Developer AEG has been pushing the environmental angle on its Downtown NFL stadium proposal for a few weeks now--all carbon neutrality this and transit-friendly that--and now the Farmers Field developer is employing environmentalist tactics as well. This morning, AEG sent an email blast under the header "Inside Track" (with regards from AEG President and CEO Tim Leiweke) asking for the support of Staples Center fans in passing a state bill that the developer says is necessary to deliver its NFL stadium. It could almost be an email from the Sierra Club, except that the bill it's asking fans to support is designed to expedite legal challenges to the project's mandated environmental impact report--they'll be able to skip to the state court of appeals, who will have to rule within 175 days.
The email, with the subject line "Where will kickoff be in 2015?," hits all the hot topics: "Farmers Field is coming to Los Angeles in just a few years. But this week, our political leaders in Sacramento will vote on a bill that would make the stadium the most environmentally friendly in the United States and ensure thousands of jobs can start coming to our city next year." Not to mention: "The proposed legislation would make Farmers Field one of the only carbon neutral stadiums in the United States. It would also set up the stadium to have the lowest 'cars to football game ticket holders' ratio in the NFL."
As the Daily News pointed out today, "carbon neutral" can mean a lot of different things. The paper says that "the proposed legislation states [carbon] offset credits will be sought only after methods to reduce emissions locally are implemented" and that AEG is planning to reduce car trips and to use energy efficient lighting and electrical systems. However, "only the automobile portion is being mitigated, not all the emissions from a stadium that will use electricity and natural gas, as well as tons of concrete and steel in its construction."
If you're so inclined, or just want to gawk, here's where you can go to support the bill to hasten legal challenges to Farmers Field's environmental impact report (the link from the email had a typo, but we figured it out).
· AEG Wants to Trade Carbon Neutral NFL Stadium For Short Lawsuits [Curbed LA]
· AEG proposal raises the question: What's 'carbon neutral,' anyway? [Daily News]
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