In a major setback to the Orange County Transportation Corridor Agency (TCA), on June 19, 2013, the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board denied a permit for a northern segment of the proposed road.



Five years ago, the California Coastal Commission turned down the Foothill toll road – a decision ratified by the Department of Commerce. The road would bisect the Richard & Donna O' Neill Conservancy and San Onofre State Beach, severely impacting the California gnatcatcher, arroyo toad, and Pacific pocket mouse – all endangered species. Better transportation alternatives exist, such as improving Interstate 5 and arterial highways.

In a blatant attempt to piecemeal construction starting outside the Coastal Zone, the toll road agency came back with a shorter stretch called the Tesoro Extension that served no realistic purpose on its own. With the Save San Onofre Coalition – of which EHL is a part – out in force, the Regional Water Board saw through this transparent gambit and, in a rare action, denied the TCA’s request for a water quality permit. One board member likened it to voting on one-third of a bridge without knowing where the rest would go. The decision was appealed to the State Board level, but absent a water quality permit, the road cannot be built.

Fighting this toll road is a true coalition effort. EHL contributed to the legal arguments and testified at two public hearings, as well as managed the Coalition’s response on water quality issues. We sincerely thank the many EHL members and activists who responded to an action alert and contacted the Water Board.

In other toll road activity, EHL and other Coalition members filed suit against the CEQA documentation for the Tesoro Extension, as did the Attorney General of California. The Coalition is represented by Shute, Mihaly, and Weinberger.