Apr 9 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Brooke Edwards Daily Press, Victorville, Calif.

The recent hearing on the Victorville 2 power plant did not go quite as described by the developer, according to the California Energy Commission and Victorville's City Manager Jon Roberts.

Tom Barnett, overseeing the project for developer Inland Energy, said plans were approved during last week's hearing and that VV2 was ready to move forward.

"The CEC has not approved the application," said Percy Della, spokesperson for the CEC. "The project still has a long way to go."

In a few more weeks, Della said a two-member committee will issue a presiding members proposed decision. The project will then enter a 30-day comment period before going in front of the five-member energy commission for final approval.

Barnett said the project was able to move forward after Roberts authorized purchasing three times the acreage the plant will need for habitat replacement lands.

Roberts said this is not accurate, in that he does not agree with the ratio and is not able to authorize this purchase until the item has gone before the City Council.

However, Della said that the developer did agree to purchase the additional land.

Barnett also said the CEC dismissed previous concerns over air quality issues and approved the developer's plans for relocating protected species.

Della said the air quality concerns have not been dismissed, and will be reviewed during the next hearing. He added that no part of the project has received final approval until it goes before the CEC board.

Finally, Barnett stated that a precedent had been set during the hearing, because VV2 was the first time the Department of Fish and Game allowed its permitting requirements to be rolled into the CEC's.

Della said that while things did go particularly smoothly in this area, the Department of Fish and Game is not the permitting agency for the project, and approval had proceeded as normal.