Imagine a world in which seawater and sea life are sucked into a coastal power plant in order to cool its generators. In the process 30 billion larval and adult fish are destroyed.

Well, you don't have to imagine. That's life at the city of L.A.'s three beach-side plants.

And the state Water Resources Control Board just gave the Department of Water and Power another 9 years to phase out the practice despite the objections of environmental group Heal the Bay. The org's president, Mark Gold, isn't happy about it. He bloggeth:

The extension will result in the ichthyocide of approximately an additional 30 billion larval and adult fish, with local energy plants allowed to continue the practice of sucking water – and animal life — out of the sea to cool themselves. It was definitely horrible news for local fish populations.

Though other state regulators said the DWP didn't provide enough info to justify the extra fish-sucking time, the department was successful (Gold says it attempted a legislative end-run, too) in getting the water resources board to vote 2-1 in favor of the extension.

Gold also has some not-so-kind words for business that try to thwart and/or threaten their way out of such environmental regs, writing:

Note to LA businesses: Environmental laws did not cause the global economic crisis or the permanent fiscal gridlock in Washington, D.C. and Sacramento. Please stop scapegoating environmental regulations that improve our quality of life, protect public health and preserve ecosystems as the reasons for our economic travails.

Read more.

[@dennisjromero/djromero@laweekly.com]

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