Judge rules Duke must consider better cooling systems As we go to press Monterey County Superior Court Judge Robert A. O’Farrell had just ruled that Duke Power and the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board must conduct a thorough analysis of the best technology available for the cooling system for the Moss Landing Power Plant. This ruling is an important victory for the environment. As reported in the Ventana [Vol 40, No. 4, 2001], the cooling system of the new power plant at Moss Landing will cycle through 1.3 billion gallons of water from Elkhorn Slough and Moss Landing Harbor each day, virtually cooking all the marine life that would be in that water. Voices of the Wetlands sued because a more modern cooling system would spare marine life. They contended that the state should have given more consideration to the alternatives. The judge agreed. Voices was represented by attorney Deborah Silvas of Earthjustice. At press time it was not known if Duke would appeal the decision. Much deserved thanks to all the local activists who worked on this issue.

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