Dear Brisbane City Council Members,

The requirements for ordering a new EIR, as opposed to the EIR Addendum that has been produced, have been met by the change in the status of the Callippee silverspot butterfly, and by the need to consider Global Warming and the production of greenhouse gases.

Butterfly mediations

The mediations proposed by the developer with regard to the Callippe silverspot completely ignore the findings of the report prepared by LSA regarding the butterfly’s requirements and habits. It is apparent that, according to the study, the proposed project can be expected to guarantee the butterfly’s extinction, as it not only removes valuable habitat but isolates the butterflies from the rest of San Bruno Mountain as well.

Climate change is an urgent threat

Using the Trip Generation numbers from the Addendum prepared for the developer, it can be expected that the greenhouse gases generated from the traffic to and from the new development will put over One million one hundred thousand pounds of carbon into the atmosphere per year. We expect that the actual numbers will probably be twice that amount. There are no realistic mediations for this impact, but an EIR is needed to establish that officially. In fact an EIR is mandatory according to CEQA requirements and the state has sued agencies that have not included global warming in their EIRs.

In 1939 World War II started. Soon after that we kids were taking a dime (or maybe it was a quarter-- it was a long time ago) to school to purchase a stamp to put in our war bond booklet, our parents had gasoline coupons for 3 gallons per week, many foods were rationed and we needed rationing coupons to buy them when they were available. We went on scavenger hunts for scrap metal, pennies were no longer made of copper, cooking fat was saved and sold to the garages for one cent per pound.

The entire nation was fighting a war against the Axis powers in every way they could.

No effort was to small and every contribution to the war effort mattered.

Global warming represents an equally dangerous foe. No effort to reduce Carbon emissions is too small. It needs to be emphasized that Carbon released into the atmosphere will be there for 100 years. Many generations of our children will suffer the unpleasant effects if we fail to act decisively now.

New housing must only be built where transit systems are available until such time as automobiles are non-polluting.

The Northeast Ridge is neither the right place nor is this the right time.

The California State Government has directed the California Air Resources Board to, among other things, “Ensure that there are no direct, indirect, or cumulative increases in air pollution.”

At this time, and in this place, more housing is not acceptable.

Sincerely,

David Towle