DesertBlog

Sunrise Powerlink, Eastern San Diego Wind

Final documents on two controversial San Diego plans have been released, prompting this long blog post.

Sunrise Powerlink

Yesterday, the CPUC released its Final EIR on the Sunrise Powerlink. The big picture: SDG&E’s preferred route for this transmission line through Anza-Borrego is one of the worst alternatives, while the “environmentally superior” southern route isn’t much better. The best, least environmentally damaging alternatives remain in-basin generation. And of course, even these “superior” alternatives presented in the EIR aren’t ideal. The best alternative, not covered in this EIR, is San Diego Smart Energy 2020: The 21st Century Alternative.

Things even look a little worse for SDG&E’s preferred route in this version, with the number of significant unmitigable impacts for this alternative increasing from 50 to 52. On the important issue of whether the Sunrise Powerlink would really help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the Natural Resources Defense Council and SDG&E succeeded in getting the report to change its calculations somewhat. However, they are bound to be dissatisfied with the overall conclusion: “the Proposed Project would cause an overall net increase in GHG emissions and a significant climate change impact.” The report even recommends that the project should buy carbon offsets!  How green is that? The report’s authors have justifiably refused to buy into SDG&E’s sales pitch that this is a “renewable energy transmission line.”

Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the media covering the report’s release, many of whom uncritically repeat SDG&E’s contention that the Powerlink “would bring solar energy or other renewable power to San Diego.” That’s how the line is described in the lead of the L.A. Times’ Greenspace blog. The post is actually quite balanced, though it does have a poorly chosen title. (“Should the Sunrise Powerlink line traverse a desert park?” Wrong question! That should be: “Should the Sunrise Powerlink exist?”)

Much worse was the par-for-the course, bone-headed post on a Wall Street Journal blog pushing the meme of “hypocritical NIMBYs getting in the way of alternative energy.” The author has swallowed SDG&E’s sales pitch whole, calling the Powerlink a “plan for renewable energy.” Unfortunately, that post will probably get wide rehashing in the blogosphere. He even called my friend, Tim Larson of Sonoma County, a NIMBY. Now that’s a BIG backyard! (And Tim’s comment back: “Thank you- for realizing that the whole planet is my backyard and I care about it.”)

Next steps: the Administrative Law Judge in charge of the Sunrise Powerlink case, Steven Weissman, will make a recommendation to the CPUC about which alternative, if any, to approve. Then it’s up to the 5-member CPUC to support this recommendation or choose another alternative. Since several of these commissioners have been appointed by Gov. Schwarzenegger, it’s likely that he will have considerable influence over the final decision, which is supposed to come by the end of the year. Calls to the Governator’s office can never hurt: 916-445-2841.

WIND ENERGY DEVELOPMENT IN EASTERN SAN DIEGO

With little fanfare (actually, like thieves skulking away in the night), the Bureau of Land Management has released its Record of Decision on its revised management plan for eastern San Diego County. This plan includes the controversial expansion of areas designated for wind energy development covered here.

While the merits and demerits of wind energy development can be debated by well intentioned people on both sides, what is particularly disturbing about this expansion is the cynical nature of the process that led to it. This addition of more than 20,000 acres available for renewable energy (and mining!), some in critical habitat for Peninsular bighorn sheep, was prompted by what the agency calls “public protest”. But that protest came in the form of one letter among the many the agency received on this topic: a protest from the wind energy company that wants to build on this land.  The public was given one month to comment on the expansion, but the 50 comments the agency received went unheeded. Apparently the only comments the BLM is paying attention to are those from industry.

As a result of this process, we now know that the presence of “high quality wind resources” justifies changing the description of an area from “beautiful” to “ugly.” But nothing has really changed in McCain Valley, which is just as beautiful as ever. It’s only our society’s values that are becoming uglier.

(If you’re a fan of Anza-Borrego checking in here to read about the Sunrise Powerlink, here’s why you should care about McCain Valley wind energy: You’ll be able to see these wind turbines from much of the southern end of the park, degrading a wilderness experience in one of the park’s wildest areas, in much the same way the Sunrise Powerlink would.)

In light of the dire consequences of global warming, why do we still maintain that our backcountry doesn’t need to be destroyed in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions? For one simple reason: we can do much more to combat global warming without destroying San Diego’s backcountry and deserts. Take a look at the aforementioned San Diego Smart Energy 2020 plan, which promises a 50% reduction in energy-related greenhouse gases in San Diego, all without massive transmission lines or wind energy projects. If we can get that kind of carbon reduction without wrecking the backcountry, why wouldn’t we choose that option? (Throw in the intermittency of wind power, the fact that it is often not available at peak hours, and the fact that you need to build as much as 70% gas-fired generation to back it up, and the benefits of this particular project begin to seem quite small. Check our current Ed Bulletin for more.)

Next Steps: No doubt PPM/Iberdrola is getting ready to file for a permit to place wind turbines in McCain Valley and the other spots where such activity is now allowed. We’ll need to be ready to comment on the ensuing environmental review, and hope that the agency pays better attention next time.

Photos: Top: What the Sunrise Powerlink is really meant for (Sempra Energy’s new Liquid Natural Gas terminal in Baja. Photo by John Gibbons, Union-Tribune)

Bottom: A wind testing tower in McCain Valley. Note the hammered vegetation around even this small facility. Photo by Larry Hogue.