As much of the Diablo property as possible should be designated to be protected for public use. Ideally, the land would become part of Montana de Oro State Park.

One thing I did not address to the panel in regards to multi-use trails is this- much of the labor will be free. There are a number of new trails being constructed throughout the county using volunteer labor. And SLO POST is able to contribute funds toward the construction as well. Multi-use trails work very well in our county because the various user groups respect each other. Our bike riders are cognizant of how to conduct themselves around horses, for example. They ask if they need to step off the trail. They yield the right of way appropriately. They recognize that horses are prey animals and that their reaction is flight.

I'm not convinced I want to encounter a parasail, glider, or drone on a trail with my horse. Admittedly,I experienced a hang glider once. Our horses were a bit startled by it and did react. But it didn't cause a problem, particularly because we were on the beach and the horses did not feel confined. AND they were experienced trail horses who had encountered strange things on the trails, like seeing tripods bobbing through the brush. And they got that way through experience. I had one horse who was thoroughly used to motor dirt bikers trying to scare her. The first time she saw a mountain bike on a trail, she threw me. And that sucker was far, far away. I had to go home and ride a bike around her. It isn't easy to find a parasail or glider to buzz your horse so they get used to it. I'd advise keeping the flying things away from multi-use trails. I've had friends who have encountered drones being flown straight into their horses faces on the trails. Some people are plain idiots who enjoy trying to see a show.

Supervisor Adam Hill

9 MR. HILL: Good evening, I am Adam Hill. I'm
10 from the Board of Supervisors, 3rd District, which is
11 where the plant resides. And I just want to start out my
12 remarks by thanking, once again, the panel for doing a lot
13 of work for the community. I know you've sat through a
14 lot of meetings, and you have more to go. And your work
15 and your recommendations are critical to this process, so
16 I really do thank you from our perspective.
17 And I am here to speak to the decisions and the
18 opportunities that lie ahead for our community and for our
19 state. We have a unique chance here to shape major policy
20 and investment choices in a collaborative way that can
21 yield significant conservation and economic benefits. The
22 prospect ahead of us will afford us several different ways
23 to strengthen regional collaboration as we work together
24 to transform our challenges into productive possibilities.
25 As you know, the Board of Supervisors has been
0039
1 keenly focused on Diablo-related issues, and we will
2 continue to intervene in the State CPUC process to ensure
3 the county, as a whole, is represented. We have
4 identified this process as a high-level strategic planning
5 item and we have actively intervened in the state CPUC
6 process to be certain that the local voice is heard. We

Diablo Canyon Decommissioning Public Engagement Panel
August 29, 2018 Panel Meeting
Public Comments
7 have also worked hard on SB1090 to ensure the unintended
8 economic consequences of state energy policy are mitigated
9 in our local towns and cities.
10 It's imperative that we think very strategically
11 and maximize the opportunity this long-planning horizon
12 gives us. To that end, while I remain concerned about how
13 the state will replace the energy degenerated at Diablo
14 Canyon power plant -- meaning it would be a very bad bet
15 if greenhouse gasses increase because fossil fuel has to
16 be utilized until renewables can replace some of the
17 baseload power -- however, I am excited about the renewed
18 opportunity that the transition can provide us if we don't
19 squander it. That is the key here.
20 Specifically, we should be thinking about the
21 lands for conservation in a sequential manner, in phases.
22 If portions of the lands are not affected or encumbered by
23 the Utility direct ownership or the decommissioning
24 project, I suggest to the panel that we look to be able to
25 pursue conservation on those lands as soon as possible.
0040
1 More specifically, given the changing dynamics, including
2 that a State Park bond was recently approved by voters, I
3 think we should remove Wild Cherry Canyon conservation
4 effort tonight. There is no reason the lands owned by an
5 affiliate company to PG&E that don't impact the actual
6 decommissioning project should be tied up with and delayed
7 by a decade or more to wait and see what happens.
8 As I think, as Ms. O'Malley recommended, we
9 should seek a disposition particularly of the Wild Cherry
10 Canyon lands. We should want to pounce on the alignment
11 of the State Park bond funding, the new focus on this
12 area. We can make this happen. And no one at your
13 workshops, according to your own summaries tonight, or
14 anyone has contacted my office over the last probably few
15 years, has advocated for development, but rather for some
16 form of conservation. And I have been working quietly but
17 diligently over the course of a few years with a very
18 small group of local leaders that can make the community's
19 dream of owning Wild Cherry Canyon a reality.
20 I hope you will forcefully recommend that the
21 Wild Cherry Canyon property be detached from the
22 decommissioning planning now and that we be given the
23 opportunity to own this beautiful land for public use.
24 Thus, I also encourage the panel and PG&E to be flexible.
25 If a partner or partners are brought in to stretch limited

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Public Comments
0041
1 public powers for conservation acquisition with the
2 public-private partnership, then that opportunity should
3 be explored.
4 Again, we have waited a long time. And I feel
5 confident that we have a way to make HomeFed and PG&E
6 financially whole so the public can own this precious
7 asset forever. It's pretty simple from my perspective.
8 We have a great opportunity here. We shouldn't squander
9 it or quibble over subtleties. Let's preserve this
10 property and start the process now. And I have people in
11 place who know how to make such a deal happen.
12 That leads me to concepts I have heard about for
13 repurposing and reuse, which I know the panel will take up
14 next month. I think it's important to be bold. We can
15 have many things that people have been recommending to
16 you, from a waterfront marina, to a place where renewable
17 power, ecological, agricultural, recreational, economic
18 and education activities can flourish together, so we can
19 make that happen.
20 The County's partnership with Cal Poly has never
21 been stronger. The County's partnership with our cities
22 is also at a high point. Our tourism sector is fantastic
23 and growing. Another pride and joy of my district, our
24 airport, is booming. All signs are good that interests
25 can be aligned.
0042
1 And also, let's think about, as you move forward
2 into that next month, a resilient water strategy for the
3 region that includes looking at the desalination
4 facilities at the plant. The future uses on site will
5 need water and a partnership with the County, one we had
6 planned for and will, again, make sense. In fact, the
7 future of the de-sal plant continues to be the most
8 asked-about subject by the constituents. Perhaps no other
9 matter could be of more importance to our communities'
10 future water security.
11 Finally, I want to reiterate the County's role
12 is to be a regulator and intervener watchdog and a
13 catalyst for the projects that could happen here, and we
14 want to get started now. It is going to be decades to do
15 some of these other things. It will be hundreds of small
16 decisions that will crescendo into a very big set of plans
17 that will benefit our community and state for centuries to
18 come.

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August 29, 2018 Panel Meeting
Public Comments
19 So I hope again, emphasis on being able to
20 detach the Wild Cherry Canyon property from the rest of
21 the other decommissioning properties that may be used in
22 that, and let us have a chance to make a project happen.
23 I feel confident that it can. And I want to thank you
24 again for your service and for your thoughtful
25 deliberations.

Nick Franco

1 MR. FRANCO: Nick Franco. I'm the current
2 director of County Parks. I used to be the district
3 superintendent for California State Parks, so I am very
4 involved in those properties and I am very personally
5 invested. I am sorry I missed your workshop. I had to
6 choose between that and my daughter's wedding, so I made
7 the right choice.
8 So there is few areas of California coast that
9 have the degree of wilderness that this area has. It's a
10 critical area, and it's really an opportunity that can't
11 be missed. And I think you've heard that over and over
12 again, but I just want to state that up front.
13 So I was fortunate to be able to work with many
14 partners, many who are in this room, on the Phase 1
15 acquisition of about 2000 acres that was an addition in
16 the Irish Hills to Montana de Oro. And I say "Phase 1"
17 because this is Phase 2. And when Phase 1 was presented,
18 Phase 2 was identified with Wild Cherry Canyon being a
19 bird preserve and other lands throughout there. So it's
20 on the radar. It was out there. And these things need to
21 follow through and you need to complete the Phase 2 and
22 let the entire Irish Hills conservation agreement. We
23 can't let it fall through like it did last time.

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Public Comments
24 What I would recommend is don't get caught up in
25 a specific outcome, that it needs to go State Parks, it
0044
1 needs to go to a private developer with conservation
2 easement or whatever that is. Focus on the goals, focus
3 on what you are hearing, which is conservation and view
4 shed and open space values, some trail alignment for the
5 California Coastal trails, some way to connect the Montana
6 De Oro with Avila, some way to connect See Canyon with
7 Avila, some way to make sure that we have those trail
8 linkages, some way to conserve critical wildlife habitat
9 and the cultural resources out there. Those are really
10 the core values and there is many ways to accomplish that
11 through the many different partners that are out there.
12 And then look at those long-term opportunities, connecting
13 with the Bob Jones pathway, additional parking so that we
14 can do the Avila to Harbor Pier Trail and bikeway.
15 There's opportunities for private investment and
16 concessions and other opportunities out there.
17 In terms of financing, there is a lot of
18 partners. You've heard from lots of them. There is State
19 Parks. There is us, County Parks. There is Port San
20 Luis, the Land Conservancy, the private landowners,
21 Cal Poly, lots of nonprofits. And when I was with State
22 Parks, I did put together a budget for operating this. I
23 did put a budget for developing it. We would have to
24 escalate that for the time since 2008, but it's out there.
25 Those documents exist. At the time, there was a 2000 park
0045
1 bond and there was 13 million allocated from that park
2 bond. I think that's been reallocated, but there's Prop
3 68 that's out there now, so there is funding available. I
4 think it can be financed and you need to do that.
5 MR. ANDERS: I just want to remind the panel and
6 the public that the panel will not answer or address any
7 questions during the presentations; however, there will be
8 an opportunity after the presentations for the panel to
9 discuss and make observations about what they heard.

Dan York

0 MR. YORK: My name is Dan York, and I'm vice
11 president of the Wildlands Conservancy. And I was
12 privileged to be able to have the time to be able to
13 attend both of your workshops last week, and I got a crash
14 course in the history and in the proposed future uses of
15 the decommissioned Diablo Canyon lands.
16 I would like to start tonight especially
17 thanking the members of the panel for their time and their
18 dedication and their commitment. I would like to thank
19 PG&E for their stewardship on the land and the amazing
20 amount of care and resources that you put into preserving
21 that exquisite stretch of coast. Sally Krenn, thank you,
22 tremendous amount of energy and focus put into looking at
23 the biological, cultural and resources on the property.
24 And I had a privilege of going with Tom on a short tour of
25 the property. Magnificent.
0046
1 The Wildlands Conservancy owns and operates
2 147,000 acres of nature preserves throughout the state of
3 California, 15 preserves stretching from Humboldt County
4 down to San Diego. The largest preserve is the windmills
5 preserve, 93,000 acres in Southern Kern County, that's 20
6 miles of downgrade from the Los Padres National Forest.
7 It has severed rights and a lot of oil production on the

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Public Comments
8 property. It has grazing operations, which we have used
9 to focus on resource priority. It has outdoor education
10 for kids and major restoration with several different
11 state and federal agencies.
12 I just wanted to let the panel know and to let
13 the people of San Luis Obispo County know that we are
14 standing by and want to see a conservation outcome for all
15 of these lands that PG&E and the county and the state and
16 the PUC deem as possible. Whether it's in phases, as the
17 supervisor suggested, or in one piece, we stand by and are
18 ready to help.
19 And I guess my last thanks would go to the
20 citizens of San Luis Obispo County who voted
21 overwhelmingly, three out of four, with the Dream
22 Initiative to see a conservation outcome of this land.
23 Thank you.

Randy Knight

24 MR. KNIGHT: Good evening panel members. My
25 name is Randy Knight. I'm a retired physics professor
0047
1 from Cal Poly, and for many years I was the director of
2 The Minor in Environmental Studies program at Cal Poly.
3 I'll be the first to say that decades ago when
4 the decision was made to site the Diablo Canyon reactors
5 where they are near Point Buchon rather than the Guadalupe
6 Dunes, probably land and habitat conservation was not
7 foremost in people's minds. But today, PG&E finds itself
8 the owner of some of the most intact and wonderful habitat
9 in the state of California. Not only is the ecology
10 intact, but the PG&E lands are essential to the
11 connectivity of habitat along the Central Coast. These
12 lands are immediately adjacent to State Park lands. They
13 are immediately adjacent to lands that are protected by
14 the Land Conservancy. Altogether, these add up to about
15 25,000 acres of lands in the Irish Hills.
16 The connections aren't perfect because of the
17 highways, but we do know that large animals migrate from
18 the Irish Hills up to the Los Padres National Forest in
19 the north, and down south as far as the Dunes.
20 Maintaining this large scale connectivity for migration is

Diablo Canyon Decommissioning Public Engagement Panel
August 29, 2018 Panel Meeting
Public Comments
21 imperative for the survival of species, especially in the
22 face of climate change, which species can be seen to
23 migrate to areas where they haven't traditionally been
24 found. I'm sure I don't need to remind you that it's far
25 cheaper and easier to make sure species don't become
0048
1 endangered rather than to have to deal with the
2 consequences of a listing of an endangered species. We
3 know from decades of biological research that preserving
4 large and connected habitats is the most important and key
5 thing we can do to keep species healthy.
6 So yes, the Diablo Canyon lands certainly have
7 value potential to real estate. You can put a dollar
8 figure on that. It is not as easy to put a dollar figure
9 on the value of habitat. But I feel I can assert that in
10 the big picture, the value of open space and habitat and
11 connectivity far surpasses the value of possible real
12 estate development. And yes, there are financial
13 implications to how to make this happen. I don't have an
14 answer to that, but where there is a will, there is a way.
15 So I urge you to do the right thing and
16 recommend these lands, all of them, receive permanent
17 protection as open space. Yes, open space with some
18 public access, but primarily open space to protect this
19 valuable and irreplaceable habitat. Thank you.

Richard Waller

25 MR. WALLER: Good evening, Panel. I am Richard
0052
1 Waller. I live in Arroyo Grande. I'm the recent past
2 president of Back Country Horsemen of California, a 3,000
3 member organization, the only statewide organization
4 dedicated solely to trails. Tonight I am representing the
5 Back Country Horsemen of California, Los Padres Unit, 250
6 members here on the coast. And we are just a small
7 fraction of the number of equestrians that love to ride
8 trails.
9 I followed the process of putting the power
10 plant in this pristine coastline instead of the Nipomo
11 Mesa, as first proposed by PG&E back in the 1960s. That
12 location was successfully blocked and the section of coast
13 almost no one knew of was selected. I say "almost no
14 one." My grandfather farmed sweet peas on those
15 benchlands on the way out to the power plant back in the
16 1920s and 1930s. He leased the land. He knew the land.
17 As can be seen from the sea or from nearly any
18 viewpoint in our area, the Irish Hills are a scenic
19 resource of world-class beauty. Preserving this land for
20 public access, environmental protection with a network of
21 trails and campsites is the right thing to do.

Diablo Canyon Decommissioning Public Engagement Panel
August 29, 2018 Panel Meeting
Public Comments
22 The question of how to replace the economic
23 benefit of the parkland hangs over every discussion
24 regarding the area. Preserving this landscape as a park
25 -- and I use the "park" in a generic sense -- will have
0053
1 positive economic benefits for our county. My wife and I,
2 we travel overseas. We take long hikes in Switzerland, or
3 Italy, or Portugal, or Spain, and we spend our dollars.
4 This park will bring people in who will spend their
5 dollars and pounds and euros and yen here in our county.
6 The economic benefits of parks extend beyond tourism. The
7 greatest value of natural amenities and recreational
8 opportunities often lie in the ability of protected lands
9 to attract and retain people.
10 People move to our area to work, whether they
11 are doctors, or lawyers, or contractors because of the
12 scenic and open space opportunities that we have in our
13 county. Substantial percentages of counties in California
14 get income per capita based on public lands and visitors
15 to those areas. Over 15 percent of the jobs in San Luis
16 Obispo county are directly related to tourism. That
17 number would only go up if this area becomes a natural
18 resource for tourism.
19 I know you are not going to answer the question,
20 but I have a question. I trust the transmission lines and
21 the towers that stretch out across our county will also be
22 removed as part of the decommissioning process and we
23 won't have those. Thank you.

Patrick McBibney

24 MR. McGIBNEY: Thank you, Panel. My name is
25 Patrick McGigney. I'm the CEO of Biodiversity First, a
0054
1 local 501C3 nonprofit organization. We work to preserve
2 and protect the wildlands and species upon which we depend
3 for our own physical and spiritual survival. Biodiversity
4 First recommends that all 1200 acres of lands around
5 Diablo Canyon be held in a public trust and into
6 perpetuity. Because we value the rich diversity of
7 wildlife and vegetation on this site, we recommend that
8 human access be limited to prescribed hiking trails,
9 parking at the entrance, no public roads, one coast trail
10 and one ridge trail that can connect to Montana de Oro
11 State Park, much like the Buchon Trail does. We recommend
12 that the Coast Trail have handicapped access.
13 We also recommend that the important wildlife
14 corridor that runs from Diablo Canyon lands to Montana de
15 Oro into Los Padres National Forest, remain undisturbed.
16 Mountain lions, bear, gray fox, bobcats, Black Hills deer,
17 wild turkey, possums, coyote, cottontail rabbits, and many
18 other species, thrive in this diverse ecosystem, and their
19 survival depends on our protection.
20 The Diablo Canyon lands are sacred to the

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Public Comments
21 Chumash Nation, and Biodiversity First recommends that
22 every identified indigenous site be restricted from public
23 access. This beautiful land is one of the last
24 undeveloped swaths of coastland in California. And
25 residents of the Central Coast and all of California have
0055
1 had to live with the danger of the nuclear power plant
2 built on earthquake faults for the past 30 years.
3 Biodiversity First recommends that PG&E donate all of the
4 land into a public trust, possible State Parks, for
5 perpetual conservation. Thank you.

As a local equestrian and hiker, I would like to advocate for public access and recreational use of the land surrounding Diablo Canyon power plant, including Wild Cherry Canyon. It would be a treasure to have continuous trails from Montana de Oro through Wild Cherry Canyon.

Based on over 3 years of 24/7/365 traffic count data on Avila Beach Drive, existing traffic exceeds the capacity of Avila Beach Drive. Due to the natural constraints of the San Luis Obispo Creek on one side and shear rock walls on the other side, Avila Beach Drive can not be widened to accomodate additional traffic through Avila Beach resulting from any housing development on the south end of the Diablo Canyon Lands. Any new significant tourest attraction including a State of National Park would require access only from Los Osos or from a new between 101 and the park.

I would strongly recommend that the Diablo land be given to state parks

This is a perfect area to convert to public land that the people can enjoy
for many years to come. It would be our way of saying we are sorry
to Mother Earth for the way we used it in the past.

Diablo Canyon Community Engagement Panel August 29, 2018

The thousands of acres of land surrounding the Diablo Canyon Power Plant provide valuable habitat for plants and wildlife. Controlled public access will provide for greater public appreciation of the value of open space.

In addition to terrestrial habitat, this land also provides a natural buffer from runoff from the land that (especially if developed) can harm inter-tidal and sub-tidal habitat along these miles of rocky coastline. Remaining Central Coast open spaces are under immense pressure to be developed. While more development is inevitable, we should be judicious in where and how that development is built. This open space between Los Osos and Port San Luis is very unique, and except for the relatively small power plant footprint, basically natural coastal land with an incredible coastline. There is no other similar coastal open space in the county. One could argue there is nothing directly comparable in the State. Conservation of this land will not only protect its existing wild land qualities, it will protect the coastline marine habitat from poor quality runoff from future development.

A key concept in conservation is that connected landscapes are much more effective in protecting ecological processes than are patchwork fragmented protected spaces. Conserved land connectivity allows for the movement of plants and wildlife in ways that are much more ecologically beneficial. Preserved lands around Diablo Canyon will link with Montana de Oro protected lands, providing critical connectivity that is key to beneficial conservation.

Finally, preserving this open space with access (hikers, equestrians, and perhaps separate trails for bicycles) will allow for people to be rejuvenated by natural surroundings, and reminded of the value of open space, marine habitat protection, and conservation.

Thank you for your consideration of these ideas.
Marney and Roger Briggs

Please allow equestrians to ride that land. There are so few areas left for equestrians to ride in California
.

Please consider using land for public access for equestrian trails and horse camping.

I would like to have the Diablo Cyn property open for public recreational use, including hiking, horse back riding and bicycle riding. This is a rare opportunity to preserve our scenic coast for all time and for all citizens.

I support the community vision to purchase the use of the lands that are surrounding Diablo Canyon and the Wild Cherry Canyon property to create multipurpose trails; a connection to Montana De Oro Trails; a horse camp; ample parking for horse trailers for "day" riders, hikers and/or bikers. This would be an asset to the Central Coast for generations to come to enjoy and experience outdoor natures beauty along the coast. I am willing to support this opportunity and help in any way possible.

Agriculture plus combined with Montana de Oreo. Trail connecting Montana de Oreo to Avila Beach

Public access during and after decommissioning must be controlled through the oversight and management of volunteer docents as educators and guides, after the model provided by Friends of the Elephant Seal. Carrying capacities of visitors will be adhered to for accessible areas once they've been identified for seasonal and ecological sensitivity. Part of decommissioning process will include funding to establish a nonprofit organization to recruit, educate and train docents to manage public access.

Develop for housing

"Wildness" is the word that comes to mind when I think of the Pecho Coast and Diablo Lands. Decisions made on the future of these lands are critical to keep the wildness in this place. We should consider the lands "highest value" . . .the value it possesses in its own right, for what it is. I believe these lands highest value is that it offers people, from all walks of life, opportunities to enjoy nature - for renewal, discovery, and learning.

I believe that the land should not be used for intensive recreational use. Opening it to the masses would be its downfall, as we have loved too many places to death. In California, the rawness and spectacular beauty of this coastline and coastal bluffs is a rarity - in that it has been relatively untouched by humans. Wide open access would create unwanted trails down to beaches causing erosion. Harbor seal and sea otter haul-out sites would be disturbed, and the sensitive intertidal animals would be disturbed and diminished. PG&E has recognized that access must be managed to protect and preserve the resources and character of the land.

Continuing PG&E's land stewardship program of managed public access that has kept this place so special requires foresight, understanding, and creative effort. A collaborative effort with Land Conservancies, Land Trusts, Range Trusts, Cal Poly research, and other non-profits that foster understanding and respect for nature, and show care and commitment to the lands future may just keep the Pecho Coast unspoiled for future generations - a place where wildness still reigns.

I strongly support the creation of mountain biking and hiking trails in the Diablo Canyon and Wild Cherry Canyon lands. I would like to see a vast swath of land set aside for non-motorized reacreational use (specifcally trails for bikes and hikers/runners). I truly believe that having well built trails that connect to Montana de Oro would create a trail network that would drive eco tourism and benefit the economy and the current residents of SLO county.

I would like to see as much public access as possible to the land parcel(s) associated with the decommissioned PG&E Diablo Canyon facility. Specifically, I would like to see access for mountain biking and development of a trail network that connects between Montana de Oro and the Irish Hills and perhaps the coast near Avila Beach. Thank you.

As an avid runner, hiker, cyclist, and researcher, I am very interested in establishing responsible public access for these activities when Diablo is decommissioned. This pristine landscape epitomizes the charm of San Luis Obispo County. Having the Central Coast Concerned Mountain Bikers (CCCMB) organization design and build trails would be an integral part of responsible public access. The CCCMB has a proven track record for how multi-use interest groups can cooperate, coordinate and develop a facility that provides benefits to all stakeholders. The trails built and maintained by CCCMB support the family-friendly and community-unifying activities we, San Luis Obispo citizens, value and cherish. Furthermore, this land represents one of the Biodiversity Hotspots of the world, a biogeographic area with a unique species assemblage that is threatened by destruction. It is an ecosystem that would serve as a living laboratory for our biology and ecology students at Cal Poly. CCCMB trails would provide the kind of access students, researchers, and recreationalists desire, and would, simultaneously, minimize environmental impact by keeping people on trails designed to handle their impact. Complete community buy-in.

Would like to see conservation of wild cherry canyon with public access for hiking and biking trails.