Attorney General asked to investigate handling of power line

By: DAVE DOWNEY - Staff Writer | Thursday, July 26, 2007 11:03 PM PDT ∞

NORTH COUNTY ---- A backcountry group that opposes San Diego Gas & Electric Co.'s power line is calling on the state attorney general to investigate whether a state agency is following the law in studying the project's environmental impacts.

But the regulatory agency, the California Public Utilities Commission, said Thursday it "absolutely" is adhering to state law as it examines the proposed $1.3 billion, 150-mile superhighway of electricity.

San Diego Gas & Electric wants to build a high-voltage line that would run from El Centro to San Diego, passing through Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Ramona, Rancho Penasquitos and other back country communities. Environmentalists and many residents of communities in its path oppose the project. Many businesses support it.

The California Environmental Quality Act requires that the entire potential scope of projects be analyzed.

In a telephone interview Thursday, Back Country Coalition member Carolyn Morrow of Ranchita said "they really have to look at the whole project. For months and months and months we have known that the Sunrise Powerlink is only a piece of the pie."

The group alleges that San Diego Gas & Electric is positioning itself, through a substation near Warner Springs, to build an offshoot line that would connect to Southern California Edison's giant service area to the north. Edison serves Los Angeles, Riverside, Orange and other nearby counties. The group maintains San Diego Gas & Electric and parent company Sempra are eyeing an opportunity to sell surplus power to those lucrative, growing markets, in addition to serving San Diego County. As a consequence, it says, impacts of such an expansion must be taken into account.

And they will be, the commission says.

Earlier this week, the regulatory agency ordered more time to compile the project's environmental impact report ---- moving the deadline back to January 2008 from August ---- to allow for analysis of potential offshoots.

"I can tell you that we are absolutely complying with our CEQA obligations and the ruling issued this week makes that clear," said Terrie Prosper, an agency spokeswoman, by e-mail.

The commissioner who penned the ruling stated that the expansion potential was brought to the agency's attention only recently, in project hearings this month.

Morrow, however, said the commission should have known earlier because her group and others had been saying San Diego Gas & Electric was eyeing an expansion. And she maintained it is not a moot point to ask for an investigation now, after the ruling.

"I think everybody's feet need to be held to the fire to make sure this is done correctly," she said.

Tim Patterson, supervising deputy attorney general for the office's environment section in San Diego, said his office is reviewing the group's request and has not decided whether it will investigate.

A decision on the power line's fate was anticipated in January, but now isn't likely before this time next year.

Contact staff writer Dave Downey at (760) 740-5442 or ddowney@nctimes.com.

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