CPUC Holds Public Participation Hearing
On The Draft Environmental Impact Report
For The Sale Of PG&E Electric Power Plants

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) invites all interested parties to present formal oral comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) written for Pacific Gas & Electric Company’s (PG&E) application to divest (sell) four power plants in Northern California. The public participation hearing will take place Tuesday, September 15, 7-9 p.m., at the California Public Utilities Commission Auditorium, 505 Van Ness Avenue, in San Francisco. CPUC staff will consider comments on the accuracy and completeness of the Draft EIR and respond to them in a Final EIR.

Three of the plants – the Potrero Plant in San Francisco, the Pittsburg Plant in Pittsburg, and the Contra Costa Plant near Antioch – are primarily fueled by natural gas. The fourth is the Geysers Geothermal Plant in the Geysers region in Lake and Sonoma Counties, which is fueled by geothermal steam.

The CPUC released the Draft EIR on August 5, 1998. The CPUC held public information meetings on the Draft EIR in San Francisco, Pittsburg, Santa Rosa, and Cobb in August and September. The CPUC invites written comments on the Draft EIR, which are due by
5 p.m., September 21, 1998. Please mail comments to Bruce Kaneshiro, EIR Project Manager, c/o ESA, 225 Bush St., Suite 1700, San Francisco, CA 94104; or e-mail comments to tmorgan@esassoc.com; or fax comments to 415-896-0332.

You can view the Draft EIR by visiting the divestiture web page at http://www.pgedivest.com. Additional information on the restructuring process is available through the CPUC’s home page at http://www.cpuc.ca.gov. For any questions about the availability of the Draft EIR or meetings, please call the CPUC hotline at 415-989-1446, ext.42. The public can view the Draft EIR at the following public libraries: