By Rebecca Bowe and Cecile Lepage
The Guardian’s rooftop view of the Potrero power plant.
“I know that there are many people who doubted that this day would ever come, but I’m happy to report that it finally has,” City Attorney Dennis Herrera announced at a press conference at City Hall this morning.
Herrera was referring to an agreement between the City and County of San Francisco and Mirant Potrero, LLC to shut down of the polluting Potrero Power Plant no later than December 31, 2010. Freshly signed, photocopied and distributed, the settlement agreement represented a major victory for the city attorney and San Francisco elected officials, who’ve been railing against the hazardous effects of the 40-year old gas-fired facility for years.
“Despite the fact that we have over the years been involved in policy debates with Mirant Corporation and litigation … over the last decade, I’m happy to report that they have stepped up as a partner and have committed themselves to working alongside the city and county as we make sure that we get that power plant closed by the end of 2010,” Herrera said.
In addition to requiring the shutdown, the agreement requires Mirant to pay the city $1 million to be put toward addressing pediatric asthma, neighborhood beautification projects and other programs that would be beneficial to the surrounding community. In exchange, the city agrees to drop a lawsuit it filed in April to force Mirant to comply with laws requiring seismic upgrades to unreinforced masonry buildings on the power plant site.