For Immediate Release
Wednesday, February 23, 2022
Media Contacts
Lucila Garcia, 323-646-2150 (English, Español)
Betsy López-Wagner, 708-717-9408
Stop Poseidon Coalition Statement on Brookfield-Poseidon’s Postponement of California Coastal Commission Permit Hearing
LOS ANGELES, CA (February 23, 2022) – The following is a statement on behalf of the Stop Poseidon coalition, which includes Azul, California Coastkeeper Alliance, California Coastal Protection Network, Orange County Coastkeeper, Sunrise Movement and the Surfrider Foundation.
“It’s time for Brookfield-Poseidon to recognize the deep and irrevocable flaws with this project, cut its losses and publicly recognize this project and this site are not good for Huntington Beach or its community – it’s time to shut it down for good,” said Susan Jordan, executive director of the California Coastal Protection Network. “We have better, smarter alternatives to this plant and we should never sacrifice our coast to drive profits for this foreign $650 billion corporation or any corporate polluter.”
“It’s disappointing that Poseidon postponed the permit hearing on this risky desalination plant, especially given all the hard work and time the public and the Commission has devoted to its review. The conditions that would be set forward by the California Coastal Commission as required by the Coastal Act are not onerous, they are necessary to protect our coast, safeguard local communities and our natural resources from private interests that would otherwise cause irreparable harm – like Brookfield-Poseidon’s desalination plant.”
Background: To see how vulnerable the proposed Brookfield-Poseidon site is, watch this simulation. The images and simulations are based on the best available science – including CoSMoS 3.0 sea-level rise projections developed by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) that have been previously used in multiple studies in this area. The film and accompanying simulations technology tools, designed utilizing existing scientific data and modeling, were developed by independent scientists at Virtual Planet, an entity known for its immersive solutions to communicate climate change through virtual reality to advise agencies, local governments and the public in sea level rise planning.
About the Stop Poseidon Coalition
AZUL: Azul is a grassroots organization working with Latinxs to conserve coasts and oceans. It was founded in 2011 to bring Latinxs perspectives and participation to ocean conservation and has long advocated for environmental justice and equity in the state of California, across the nation and at international levels.
CALIFORNIA COASTKEEPER ALLIANCE: California Coastkeeper Alliance represents watershed-focused California Waterkeepers as they fight for drinkable, swimmable, fishable waters for all Californians. It defends and expands California’s protective legislation and strengthens the function of our State Water Board.
CALIFORNIA COASTAL PROTECTION NETWORK: CCPN works to uphold the core tenets of the California Coastal Act actively and effectively through policy, advocacy, and collaboration. We accomplish our mission by providing strong leadership to advance California’s 40-year legacy of coastal protection.
ORANGE COUNTY COASTKEEPER: Founded in 1999, the mission of Coastkeeper is to protect and promote sustainable water resources that are swimmable, drinkable, and fishable for present and future generations. Orange County Coastkeeper is a member of the International Waterkeeper Alliance, which has 236 different independent programs across 29 countries.
SUNRISE MOVEMENT LA: Sunrise is a movement of young activists uniting to solve the climate crisis.
SURFRIDER FOUNDATION: The Surfrider Foundation is dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world’s ocean, waves and beaches, for all people, through a powerful activist network.
For more information, please visit the California Desal Facts website.