California criticizes planned transmission line through park
Local electricity generation would be better for California's environment than San Diego Gas and Electric's proposed Sunrise Powerlink transmission line, state and federal agencies said today in a draft environmental impact report. It is the first official government analysis of the harm that could result from the Powerlink and a review of possible alternatives.
Release of the 7,000 page draft report by the California Public Utilities Commission and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management opens a 90-day public comment period and eight public hearings.
The Sunrise Powerlink project is a 150 mile long electrical transmission line proposed for construction from the Imperial Valley desert to the coastal city of San Diego that would cut across Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, the Cleveland National Forest, and through the heart of many other protected parks, preserves, and communities.
Project costs are expected to exceed $1.3 billion and would be borne by California ratepayers.
Company documents show that the Powerlink is the first phase of a plan by the San Diego Gas and Electric, SDG&E, and its parent company Sempra Energy to extend the line north to expand the California market for power from its coal-fired Mexico power plant.
'This could be a death blow for SDG&E's project,' said David Hogan, conservation manager at the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity. 'The report confirms that the wasteful Powerlink would result in tremendous harm to nature, people, and property. Now is the best opportunity for the public to get involved and help hammer the last nails in the coffin of this terrible project.'
The report shows that the Powerlink project would result in at least 50 'significant, unmitigable' impacts to people and the environment.
In compliance with federal and state environmental laws, the study considered nearly 100 alternatives to the proposed project, developing 27 of them in detail in the report, said the California Public Utilities Commission, CPUC. 'The draft study reflects input from over 1,300 different organizations and individuals who provided oral and written comments over the course of dozens of public meetings and agency consultations,' said the CPUC.
The report identifies and reviews two 'environmentally superior' local energy generation alternatives, the proposed Powerlink project, 24 transmission line route alternatives, and a no-project alternative.
Aware of the reliability risks posed by fires in Southern California, the study devotes over 300 pages to the fire risks posed to both the proposed and potential alternative routes.
The draft document identifies several alternatives that are 'environmentally superior' to the proposed project. These alternatives are projected to create fewer or less extensive significant and unmitigated impacts than the proposed project, though they do not necessarily meet all of the proposed project's objectives, said the CPUC.
'The alternatives found to be superior to the proposed project include two in-basin generation scenarios and three alternative transmission line routes, including construction of an electrically similar transmission line along a southern route parallel to Interstate 8 and the existing Southwest Powerlink,' said the CPUC.
This proposed southern route alternative heads west from the Imperial Valley area and cuts north after 36 miles, avoiding Anza-Borrego and the high fire risk areas associated with the Southwest Powerlink line. It is also 40 miles shorter than the proposed project.
Diana Lindsay, vice-president of environmental affairs for the Anza-Borrego Foundation and Institute, said, 'Under the guise of energy conservation through the use of renewables and solar energy, the Sunrise Powerlink would destroy one of the last wilderness preserves in California - Anza-Borrego Desert State Park - by directly impacting three wilderness areas and destroying a 90,000-acre viewshed of parkland. This is conservation in reverse.'
Micah Mitrosky, conservation organizer for the Sierra Club's San Diego Smart Energy Solutions campaign, said, 'This proposal would devastate the park, wreak havoc on local communities, and unravel efforts to reduce global warming greenhouse gases.'
'The smarter alternative to boost our local green energy economy and free our region from depending on imported fossil fuels is San Diego Smart Energy 2020,' he said.
The draft report and the final version to be published after public comment, are intended to inform the public and CPUC and BLM decision makers, but not dictate the outcome of their decisions, said the commission. The document does not make a recommendation regarding the approval or denial of SDG&E's proposed project.
'We urge the California Public Utilities Commission, our public officials, and the governor to take a close look at this document,' said Joe Rauh, co-director of the Community Alliance for Sensible Energy.
'It is imperative that San Diego County's open spaces and local communities not be sacrificed for corporate greed. SDG&E's Sunrise Powerlink is a risky, multi-billion dollar boondoggle,' Rauh said. 'We strongly believe that the smarter energy solution is to promote clean, local power.'
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