San Diego County Water Authority Is Not Accounting for Greenhouse
Gas Emissions: Lawsuit
ByElena
Gomez, July 29, 2015
A judge is listening to arguments from a lawsuit that the
San Diego Coastkeeper filed against the San Diego County Water
Authority (SDCWA).
The
non-profit organization claims SDCWA is breaking a law by
not accounting for their greenhouse gas emissions.
If
SDCWA's master plan isn't changed to include their environmental
impact, San Diego Coastkeeper argues it can be a problem for
climate change issues like a rise in the sea level rises and
the statewide drought.
The
non-profit claims that SDCWA is not putting the greenhouse
gas effects of their desalination plants in their updated
2014 Master plan, Climate Action Plan or Supplemental Environmental
Impact Report.
SDCWA
says since they do not operate the desalination plants they
do not need to report the energy consumption of the plants.
However,
Coastkeeper believes there needs to be more responsibility.
NBC
7 received the following statement from the San Diego County
Water Authority:
"The
latest update to our long-term water facilities master plan,
our Climate Action Plan, and their environmental analyses
were unanimously approved by our Board of Directors and are
fully consistent with the law."
They
also say that their recent investments will allow them to
meet 2020 state targets by reducing greenhouse gas emission
by 15 percent.
The
plaintiffs attorney expects this case to finish up today
and that the judge will review it and make a decision later.
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