Published weekly

January 10, 2008

Powerlink project environmental report released

Draft report points to southern
route as best environmental choice 

By Christy Scott
The Alpine Sun

     The Sunrise Powerlink project has reached a new milestone with the release of the Draft Environmental Impact Report, last Thursday, Jan. 3. The California Public Utilities Commission and U.S. Bureau of Land Management report points to various southern alternatives as the best option for the 500-kilovolt transmission line.
     The draft EIR analyzed the proposed San Diego Gas & Electric route, north through the Anza Borrego state park, as well as 27 alternatives to the proposed project. The EIR looks only at the environmental impacts of each alternative.
     After looking at all of the potential routes, the report suggests that one alternative, the Interstate 8 Alternative, with Modified Route D Alternative, is “environmentally superior” to all the others. The alternative is also 40 miles shorter than the original SDG&E proposal.
     The original route, and SDG&E’s preferred choice would run through Anza Borrego Desert State Park. State park officials and environmentalists objected, and many questioned the need for the line. The 150-mile, $1.3 billion powerline would start in the Imperial Valley, where wind and solar energy are expected to be developed; cut through the middle of Anza Borrego; and end at a substation near Del Mar.
     The conduit towers would be giant steel structures about 125-feet tall, measuring about 100-feet at their base, cutting a line through the rural Back Country. Landscape management would be required around each tower to maintain fire safety.
     SDG&E’s proposal would impact the environment in 50 ways that can’t be mitigated, the study says.

     The preferred alternative would travel overhead from an Imperial Valley substation west and south along Interstate 8 through the communities of Jacumba and Boulevard. Through the Campo area the powerline would follow the Modified Route D option, cutting south to skirt the southern end of the Cleveland National Forest and the Hauser Wilderness area.
     West of Barrett Lake the route would cut north through areas of Descanso and Japatul to I-8 adjacent Viejas Casino. At the West Willows Road exit the line would underground along Alpine Boulevard to Peutz Valley. At that point it would again be overhead, cutting north and west through Lakeside.
     This preferred route stretches a total of 110 miles, 104 miles overhead; and 6 miles underground. According to the report, it meets all major project objectives for reliability and reduced fire risk, and allows for future transmission system expansion. It also has only 32 unmitigable environmental impacts, and crosses 16 miles of national forest land, but within areas that have acceptable land use.
     This route would collocate the Sunrise Powerlink lines with the already existing Southwest Powerlink, which weaves a route along the border. Opponents of this route, and SDG&E have both stated that this collocation is not preferred due to incidents of fire that have knocked out the line 23 times in the past decade, including most recently during the October Harris Fire.
     SDG&E officials insist that the new powerline is needed to ensure energy reliability in San Diego County however, project opponents say the area’s power needs can be met through other, local, smaller projects. The EIR also points to a range of non-transmission alternatives to the line, the least environmentally harmful alternatives, building power plants and renewable sources in San Diego County, the report says.
     The top alternative calls for building one new power plant that would meet every-day electricity needs: Either a replacement for the aging plants in Chula Vista or Carlsbad or a new one at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. Four smaller power plants to meet peak demand would also be needed, the report says, as would an almost equal amount of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar.
     The public has 90 days to review the draft report and provide comments to the CPUC and BLM. There will be eight public workshops between Jan. 28 and Feb. 1 to be held in Alpine, Borrego Springs, El Centro, Pine Valley, Ramona, San Diego, Temecula, and Warner Springs. Residents will also have a chance to legally go on record with their comments at Administrative Law Judge Public Participation Hearings.
     Sunrise Powerlink EIR Workshops will be held locally at the Alpine Community Center, 1830 Alpine Blvd., on Monday, Jan, 28 at 7 p.m., and two at Mountain Empire High School, 3305 Buckman Springs Road, Pine Valley, on Thursday, Jan. 31 at 3:30 and 7 p.m.
     An Administrative Law Judge Public Participation Hearing will be held at MEHS on Monday, Feb. 25, at 6:30 p.m. This will be an opportunity for residents to go on legal record with their comments.
The BLM will select a preferred alternative following analysis of public comments on the draft EIR and further internal review, compiling the Final project EIR. A decision on the approval or denial of the Sunrise Powerlink is expected to be made later this year.
     To view the powerlink draft EIR check online at HERE, or check at your local library. Back Country planning groups are looking for volunteers to help review the EIR and become better prepared for the workshops. Please contact Denise Morse at 889-9033 if you would like to volunteer.


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