This is just one post in the San Onofre Toll Road Category

Federal agency to hold hearing on San Onofre toll road appeal

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 22, 2008 at 6:46 am

From the Los Angeles Times:

The U.S. Department of Commerce said Wednesday it would hold a public hearing on a state panel’s rejection of a controversial toll road through southern Orange County. The decision was hailed as a victory by toll road opponents and downplayed by officials with the Transportation Corridor Agencies, who wanted to avoid another raucous meeting like the one before the state Coastal Commission.

The February meeting drew more than 3,500 people to the Del Mar Fairgrounds and was the largest in commission history. It ended near midnight with a 8-2 vote rejecting a proposal by the Irvine-based TCA for a 16-mile toll road that would cut through San Onofre State Beach.

The TCA appealed the Coastal Commission’s ruling to the Commerce Department but tried to block a public hearing, saying it didn’t want another “circus atmosphere.” Supporters and opponents of the toll road jeered one another when the Coastal Commission met. But on Wednesday, a TCA spokeswoman said the agency welcomed the hearing. “We’re happy to have the opportunity to present the facts to the Department of Commerce,” Jennifer Seaton said.

The North County Times adds this:

“We believe a hearing is appropriate in this case,” wrote Jane C. Luxton, general counsel for the Commerce Department, in a two-page letter Wednesday. “Accordingly, the secretary will hold a public hearing for this appeal at a date and location to be determined.” Luxton said a hearing would be held between July 14 and Aug. 1, or between Aug. 25 and Sept. 12.

Joel Reynolds, attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, called the decision “a victory for the public.” “It’s a response to the extraordinary public demand (for a hearing),” Reynolds said.

He called the decision a defeat for the transportation agency. “The more the light of public scrutiny shines on this project, the less support the project has,” he said. Reynolds characterized the proposed four-lane, 16-mile highway across four miles of San Onofre State Beach as “one of the most destructive projects ever proposed for the coast of California.”

Jennifer Seaton, spokeswoman for Irvine-based Foothill/Eastern, said the decision was not in fact a defeat for her agency. “Absolutely not,” Seaton said. “Every indication had been that there would be a hearing. We’re happy to talk about the facts of the project. We’re very proud of it.”

Read the full text of this story from the Los Angeles Times by clicking here. Read the full text of this story from the North County Times by clicking here.

May 22, 2008 · Filed Under San Onofre Toll Road