Teddy wrote on Mar 8, 2008 1:58 AM:The decision on whether the powerlink will go forward will NOT be made by the Public Utilities Commission, as the story carried by the NCT on March 7th attests. It has been made by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and will superxede any decision made by the PUC.
Secondly, the powerlink will bring in energy from Sempras Mexican plants, which are from gas.

William wrote on Mar 8, 2008 2:02 AM:It is only fair that any member of the
San Diego Association of Governments Regional Planning Commission who has taken campaign contributions from SDG&E or Sempra Energy, ought to recuse themselves from any vote about the powerlink.

Wick wrote on Mar 8, 2008 9:08 AM:There is only one reason that the Sunrise Powerlink needs to be 100 miles east of San Diego and that is because SDG&E intends to build unregulated powerplants in Mexico and yet sell the energy to San Diego residents at full price.

They have only admitted that they have no plans to build those powerplants "at this time."

Just check out where those lines go! This is truly not about green power at all. We have the sun right here. How about increasing the energy credits to San Diego residents so we can generate our own power?

Bo wrote on Mar 8, 2008 11:22 AM:They failed to mention the third and fourth goals:
3. To sieze public land for private use.
4. To line the pockets of SDG&E officers and politicians

Private Property Owner wrote on Mar 8, 2008 2:21 PM:Hey Bo how about siezing private land for the benefit of the shareholders of the energy companies.

It is an absolute abuse of the eminent domain law.

Taking peoples homes and properties to facilitate SDG&E's greed

MAX wrote on Mar 8, 2008 2:41 PM:When all is said and done, the transmission line will be built. The number of consumers is increasing exponentially and that will continue. There really is no other feasible solution to provide the needed power. If some of the power comes from plants built in Mexico, so be it. To say that adequate power can be added by local, coastal generators, windmills or solar panels is just plain wrong.

Otto wrote on Mar 8, 2008 3:11 PM:The EWG is the only group in SANDAG qualified to address this issue because they are composed of industry, environmental and energy policy experts. And yet the Regional Planning Comittee chose to ignore the research, analysis and conclusion of this esteemed sub-committee and vote for a completely opposite recommendation.

Why? because they know that a pro-transmission conclusion is the conclusion that the Board of Directors wants to hear from them and they don't have the poilitcal will to speak truth to power.

Most of the Board of Directors (including Mayor Sanders) already appeared on SDG&E's Sunrise supporter list before the preferred route was even determined. Why?

If it is the tax revenues from this project that are so attractive to these politicians, we all need to recognize that it is a hidden tax passed onto their constituents (the ratepayers who are financing the line and SDG&E's profit from it) not a tax on the profit bloated parent company of SDG&E.

And there's more cost to this than meets the eye. In addition to industrializing our State Park, the SPL will undermine the region's ability to achieve ANY of the other goals in the SDRES. Once we have invested $1.3 billion dollars in a transmission line to import most of our energy, what incentive is there to focus on the local and distributed generation goals, energy efficiency and conservation goals laid out in both the SDRES and the State’s Energy Action plan? Schwarzenegger and the local mayors who support the line should be ashamed of themselves.

Thomas wrote on Mar 8, 2008 5:33 PM:Good comments Otto! Sempra is creating a false sense of urgency to push this thing through, because they know that proven new solar technologies will be available within eighteen months that will cut the price of rooftop solar in half. Nanosolar and another company are printing more efficient cells in a process analagous to printing newspapers. The gallide flexible coatings are more versatile, more efficient and way cheaper than their silicon wafer predecessors. Sempra was found guilty in federal court of market manipulation for the 2001 brownouts. Now they cite their own artificially created shortages as reason for the powerlink. Fool us once, shame on you. Fool us twice, shame on us. The mayor, governor and elected officials should bow out of the decision-making process if they have accepted campaign monies from Sempra.

Gene wrote on Mar 8, 2008 5:38 PM:When did 'increasing our ability to import energy' become an energy goal?
Who writes this stuff? George Orwell?
Our energy goal was to become LESS dependent on imported energy.

Vista Resident wrote on Mar 8, 2008 10:01 PM:Almost $2 million have been donated by big oil to Schwarzenegger's election campaigns. Details are available in an 4/26/06 SF Chronicle article "Big Oil donates big bucks to Schwarzenegger's re-election campaign".

Sempra Energy, the corporate parent of SDG&E, built a natural-gas-fired power plant just across the border in 2003. "San Diego County Supervisor Dianne Jacob, whose district takes in Ramona and many of the backcountry communities targeted for the line, is among those who subscribe to the theory that there is a direct connection between Sunrise and the parent firm's power plant. "Many point to Sempra Energy's 600-megawatt plant in Mexicali and see the proposed line as a veiled attempt to profit from cheap Baja power by selling it to customers north of SDG&E's service territory," Jacob said." -- NC Times 4/23/06

Thomas wrote on Mar 9, 2008 12:22 AM:The pieces begin to fall into place once the Costa Azul Liquified Natural Gas receipt facility is finished. It is located fifteen miles north of Ensenada, yet light years beyond the reach of the California Coastal Commission. From Sempras own publication:
"Sempra LNG is strategically positioned with one site on the West Coast and two on the Gulf Coast. Together, Cameron LNG, Port Arthur LNG and Energía Costa Azul translate into up to 5.5 billion cubic feet per day of new gas supply capable of serving the North American market."

That gas will fuel Sempras plant three miles on the other side of the border. That plant, unencumbered by California emmisions, OSHA or labor standards, will feed power into the existent 230 MW line, then into the 'Sunrise Powerlink'. To override local and state objections, the Energy Regulatory Commission designated both east coast and west coast transmission paths as Federal Energy Corridors. This scheme was developed by the secretive Cheney energy meetings in 2001 that have been the subject to Senate inquiries and lawsuits. There is nothing strategic, or renewable or ethical about the entire
project. Its object is to insure a monopoly of energy distribution and production by a small corporate oligarchy for decades to come. It has been seven years in the making, and is on schedule to be realized before Bush leaves office.

Snowbird-2 wrote on Mar 9, 2008 3:37 AM:William
William wrote on Mar 8, 2008 2:02 AM:
"It is only fair that any member of the San Diego Association of Governments Regional Planning Commission who has taken campaign contributions from SDG&E or Sempra Energy, ought to recuse themselves from any vote about the powerlink."
----------
Well I suggest that any member who took campaign contributions or endorsments from any environmental group, club, or society recluse themselves. Fair is fair!

Otto wrote on Mar 9, 2008 10:57 AM:In contrast the the rest of the lemmings who voted to support transmission, recognition should go to Supervisor Pam Slater-Price who was the sole voice of reason and the only "no" vote at the SANDAG Regional Planning Committee. She knew that a "yes" vote would be construed as support for Sunrise. A project she most certainly does not support. There is some integrity yet to be found on this committee. A nod to Toni Atkins too, who noted that the committee needed to examine the DEIR more before taking this important vote. There's a novel idea; do some independent research! She abstained from voting.

Tom P. wrote on Mar 9, 2008 3:07 PM:Kudos to Pam Slater-Price. The fact that all of these votes and meetings are irrelevant. All of the environmental impact reports; a waste of time and paper. If the PUC denies the Powerlink, Sempra merely has the Federal Energy Regulatory Committee invalidate the PUC decision, in accordance with prior agreements reached at the closed door Cheney Energy meetings in 2001.

Ron D. wrote on Mar 10, 2008 12:11 AM:You folks have allies to the far north of you, here in the Central Valley and adjacent Sierra foothills. Our utility PG&E is planning the C3ETP, a 140 mile 500kv transmission line to import renewable energy from Tehachapi and beyond. And like you not enough local incentive or investment in our own locally abundant resources is occurring. I made a sobering discovery sometime ago,
it was a transcript from a CPUC hearing (Docket #05-09-005) in which the Commission decided that
it would proactively take steps to develop transmission to access renewable resources with provision to streamline planning and cost recovery.
All this tied to procurement goals of 33% R.E. by2020 established our honorable Governor. Pardon the pun, but this is truly a power grab with no provision for a real sustainable future. Our region has some of the worst air in the country, and the vast majority of new generation coming on line is combustion type. Importing is not the way to access renewables! God help us all, our regulatory agencies don't want to.