FORUM: Green toll road is urban myth
By Fred M. Roberts, Jr. - Oceanside resident | ∞
There is a new urban myth: The toll road route is green. Supporters of the toll road such as Paul O'Neal and Tom Margro, who have recently written in the North County Times, use phrases like "sensitivity to the environment" and "recommended green route," "will not harm any threatened or endangered species," and "collaborative effort with the agencies."
None of this counters the fact that the toll road as currently proposed will have huge, unnecessary impacts. Other routes clearly are less damaging.
The impact to endangered species is a pretty good indicator as to how "green" an alignment will be. Looking at the routes south of Ortega Highway and San Juan Creek (all alignments have many impacts north of the creek) the San Onofre alignment will impact hundreds of acres of conservation lands over six miles within two parks.
The western-most alternative alignment would not impact any parks or conservation land. The San Onofre alignment would affect up to nine federally listed species; the western alignment, two.
In fact, the San Onofre alignment is probably the most environmentally damaging alignment that could be envisioned. Contrary to their statements, the agencies do not claim this is the most environmentally friendly path.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers denied it in a letter. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Biological Opinion does not claim it. The opinion does claim that no species will be jeopardized by the toll road and that the impacts are off-set such that they do not rise to the level of significant harm (a legal term different from real harm).
Regardless, the habitat for 27 pairs of the threatened California gnatcatchers would be lost at San Onofre if the project is approved. Thread-leaved brodiaea, arroyo toads, tide-water goby and least Bell's vireo will all be impacted as well.
The opinion goes on to claim that the Pacific pocket mouse will not be "harmed" while acknowledging that at least two individuals could die during construction and that suitable habitat will be destroyed by the toll road.
The service is relying entirely upon experimental methods for conservation of the resident pocket mice over the common-sense approach of preservation of existing habitat to justify a "No Jeopardy" determination.
Manipulation has yet to work with any other population. With only four small populations known on the planet, three in noticeable decline, the loss of a mouse habitat to the toll road is significant, especially for a critically endangered species.
This population is the only one with room to grow and not be subject to military training activities.
The road will permanently isolate the population from the closest pocket mouse population. Almost no value was assigned to unoccupied suitable habitat that could play an important part in survival and recovery.
A justification based almost entirely on manipulation is consistent with these times of politics over science. Describing this road as green is misleading.
The facts speak for themselves. The California Coastal Commission founded its decision wisely, and it should stand.Â
Oceanside resident Fred M. Roberts, Jr. is the rare plant coordinator for the San Diego Chapter of the California Native Plant Society.
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so true wrote on Jul 29, 2008 9:52 AM:Anyone who had attended the hearing in Del Mar would have heard ample evidence and testimony that the toll road will create permanent and devastating harm to the environment. The whole idea of putting a toll road on publicly set aside conservation land is egregious. This road is designed to benefit a yet to be built housing development in Orange County. San Diego County will reap more congestion and a damaged precious ecosystem.
Del Mar Circus wrote on Jul 29, 2008 1:16 PM:Anyone who attended the hearing in Del Mar would've seen people dressing in costume, Indian chants, Reagan masks, posters and shouting matches, but there was very little "evidence and testimony" that the road will do any damage to the environment.
US Fish and Wildlife says the road can be built without harming any endangered species. So does California Fish & Game. So does EPA. In fact, the Coastal Commission is the one agency that says this project will harm the environment, yet they produce no evidence to back up that claim.
The Coastal Commission is an unaccountable activist agency that needs to be reigned in. Thank God the Secretary of Commerce has the chance to overturn the decision made by these leftwing extremists.
blame TCAs paid goons wrote on Jul 29, 2008 1:50 PM:from the unions for the noise and disruption at the Del Mar Hearing. They came in chanting, yelling and waving signs.
THe TCA is an unaccountable destructive agency that is working hard to ram their "road to yuppyville" through our parks and conservation lands.
The people of California deserve to have their favorite State Parks protected. No matter what the TCA claims they can protect, it's not a question of a toll road THROUGH a state park, it's a toll road OR a state park. Which do you prefer?
Enviroactivism must be stopped wrote on Jul 29, 2008 2:16 PM:What a straw man argument! "Which do you prefer?" traffic relief or state parks? Please.
95% of the people who visit the San Onofre State Beach go to the beach. The beach will be completely and utterly unaffected by the 241 connection with the I-5 a half-mile away. There is ZERO evidence that shows this road will impact the beach in any way.
Yes, it will go through the inland portion of the park, which is already criss-crossed with transmission lines, etc. This route is far preferred to plowing through peoples homes.
Enviroactivists cried wolf about the 241 north road, they cried wolf about the 73 toll road and they are crying wolf now.
Those roads have not brought the destruction of civilization and have provided traffic relief for tens of millions of people.
Completing the 241 so that it connects to the I-5 is the common sense thing to do.
And if it isn't done now, it'll be done in 2021 when the lease is up and the State Park goes away and the land reverts to the federal government.
We need the traffic relief. Build the road.
no evidence wrote on Jul 29, 2008 2:17 PM:what would you call the 300 page staff report from the Coastal commission? I read it, did you? It was very well researched and written, with more than sufficient evidence to justify the denial. By the way,I read and write these types of environmental reviews for a living.
The writer of this article is accurate in stating that the Fish and Wildlife Service determination does not say there will be "no impacts". It simply says that this single project won't drive any species into complete extinction.
The TCA continues to put a positive spin on this destructive project, including outright lies about the Corps of Engineers' and EPA's positions.
question wrote on Jul 29, 2008 5:30 PM:What's the point of designating parkland if you're just going to build a freeway on it?
Me wrote on Jul 29, 2008 5:32 PM:I travel up the 5 into Orange and LA County and the problems aren't around San Onofre. Take the train (and relax).
To No Evidence wrote on Jul 30, 2008 3:35 PM:Exaggeration and propaganda, that's what I would call it. Just like most of what comes out of the CCC staff. Implying that this would impact the park at the beach when it comes no where near it is misleading and dishonest. When I first heard about this, I was concerned. I surf. I enjoy open space and parkland. So I was like, how can they do this? Then, I looked at the maps, drove up by there, and looked at what was proposed, and much to my surprise (and disappointment in those I had been listening too), the proposed road would not impact the beach at all! If the environmental groups ever want to garner support from the mainstream population, they are going to need to stop being so alarmist, stop exaggerating everything and turning it into an environmental disaster, and pick their battles a lot more carefully. Otherwise, people are going to stop believing anything they say.
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