Panel Delays Decision on Kelp Reef

Beset by factions warring over kelp and wetlands, the California Coastal Commission this week postponed a final decision whether to relax requirements intended to offset damage to the marine environment near the San Onofre nuclear power plant.

Commissioners voted 7 to 3 early Wednesday to delay action until next month on the hotly debated proposal from plant operator Southern California Edison, which would cancel a planned 300-acre artificial kelp reef off the coast of San Clemente and make changes in required wetlands restoration and monitoring.

The proposal has unleashed a storm of controversy, with environmentalists accusing Edison of going back on its word. Commissioners heard more than eight hours of testimony before adjourning after 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, promising to resume at a November meeting in San Diego.

Edison argued that damage to kelp is much less than earlier feared, and that it should be allowed to build only a 16.8-acre artificial reef instead of the 300-acre reef initially envisioned or the 122-acre reef now sought by the commission staff. Environmentalists said Edison is distorting numbers to hide what they say is continuing damage to kelp and fish.