Lawmakers want to grant extension for desalination plant

SD Union-Tribune

Lawmakers want to grant extension for desalination

September 1, 2009

Fearing further delay could scuttle the ocean-water desalination plant in Carlsbad, state lawmakers today will introduce legislation that would grant the developer an automatic one-year extension of its permit to build the plant.

The San Diego County delegation in Sacramento has unanimously endorsed the measure, saying Poseidon Resources would probably walk away if it is forced to invest millions in another round of applications.

If that happened, the region would lose a vital new water source, and the state's efforts to promote desalination could suffer a huge setback, legislators said.

“This is a project that's going to be looked to across the state. We have to make sure it happens,” said Assemblywoman Mary Salas, D-Chula Vista.

The project is expected to convert 50 million gallons of seawater into drinking water every day.

Peter MacLaggan, a Poseidon vice president, said the Coastal Commission's conditions for the permit will be met by mid-September, but state budget cuts might delay issuing the formal permit beyond the Nov. 14 expiration date.

Poseidon expects to begin construction by the end of the year.