Residents ban importation of sewer sludge into Imperial County. For more information: Rosie Nava-Bermudez,
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The controversial idea of the importation of sewage sludge and disposal in Imperial County could be put to a vote this November.
A citizen group opposed to Bakersfield-based Liberty Energy’s plan to build northwest of Niland submitted a petition with more than 4,000 signatures Tuesday to the county Elections Department.
The petition, if all signatures are verified to be registered Imperial County voters, would put an ordinance on the November ballot aimed to block the importation and disposal of sewage sludge.
It also would prevent governmental bodies from authorizing the disposal of imported sludge.
“This is democracy in action,” said Monique Lopez, a member of Imperial Valley Residents for Health and Safety First. “The people have spoken.”
The submission of the petition is the latest move in the group’s efforts to stop the sludge plant, as an environmental impact review is under way.
That EIR could be released for public comment as early as November.
County Counsel Ralph Cordova declined to comment on the effect the measure might have on the future of the plant.
Some volunteers wiped tears from their eyes after handing over the pile of petitions they worked months to gather.
“We’ve sacrificed a lot,” said Maria Nava, one of the first vocal opponents to the plant. “We believed in the effort.”
The Elections Department has 30 business days to certify the petition that would place the measure on the November ballot.
County officials’ first count of the signatures was 4,156, more than double the needed 1,109.
But the question of how the ballot measure, if passed, would affect the future of the plant is still up in the air.
Wilson Nolan, chief executive officer of Liberty Energy, said he expected the signature drive would be successful but the company has no plans to withdraw its proposal.
It could come down to wording, Noland said.
“I think the petition is very crudely worded to serve as an exclusionary measure for projects such as ours,” Nolan said.
If the voters show support for the measure, Nolan said he would then look at the enforceability of it.
Violation of the ordinance, according to petition documents, would be a misdemeanor punishable by a fine totaling less than $500.
Although the opposing group may still have a fight ahead of it as voter turnouts in Imperial County are typically low, Lopez said she views the vote as the next step.
“I think it will be successful,” Lopez said. “We already have a victory. For so long our voice has been stifled. We are no longer ignorant and we are no longer apathetic.”
Nolan, who announced plans to explore a plant in Mexicali if Liberty Energy 20 fails in this county, said he believes the ballot item will be defeated.
District 4 Supervisor Gary Wyatt, in whose district the sludge plant would be located, could not be reached for comment.
