Skaggs Island Redevelopment: Emerging Energy Group’s vision

[www.emergingenergygroup.com]
Contact Information:
* Dale Anderson and/or Diane Byrd [415-847-6156] [dianebyrd2002@yahoo.com]
* Janet Pomeroy [Janet@thegoodMix.com]
* Fred Grange [415-456-2712] [Fred@grangebox.com] 
* Douglas Samuels [209-296-7644] [cleanwater@volcano.net] 

President Obama Administration’s Key Goals:
• Economic Recovery and Development
• Creation of Jobs
• Development and Implementation of Green Energy Technologies

Emerging Energy Group’s Skaggs Island Plan encompasses all of President Obama Administration’s key goals
The EEG Skaggs Island plan puts President Obama Administration’s ideas into action!

The people of California’s San Francisco Bay Region are faced with a choice regarding the fate of Skaggs Island -
Representative Lynn Woolsey has a ‘Good Idea’: U.S. Representative Lynn Woolsey’s good idea-U.S. Bill H.R.5844- is to return Skaggs Island to its natural state- which would be to remove the ‘human footprint’ and flood the island- returning it to a marsh condition- preserving the island as part of the North Bay natural wildlife sanctuary.

Emerging Energy Group begs the Question: Should the former 3,300 acre naval base centrally located in the San Pablo Bay area be demolished and flooded at a cost of approximately $30-40 million to the tax payers? Legislators have committed $8 million of California tax money towards demolition of the buildings. The demolition costs are anticipated to be an additional $2.5-3 million for which there is no funding committed. Toxic waste clean-up costs have not been adequately estimated and the federal agencies are disputing financial responsibility.
In order to accomplish the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposed flooding of the land major additional funds [federal or California?] will be required- and the only funds ‘committed’ are California funds.
Nevertheless, the demolition and flooding plan of Skaggs Island is proceeding even though there is inadequate funding and disputes between the potential funding sources. The flooding project was planned during better financial times when federal and California tax funds were available. At this time, neither the federal government nor the state of California have the necessary discretionary tax funds required to accomplish the original plan which involved transferring Skaggs Island from the U.S. Navy to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Emerging Energy Group has a ‘Better Idea’ -
This historic WWII military property must be preserved and redeveloped into a green technology industrial and research park?
Furthermore, EEG’s Skaggs Island Plan fulfills President Obama Administration’s Key Goals:
• Economic Recovery and Development
• Creation of Jobs
• Development and Implementation of Green Energy Technologies

Emerging Energy Group’s Skaggs Island plan would allow private industry to revitalize the property into a high tech green and sustainable energy research center designed to meet the need of the 21st Century.
Emerging Energy Group’s Skaggs Island Plan will eliminate the $30-40 million project costs for which we the tax payers would otherwise be burdened.
Approximately 500-1,000 long term jobs will be created.
Private industry would be responsible toxic clean-up and restoration of the buildings. In Emerging Energy Group’s Skaggs Island Plan, the project developers will be responsible for all project costs, not the California and federal tax payer.

Emerging Energy Group’s Skaggs Island Plan -
Emerging Energy Group has diligently searched the San Francisco Bay area for a suitable research and development green industrial park site. The only suitable site EEG was able to locate was Skaggs Island. Skaggs Island is a unique site within the Greater San Francisco Bay Area. There is no other large acreage site available with a key location for the development of a green technology industrial park.
Emerging Energy Group is a consortium of private developers, environment organizations, and private citizens who promote the research and development of green energy technologies. See website: www.emergingenergygroup.com
The Emerging Energy Group - has obtained strong interest in EEG’s green energy technology industrial park development of Skaggs Island from numerous colleges and universities including: UC Davis, UC Berkeley, Stanford University, as well as from national and international research facilities such as the Buck Institute.
Academic institutions are especially interested in EEG’s Skaggs Island plan because Skaggs Island can fill a research niche unavailable on university campuses:
• Many of the actual research conditions that deserve academic research cannot practically be conducted on existing university campuses
• Skaggs Island can provide a realistic and functional green energy research project site providing developers and researchers the opportunity to conduct experimental testing of emerging technologies.
• Emerging Energy Group’s Skaggs Island plan provides the industrial conditions required for developing green technologies.
Skaggs Island research and development technologies may very likely hold the potential of providing future generations: sustainable energy; clean air; clean water; while also protecting wildlife and the quality of our rivers, lakes, and marshes.

Benefits to California and Federal Tax Payer’s -
Flooding Skaggs Island: 
The benefits demolition are minimal. (The environmental impacts of demolition, however, are serious issues that must require an EIR.) The clean-up of the site’s toxic waste is necessary but there are no funds committed. The benefit of an additional wildlife sanctuary in addition to the existing wildlife sanctuaries of the region is unknown
There will be no economic benefit derived from the demolition project other than
providing short term demolition employment.
There certainly will be no technological benefit for California or America.

EEG’s Skaggs Island Plan:
The redevelopment of Skaggs Island will provide 500-1,000 jobs and bolster community spirit. The preservation of this historic military site will inspire American pride and patriotism for generations to come. The potential economic benefits for the American economy, as a result of the development of green and sustainable technologies, are extraordinary. The savings to tax payers is sensible. The pride that we can all enjoy in being a sponsor of this worthy project by itself provides sufficient cause for supporting Emerging Energy Group’s campaign to save and redevelop Skaggs Island.

Background on U.S. Rep. Lynn Woolsey’s ‘Good Idea’ -
U.S. Representative Lynn Woolsey authored U.S. Bill H.R. 5844 (April 17, 2008), which was signed into law by President Bush at the end of his term (Nov. 2009) which authorizes the Navy to complete the transfer of Skaggs Island from the Navy to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Woolsey’s bill authorizes the federal government to accept $8 million from the California state environmental funds to demolish the 120 buildings- houses, warehouses, office buildings, apartments, church, store, etc.
However, up to the present (April 2009), the transfer remains held up due to a continuing disputes between the various agencies as to which agencies will pay for the which costs related to the proposed demolition, toxic clean-up, maintenance of pumping system, dike construction, and flooding. Plus, the additional funds required have not been committed.
(Note- Since the 1993 Navy base closure, the Navy has been obligated to maintain the Island’s pumping system to keep the island dry at a cost of $250,000 annually. This ongoing cost would also be assumed by the developers.)

The remaining ‘flooding project’ costs (which remain uncommitted) are approximately $22-32 million.
Uncommitted flooding costs include:
• Demolition costs not committed: $2.5-3 million (Only $8 million of the $10.5-11 million is committed by California State Environmental Fund)
• New bridges and roadways to service island farmers- approximately $5 million
• Clean-up of toxic waste (unknown cost)
• Removal of road way materials and contaminated soil
• Relocate FAA radar facility- approximately $3 million
• Rebuild the pump station to protect the remainder of the island
• Construction of dike and levee system- approximately $12 million
The project has been stalled for several years is due to governmental agencies fighting over which agencies are responsible for which costs and from which agency’s coffer the money is to come.
This entire federal project/federal bill is currently only based on California funding. Perhaps it is the perspective of the federal government that California has tax funds readily available? The fact is that California cannot afford to fund even vitally important environmental programs at this time. Meanwhile the federal agencies refuse to commit federal funding, but ‘want the project to move forward’!
For example, the California Water Quality Control Board Proposition 84 $8.4 grant program to implement Best Management Practices to protect the Central Valley water quality from agricultural contamination was cancelled in January 2009 due to lack of available funding. This program was instigated on the hopes of resolving serious water quality problem hexing the entire California agricultural industry. This is simply one example of California’s financial inability to fund even vitally relevant environmental programs at this time.

Emerging Energy Group develops  a ‘Better Idea’ -
The EEG plan will provide training and employment for veterans as well as for the general public. President Jimmy Carter after being presented the EEG Skaggs Island Plan, offered the services of Habitat for Humanity in remodeling the existing housing.
The adjacent City of Vallejo is experiencing major financial problems (including bankruptcy). The redevelopment of Skaggs Island will bolster Vallejo’s economy- as well as improving the Napa, Sonoma, and Marin counties economies.
Flooding the Island will not.

We should also keep in mind that Skaggs Island already enjoys major infrastructure improvements which are highly valuable and in many situations simply are not available:
• Rail Road and Rail Spur;
• Electrical Transfer Station and Major Power Lines;
• Major Gas Line;
• Roadways and Roadway Accesses;
• Water and Sewer.

Existing infrastructure to be utilized in the EEG plan:
* Green (farm, vineyard, and municipal) waste from Sonoma and Napa Counties that is currently being trucked right by Skaggs Island can be utilized in the Island composting and bio-digestion systems
* Processed biogas can be pumped into the existing gas lines (sold as natural gas).
* Bio-gas can also be utilized onsite for numerous purposes including heating, water heating, industrial uses, etc.
* Biogas can also be utilized to generate electricity. The electricity can be used on site and/or transmitted via the power grid.
* A major solar installation will provide the project electrical power as well as selling electricity to the grid.
* Rail provides an economical and efficient method to transport product to and from Skaggs Island.
Also, Skaggs Island is fairly remote and secluded from passerby visibility. Thus, for the public, the proposed development proposal with not alter the scenic beauty and natural setting enjoyed by travelers on route via State Highway 37. For the researchers, the seclusion of Skaggs Island offer security, safety, and a confidential atmosphere in which to develop new technologies.
Is there a responsible, financially sensible, and well thought out choice possible other than supporting Emerging Energy Group’s campaign to save Skaggs Island?
We think not!