Commercial cannabis questions
Due to the proposed closure of the local California Correctional Center, it seems the Susanville City Council and the Lassen County Board of Supervisors have bought in to cannabis cultivation as a panacea for the financial woes of their respective jurisdictions. I wonder if they have considered all of the impacts their decisions will make?
How will the demands of indoor marijuana cultivation effect the capabilities of Lassen Municipal Utility District to provide reliable electrical power to their existing customers? This summer, the public is being primed, by the media, to expect brown outs and power failures due to utilities being unable to generate sufficient quantities of electricity because of low water conditions throughout the western states.
On the topic of water, will the growers/processors utilize the municipal water system in Susanville? Will the current system be adequate to meet the additional demands of tens of thousands of pot plants? Will the residential rate payers be expected to fund upgrades to the existing system through increased fees to subsidize the marijuana industry?
Who will regulate the use of agricultural pesticides etc. used during the production of the crops? How will the grow medium be treated disposed of after it has been subjected to applications of said chemicals? Will there be adverse effects to the ground water inSusanville and the Honey Lake Valley?
These are only some of the effects that ought to be considered by elected officials before they finalize the approval of the “cash cow” they perceive the marijuana industry to be.
Matt Hennessey
Westwood, California