Chabot Community College in trouble with Alameda County Taxpayers' Association over Calpine plant

The whole Calpine Hayward Energy Plant story just got more interesting for me when I happened on a "Letter to The Editor" presented on the Oakland Tribune website and dated November 6th:

Inappropriate spending


FOR THE past 10 or more years, the Alameda County Taxpayers' Association has worked to shine a light on wasteful spending by public agencies.


We are deeply concerned about spending practices at Chabot Community College.


Deep budget deficits have forced Chabot to lay off faculty and staff, cut programs and increase student fees.


At the same time, Chabot has been spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to oppose a project that has no connection to the institution's educational mission.


It has hired a team of high-priced lawyers and consultants to comment on the construction of a new power plant in Hayward — a project that environmental regulators have determined has no impact to the health of the community.


In addition to having the first-of-its-kind limit on the emission of greenhouse gases, the project Chabot is trying to stop will create 650 jobs and generate $30 million in new taxes at a time when our public institutions are struggling to provide basic services.


The association believes it is irresponsible for public officials to spend taxpayer dollars in this manner, and they must be held accountable for their spending practices.


To determine how much Chabot has spent on this effort, the association has submitted a Public Records Act request.


Arthur B. Geen


Oakland

But who's Arthur B. Geen?

Mr. Geen is Executive Vice President of the Alameda County Taxpayers Association, so he's in a position to know what's going on, even though he didn't use the word "I" or "we" in his letter. But that aside, the question of why Chabot may be using taxpayer dollars to fight a new plant that's over a mile away from it is a question. But what's the problem? A brief recap.

Calpine is a Texas-based energy producer which specializes in the development of clean energy plants. In fact, it's website goes so far as to make the bold claim that...

Calpine has the most environmentally friendly power plant fleet in the world. All of its plants are either fueled by clean natural gas or renewable geothermal steam. Calpine has the largest, cleanest, most fuel-efficient fleet of gas-fired power plants in North America. In fact, the company's projects frequently exceed compliance standards for environmental and public health protections, going beyond the legal requirements, and notable environmental, health and consumer groups have applauded Calpine.

For about eight years, Calpine has worked to obtain approval for the construction of a 600-megawatt "Russell City Energy Center" complex in Hayward, California, which if built would be America's first one designed to adhere to the National Greenhouse Gas Limit.

To that end, Calpine partnered with General Electric and is now at a point where the Bay Area Air Quality Management District held a public hearing to obtain community comments on the plant proposal.

Even with such a statement as on their website, and frankly some pretty determined efforts to make do on their clean energy objectives with respect to the Hayward plant proposal, some in Hayward aren't convinced. That was much was obvious at the BAAQMD meeting:



But it seems opposition to the plant has taken an unfortunate turn. If the Alameda County Taxpayer's Letter printed in the Oakland Tribune is to be understood, Chabot Community College is taking unusual steps to block the plants construction.

While Chabot is claiming to be in a budget crisis, Geen is concerned that taxpayer dollars it should be using to help maintain student-related programs are going, in part, to a legal battle against a plant who's impact on the facility may not warrant such spending.

Moreover, what does not make sense to me is why Chabot would alledegly spend tax dollars to block a project that helps make tax revenue for it? That's a real head shrinker to me. An online petition gained only 94 signatures of Chabot students and staffers, so if there's not an overwhelming opposition to the plant, why all the expenditures by the college? 

It's just the proximity.  Even at just over a mile, the idea of a plant just doesn't sit well with some of the Hayward folks.  I don't think it's an issue of not being able to be convinced eventually, but given the urban setting it's a hard task. 

Still, I'm not understanding the whole tax dollar use - if it's true.  If it is, the next question is how much and what in student services is being given up to do this. 

Will Chabot reps have an answer for me?

Stay tuned.