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BISBEE — Cochise County Board of Supervisors member Paul Newman will not be able to use taxpayer funds to pay for transportation of an expert he feels would bring insight he needs to make a decision about the proposed Bowie coal-powered electrical plant.
In a specially-called meeting Monday afternoon, Newman asked for legal advice about bringing in a Minnesota lawyer who is an expert on Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle technology to answer questions on the proposed Bowie 600-megawatt power plant.
Newman believed there was a minority issue since he is the only Democrat on the board of supervisors.
“As a minority member of this board, I have the right and the duty to find the best expert in the country to enlighten all the constituents of Cochise County, and, in fact feel it is my fiduciary duty as a member of the minority. I feel I am an individual supervisor with the need to ask questions,” he said to board chairman Richard Searle and Supervisor Pat Call both of whom are Republicans.
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Carol Overland, he explained, has been at the center of a heated debate on a similar project in Minnesota. He feels her expertise in the field would provide insight as to what questions the supervisors may want to ask pertaining to the plant’s operations, emissions and by-products.
“She was on the legal team who brought the project to a halt. She knows the kind of questions we need to ask of Southwestern Power Group. I feel I found an essential person to help me ask the pertinent questions,” Newman said.
In a memo given to Searle, Call and county staff he wrote, “The public deserves to hear Ms. Overland’s national perspective in order to understand the importance of this major zoning proposal. The public has a right to know the pros and cons of this proposal. On a personal note, I believe that this zoning decision will be the most important decision of my two terms in office.”
Newman asked Cochise County Attorney Ed Rheinheimer if he could use his discretionary travel funds to pay for her travel expenses from Minnesota to Arizona. Rheinheimer responded, “To me it’s a policy issue for the board whether or not to approve the expenditure of funds. Travel funds are discretionary funds, but they have limitations ... She has no formal relationship with the county. She has not been hired or placed on retainer for her opinion. I’m not questioning her expertise or that she could help. But, the board has to approve the expenditure of taxpayer money.”
County Administrator Mike Ortega agreed and added his opinion that the town hall meeting is for Newman’s constituency, so the spending of county funds to appear before one supervisor may not be a viable expense. He added that Newman would have to convince the other two supervisors that another expert opinion is needed.
The county recently contracted with EDAW (Eckbo, Dean and Williams based in San Francisco) to look over the IGCC plant and proposed recovery systems, with funding provided by Southwestern Power Group II.
Newman was hoping to get Overland on a videoconference call, but was told by county clerk Katie Howard the supervisors meeting room did not have that capability. It was only available in the small conference room. Since Overland would not be able to be seen or heard by the public, Newman then asked if he would be permitted to have her talk via long distance on a conference call.
He was told that would be doable. Overland may be able to offer her advice during the upcoming work session tentatively set for later this month or at the future meeting where the fate of Bowie’s coal-powered plant would be decided.
For now, Newman will have to rely on activist Nancy LaPlaca at the town hall meeting.
LaPlaca is involved with a similar IGCC plant proposed in Colorado.
Though Newman asked Searle and Call to attend the town hall meeting, neither will be able to do so because of scheduling conflicts.
The town hall meeting will be held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. today in the supervisors’ meeting room on Melody Lane.
Herald/Review reporter Shar Porier can be reached at 515-4692 or by e-mail at shar.porier@bisbeereview.net.
Carol A. Overland wrote on Aug 15, 2007 5:36 PM: