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I•ILt rvo.V" 1C11V vc ii ` .... CITY OF TRACY a Department of Development and Engineering Services Telephone: (209)831.4600 520 Tracy Boulevard Fax' (209)831-4606 • "O"� Tracy.California 95376 December 9, 2002 Chandler Martin Senior Planner, Planning Division San Joaquin Community Development Department 1810 East Hazelton Avenue Stockton, CA 95205-6232 RE. Site Approval Extension for Application Number SA-01-21(TE): Wellhead, LLC Power Generation Facility Dear Mr. Martin, This letter is submitted in opposition to the proposed time extension for the Wellhead, LLC power generation facility, proposed for development adjacent to the west side of the City of Tracy. Since the initial submittal of the power plant project in March 2001, this project has not moved forward. Surprisingly, within the 18-month timeframe for this project, three additional major power generation facilities in the vicinity of Tracy have either received California Energy Commission (CEC) approval, or are in the review process. The proliferation of these other plants calls in to question the approval of an extension for this, a fourth, power plant It is our understanding that this project was initially approved in March 2001, at the staff level and without the benefit of a community meeting or public hearing Additionally, after reviewing the Initial Study/Negative Declaration that was prepared for the project, we noted the miscalculation of geographic distance from the proposed power plant site to the City limits. It appears that the decision to approve such a facility was made- without adewithout the understanding that the project was within the City of Tracy Sphere of Influence, and roughly % of a mile from residential development within the City of Tracy limits. While this may have been merely an oversight in completing the initial study form, we didn't have the benefit of commenting on the environmental document, nor the opportunity to express concerns, discuss potential mitigation measures, or verify statements in the Negative Declaration as they pertain to air quality and other concerns. Moreover, the application for a time extension has been forwarded to the San Joaquin Planning Commission for review on January 9, 2003 with newly written environmental documentation that appears to be incomplete. Based on the knowledge that three other major power plants have been approved or are in the review process by the CEC, the proposed extension should have been reviewed in context of cumulative impacts to air quality and other environmental issues. The City feels that the analysis provided in the negative declaration for the proposed Time Extension is inadequate because it fails to address potentially significant cumulative impacts of siting several energy plants in the area