Huntington Beach's council has certified an environmental report on the project, but Costa Mesa almost certainly will require its own report on the project's local effects if the plant goes ahead. For now, though, Costa Mesa council members seem dead set against any encroachment into their city.
"They can get all the approvals they want in Huntington Beach, but at this point, given the information provided to us to date, they're going to have to find another route through a different city," Councilwoman Katrina Foley said Wednesday.
Councilwoman Linda Dixon and Councilman Gary Monahan cast the two minority votes. Monahan said he thinks it's premature to take a position on a project that's so far down the road and may not go forward for years, if at all. Dixon expressed similar concerns.
The plant is still awaiting approval from the Huntington Beach City Council and the California Coastal Commission and other public agencies.
Poseidon Vice President Billy Owens told the council he felt like he was being "tried without a jury" and that his company eventually planned to make a formal application to install the pipeline, but likely not for another year.
"It's fair to say we normally would propose the city have all the details and know exactly what is on the table," he said. "We believe their action was premature."
Costa Mesa council members said they're concerned about noise and traffic that construction of the pipeline will cause, and they don't see any benefits to the city from the project. The pipeline route would use public right-of-way along Adams and Placentia avenues and Harbor Boulevard and Fair Drive, and it would cross the Orange County Fairgrounds and the Costa Mesa Country Club properties.
