-and-shell construction should be finished by December 2012 for America's Cup use, and shore power reinstallation and terminal completion are targeted for fall–winter 2013 with full operation by March 2014.
The timing means the shore power component would be nonoperational for roughly two years, a window that drew concern from public health and environmental advocates.
"If there's no way to keep the shore side power going, then you need to mitigate it in another way," said Terri Shore of seaturtles.org, noting PUC contributed $1,800,000 to the project and total public funding reached about $5,700,000. She cited grant estimates that loss of shore power could produce an additional 30 to as much as 97 tons of pollution per year and urged the port and event organizers to commit to offset measures.
Speakers from neighborhood and environmental groups asked the commission to press port and America's Cup organizers for written mitigation commitments, to involve local stakeholders in mitigation planning and to explore targeted investments in Southeast San Francisco to counterbalance emissions.
Commissioners and staff said the PUC is engaged in the America's Cup sustainability planning. Hale and other PUC staff said they have offered suggestions to event organizers and port staff and that the PUC will continue discussions and return with recommendations on offsets and feasible measures to limit air-quality impacts.
The exchange ended with commissioners asking staff to keep advocates informed and report back with concrete mitigation options and timelines. No formal action was taken at the meeting; staff said it will follow up with the port and America's Cup organizers.
