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Sunrise Powerlink challenged in Supreme Court
By Christy Scott
The Alpine Sun
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BLM approves
Sunrise Powerlink
Last month, the U.S.
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) signed a Record of
Decision (ROD) approving the Southern Route Alternative
for the Sunrise Powerlink Transmission Project proposed
by San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) designed to help met
state renewable energy goals.
BLM California State Director Mike Pool signed the
decision to offer a right-of-way grant and temporary use
permit to SDG&E with extensive mitigating terms and
conditions, including those in the biological opinion
issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in
compliance with the Endangered Species Act. Once SDG&E
agrees to the conditions, the BLM will then issue the
grant and permit for the power line.
"Approval of this critical transmission line is a
significant step forward for California and the nation
in upgrading our ability to more efficiently transport
power and bring future renewable energy sources on line.
California is at the forefront of this effort, and where
appropriate, public lands will play a vital role toward
energy independence," Pool said.
Pool also approved an amendment to the agency’s Eastern
San Diego County Resource Management Plan regarding the
power line. His actions are consistent with a separate
decision issued December 18, 2008, by the California
Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approving the
project, available at http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/environment/info/aspen/sunrise/D08-12-058.pdf.
In its decision, the Commission states, "We are
convinced that approval of Sunrise will help to unlock
the potential of one of the richest renewable energy
regions in California."
Both BLM's and the CPUC's decisions note the extensive
environmental and public review that have been conducted
since SDG&E's application was filed in 2005. Both
decisions avoid impacts to the Anza-Borrego State Desert
Park, one of the original proposal's more controversial
aspects.
BLM's decision authorizes issuance of right-of-way grant
to SDG&E for the Final Environmentally Superior Southern
Route Alternative as analyzed in the final EIS/EIR,
issued in October 2008. The approved route crosses 48.9
miles of BLM land, 19.2 miles of US Forest Service land,
2.0 miles of Department of Defense land, and 0.4 miles
of State land. The approved route is described in detail
and shown on maps in the final EIS/EIR, available at
CPUC’s website http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/environment/info/aspen/sunrise/sunrise.htm.
The ROD is available on BLM’s website at http://www.blm.gov/ca.
A notice of availability of the ROD will be published in
the Federal Register shortly. A 30-day appeal period
will begin upon publication in the Federal Register.
Details on appealing BLM's decision to the Interior
Board of Land Appeals are provided in the ROD. For
further information, contact BLM's El Centro Field
Office, phone (760) 337-4400. |
SAN DIEGO —
On Jan. 25, the Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the
California Supreme Court to review the recently approved Sunrise
Transmission Project, one of the largest and most controversial
transmission projects in California's history, which was approved
last month by the California Public Utilities Commission.
The petition challenges the Commission's violations of
the California Environmental Quality Act, which requires state
agencies to adopt all feasible measures to reduce a project's
environmental impacts. The Commission's legal violations include
failing to require that the line be used for renewable energy and
rejecting less damaging alternative locations for the line, such as
along the I-8 Corridor. In a separate proceeding, the Center will
also ask the Commission to reconsider its decision this week.
"As approved by the Commission, the Sunrise
Transmission Project would sacrifice sensitive public lands and
vital habitat without any guarantee the line will be used to deliver
clean energy," said Ileene Anderson of the Center for Biological
Diversity. "There is no guarantee that this multi-billion dollar
transmission line will reduce greenhouse gas pollution or lead to
the development of significant Imperial Valley renewable energy,"
Anderson added.
The Sunrise Transmission project approved by the
Commission is a 123-mile, high-voltage transmission line that would
slice across the face of the national forest, protected preserves,
and local communities. Originally, San Diego Gas & Electric proposed
a route that would cut through the heart of Anza-Borrego Desert
State Park. Expert analysis reveals Sunrise Powerlink is likely to
transport dirty, fossil-fuel-generated energy that contributes to
global warming. Clean, reliable alternatives to the harmful Sunrise
Powerlink were ranked environmentally superior by the Commission in
its environmental impact report.
In approving the southern route, the Commission set
aside Administrative Law Judge Jean Vieth's recommendation that San
Diego Gas & Electric's application for the Sunrise Transmission
Project be rejected, and approved a southern route for the
controversial power line. Vieth rejected the line because it is not
necessary to meet state renewable-energy requirements, has
potentially negative implications for greenhouse gas policy
objectives, and would cause severe environmental damage.
The Commission also ignored a recommendation put forth
by Commissioner Dian Grueneich to condition approval of the line on
a binding commitment to require the line to deliver renewable
energy.
The approved southern route carves through the
Cleveland National Forest and other natural open space. The route
was ranked as having among the highest number of significant,
unmitigable environmental impacts of any transmission line ever
approved in California.
"Not only is the southern route of this line terribly
destructive to the Cleveland National Forest and local communities,
it may make Southern Californians more dependent on dirty, global
warming fossil fuels," Anderson said. "New transmission lines must
be required to actually carry renewable energy, and we will continue
to push this issue to the forefront in the debate over transmission
lines in California."
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