STOP TOXIC AIR POLLUTANTS IN IRVINE

• HIGH FIRE SEVERITY ZONE (see maps below)

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• ​The proposed plant is only approximately 4,200 feet (0.8 mile) from the nearest residences.

• A portion of the new SoCalGas pipeline will be just about 200 feet (0.04 miles) from the nearest residences adjacent to Portola Parkway and 0.29 miles from Stonegate Elementary School.

• The Silverado Fire on October 26, 2020 that ravaged through Orange County damaged parts of the Frank R. Bowerman Landfill, and at least 90,000 residential units in the area were evacuated.

• The proposed RNG Plant site, the new SoCalGas pipeline route and the neighboring Irvine Open Space Preserve are in a high fire hazard severity zone! The pipeline will extend from the facility down the Bee Canyon Access Road, extending to Portola Parkway and Jeffrey Road.

• Homeowners in the area will face an even bigger challenge in getting their homes insured with exorbitant premiums.

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• RENEWABLE NATURAL GAS IS NOT TRUE CLEAN ENERGY - IT'S A GREENWASHING TACTIC OF THE GAS INDUSTRY

 

• ​"Buying into the gas industry’s greenwashing by boosting the production of “renewable” natural gas would hurt our climate and our health. When burned, “renewable” natural gas releases nitrous oxide, a pollutant that creates smog and lowers air quality. These toxins that are released in the process of creating the fuel can cause respiratory illnesses, like asthma." (Source: https://www.clf.org/blog/the-truth-about-renewable-natural-gas/)​​

• ​"There simply isn’t enough RNG to replace our current consumption of natural gas — not even close." "Studies done by Energy Transitions Commission and Rocky Mountain Institute suggest that using RNG for residential or commercial purposes would be misallocating a “precious” resource because these sectors can be transitioned to clean, all-electric power relatively easily." (Source: https://www.sightline.org/2021/03/09/the-four-fatal-flaws-of-renewable-natural-gas/)

• ​"RNG is chemically identical to conventional natural gas, which means that it, too, is largely composed of greenhouse gases. It travels through the same leaky distribution pipelines as conventional natural gas, sending small amounts of super-warming methane into the atmosphere. And when RNG is burned in our appliances, it produces the same exact amount of carbon that conventional natural gas does." (Source: https://www.sightline.org/2021/03/09/the-four-fatal-flaws-of-renewable-natural-gas/)

• ​"The bigger picture is that investing in “renewable” natural gas will not lead to a significant drop in climate-damaging emissions. Instead, it will incentivize producing even more of the polluting wastes needed to make this gas. And that would worsen the harm our trash and agriculture systems already impose on people and the environment. Despite the fossil fuel industry’s rhetoric, the reality is that electricity made from solar and wind power is cheaper and cleaner than any kind of gas. Investing in more gas rather than in true clean energy sources is a waste." (Source: https://www.clf.org/blog/the-truth-about-renewable-natural-gas/)

• California is slowly moving towards electrification - the true clean energy. It does not make sense to build a new gas infrastructure. 

 

• ​​​THE EXPANSION OF THE FRANK R. BOWERMAN LANDFILL (FRB) WILL EXACERBATE THE EXISTING PROBLEMS IMPACTING RESIDENTS 

• Residents near the landfill, especially those in the neighborhoods of Lambert Ranch, parts of Portola Springs and Stonegate have been filing complaints for over a decade about the landfill odor they are experiencing. But to this day, the issue has only gotten worse. 

• Initially, Frank R. Bowerman was estimated to close in 2024, but in the early 2000s, The Orange County Integrated Waste Management Board approved the expansion of the FRB with a new expected closure date of 2053. With the closing of the Olinda Alpha (OA) Landfill in Brea in 2026, trash from those service areas, which include but not limited to Brea, Anaheim, Garden Grove, Fullerton, La Habra, La Palma, Orange, Placentia, Villa Park, Yorba Linda will be transported to Irvine. The current 8,000 ton/day annual average of trash transported to FRB landfill will then be increased by 44% to 11,500 ton/day (they could potentially increase this limit again). This landfill expansion will increase the truck traffic by 40%; thus raising the number of trucks on Irvine streets from 500 to 700.

• If they were to invest $85- $90 million to build this new RNG infrastructure at FRB, there is a high possibility for them to extend the use of the landfill for another few decades to ensure that they have a good return on its investment. With an increase of trash volume, more households, potentially in the thousands will be greatly impacted, because several new neighborhoods have been planned in the vicinity.  

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