Synopsis: Starting next month in September, PG&E may be authorized to begin conducting seismic tests for 82 days over a 530-acre area along the Central Coast from Cambria to Guadalupe, a project that is expected to destroy an untold number of sea life, if the State Lands Commission on Aug. 14 approves the tests as proposed or even at more limited scope.
On August 14 PG&E may be authorized to launch seismic studies of faults along the ocean floor over a 530-nautical-mile region of the central coast of California from Cambria to Guadalupe, which the State Lands Commission says "could cause significant adverse impacts related to some marine biological resources," meaning many fish will likely be killed in the process.
The studies are expected to begin next month, in September, and extend for 82 days.
The project is designed to map fault zones, including the Hosgri, Los Osos, San Luis Bay, and the recently (2008) discovered Shoreline fault zones, which are known to be in the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant area and whose geometrics and interconnections are not fully understood and which could be critical to forecasting earthquakes in this area.
The geophysical survey vessel to be used in the studies would tow a series of sound-generating air guns and sound-recording hydrophones along pre-determined shore-parallel and shore perpendicular transects.
The project would result in "significant impacts to fin, humpback, and blue whales; the harbor porpoise and the Southern sea otter. However, "the severity is greatest for the harbor porpoise," the State Lands draft Environmental Impact Report said. The studies are being conducted under a state bill, AB 1632 enacted in 2006.
AB 1632 directed the California Energy Commission "to assess the vulnerability of the state's operating nuclear power plants to a major disruption due to a major seismic event or plant aging, the potential impacts of such a disruption, potential impacts from the accumulation of nuclear waste at the state's existing nuclear plants, and other key policy and planning issues regarding the future role of California's existing nuclear plants."
The California State Lands Commission will conduct the hearing starting at 9 a..m. at the Secretary of State's office, 1500 11th St, Sacramento. The Commission may decide whether to modify the proposed project to comply with the state Environmental Quality Act to avoid or mitigate expected impacts, if feasible.
The state report says that the studies will result in a significant "take" of fish life. Take is defined in Section 86 of the Fish and Game Code as "hunt, pursue, catch, capture, or kill, or attempt to hunt, pursue, catch, capture, or kill."
The specific objectives of the project are to:
— Record high-resolution, wide two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) seismic reflection profiles of major geologic structures and fault zones in the vicinity of the nuclear plant;
— Obtain improved deep (>0.6 mile [>1 kilometer (km)]) imaging of the Hosgri and Shoreline fault zones in the vicinity of the DCPP to constrain fault geometry;
— Obtain improved (>0.6 mile [>1 km]) depth imaging of the intersection of the Hosgri and Shoreline fault zones near Point Buchon;
— Obtain improved (>0.6 mile [>1 km]) depth imaging of the intersection of the San Simeon and Hosgri fault zones near Point Estero;
— Determine the southern extent of the Shoreline fault zone and its relation to the other mapped faults in San Luis Bay and
— Augment current regional seismic database for subsequent use and analysis.
The geophysical survey vessel would tow a series of sound-generating air guns and two sound-recording hydrophones along pre-determined shore-parallel and shore-perpendicular transects. The R/V Marcus G. Langseth (Langseth), shown in Figure ES-4 2, has been selected by PG&E for use as the survey vessel. The Langseth was designed as a seismic research vessel, with a propulsion system designed to be as quiet as possible to avoid interference with the seismic signals. The towing configuration would be generally as depicted in Figure ES-3. Three support vessels would be used to support the offshore survey.
Questions about the studies can be directed to Jennifer DeLeon, project manager, by e-mail or by calling (916) 574-0748. The State Lands Commission is at this website.
In addition to the State Lands public hearing on August 14, the National Science Foundation has scheduled a hearing on the seismic studies project on Wednesday, August 8, between 7 and 9 p.m. in San Luis Obisp Board of Supervisors Chambers, San Luis Obispo County Government Center, 1055 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo, CA 93408. Testimony will be taken but whether it will be considered by the State Lands Commission is unknown.
(The California State Lands Commission has released the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) for Pacific Gas and Electric’s (PG&E) proposed Central Coastal California Seismic Imaging Project (SCH# 2011061085). The Final EIR, which includes responses to all written and oral comments received on the Draft EIR, is available on the Commission’s website.)
The project would result in significant impacts to fin, humpback, and blue whales, the harbor porpoise, and the Southern sea otter. However, the severity is greatest for the harbor porpoise, state studies show.
A state report said the project would generate potentially significant environmental impacts on air quality, terrestrial, and marine biological resources, greenhouse gases (GHGs), land use and recreation, and noise. With the implementation of mitigation measures specified in this report, the report said many of these impacts would be reduced to less than significant, but several impacts to air quality, marine biological resources, GHGs, and land use and recreation would remain significant and unavoidable even after all appropriate and feasible mitigation measures are applied.
During the seismic survey, an array consisting of 18 active air guns, divided into two subarrays, would likely be used. The subarrays would be configured as two identical linear arrays or "strings." Each string would have 10 air guns; nine air guns in each string would be fired simultaneously (for a total volume of approximately 3,300 cubic inches).
Substantial interference in the movement of any native nautical resident, such as the Morro Bay stock of the harbor porpoise, is also expected to be significant; based on this threshold, the project’s impacts on the Morro Bay stock of the harbor porpoise are expected to be significant and unavoidable. Project impacts on sea otters are also expected to be significant and unavoidable because of the proximity of the survey to sea otter habitat and the species' special status under state and federal laws.
Previous public comments about the seismic studies can be found at the State Lands Commission site in the Draft Environmental Impact Report.
The San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace, Santa Lucia Chapter of the Sierra Club, Surfrider San Luis Obispo Chapter, San Luis Obispo CoastKeeper and Supervisor Bruce Gibson asked the State Lands Commission to hold the seismic studies meeting in San Luis Obispo but were turned down.
State Lands Commission Executive Director Curtis Fossum denied the request, citing budget constraints. He wrote that the Commission has already heard the concerns of County residents at previous hearings here and the Commission has over a hundred items on its August 14 meeting agenda that "involve state property interests located throughout the state."
