REGION: SDG&E says it did not mislead state

Company answers allegation about power line talks

By DAVE DOWNEY - Staff Writer | Tuesday, August 19, 2008 6:03 PM PDT ∞

San Diego Gas & Electric Co. has denied that it deceived the California Public Utilities Commission earlier this summer when it stated that an alternate, southern route for the proposed Sunrise Powerlink high-voltage power line would cross tribal lands.

In a document filed late Monday with the state regulatory agency, the San Diego-based utility asked the commission to dismiss its Aug. 1 complaint that alleges SDG&E deliberately misled the agency that ultimately will decide whether to approve or deny the $1.5 billion project.

The allegation stems from meetings company representatives had with agency staff members on June 10-11 about route options and reasons why the utility believes the project is needed for its customers in San Diego County and southern Orange County. SDG&E could be fined up to $20,000 for each false statement.

But in the document, lawyers for the company said no false statements were made.

"SDG&E's communications to commission advisors have been truthful and the company denies any suggestion that it made misleading statements," the 35-page report states. "This appears to be a case of a simple misunderstanding."

Commission officials declined comment on the report Tuesday.

Since late 2005, SDG&E has been trying to persuade the 3.5 million residents in its service area and the commission that its proposed 150-mile high-wire act across the North County backcountry is crucial for meeting the region's future electricity needs and complying with a state mandate to deliver 20 percent of the power from green sources.

The 500-kilovolt and 230-kilovolt wires would hang from metal towers as tall as 160 feet, crossing Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Ranchita, Santa Ysabel, Ramona and Rancho Penasquitos.

The commission is scheduled to issue a decision by the end of the year.

Because 23 miles of the company's preferred route would cross the nation's largest state park, the regulatory agency drew up an alternate route that would go around the 600,000-acre desert wilderness in eastern San Diego County by crossing the southern part of the county, in a route parallel to Interstate 8. That option surfaced in January with the agency's release of a draft environmental impact report.

That unveiling angered tribal officials because it showed wires crossing lands of the Campo Band of Kumeyaay Indians and La Posta Band of Mission Indians.

On March 12, SDG&E offered a modified southern route that would avoid the reservations.

But, according to the filing, the commission did not signal its intention to approve that change until it published a revised draft report on July 11 with the new southern route. And the utility's lawyers said company representatives were under the impression that the original southern route ---- the one that would cross tribal lands ---- was still the official alternative under consideration for going around the park.

The lawyers also stated that, during the June meetings, company representatives distributed maps that depicted four potential routes: SDG&E's original preferred northern route, a modified northern route that was introduced later, the original southern route and the southern route it proposed in March to avoid the reservations.

Contact staff writer Dave Downey at (760) 745-6611, Ext. 2623, or ddowney@nctimes.com.

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