SDG&E feels the heat and opts to turn off the power.

For tens of thousands of San Diego back country residents turning on a radio, light or TV may not be that easy when the Santa Ana winds begin to blow. This controversial proposal comes on the heels of CalFires/CPSD  investigation which blames SDG&E for 2 of the horrific firestorms of last October.

SDG&E wants to amend wording in "Rule 14" so they can turn off the power when necessitated by safety or emergency concerns. (their wording) 

I attended the CPUC public comments hearing regarding San Diego's 2007 wildfires. While this hearing was a bit smaller than previous hearings regarding SDG&E's Sunrise Powerlink proposal it did bring together some key players such as Dianna Jacobson, State Senator Christine Kehoe,  Michael Shames and others.
A lot of good arguments were brought up before the commission. One of my favorites was  "SDG&E wants to run power through our communities and not to our communities."  This was in reference to SDG&E proposing to cut off power in the back country during high wind situations.

Obviously SDG&E does not want a repeat of last years devastating firestorms and this seems to be the quick solution. Maybe we all need to step back and ask ourselves ,"Is the fire prone San Diego backcountry a place to string powerlines?" I will tell you what, let's maintain the lines we have, don't add any new transmission lines and help home owners become energy self-sufficient by passing Bills such as AB 1920 (see below).

AB 1920: the California Solar Surplus Act of 2008 would allow solar system owners to sell surplus electricity at the full retail rate to other utility customers. Currently this surplus is basically given away back to SDG&E who in turn can turn around and sell it.

Bob

Penninsular Bighorn Sheep threatened again

As if massive 150' tall steel towers going through their habitat isn't enough; now the Penninsular Bighorn Sheep are being threatened by the very agency designed to protect them.  In a nutshell the Fish and WildLife Service wants to de-designate over half of the habitat that was set aside to protect the endangered Bighorn.
Use the link below to tell the Fish and Wildlife Service that you oppose this decision..

You can read Larry Hougue's excellent BLOG post here.

Tell the Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the currently designated habitat for the Bighorn (Click Add Comments link)

Ranchita Rocks to save Anza Borrego

Mary and I volunteered to help out Kathleen Beck's People's Powerlink Booth at the Ranchita Rocks festival. 

Ranchita Rocks is a 3 day music festival whose underlying theme is "Green" solutions and raising money to stop the Sunrise Powerlink. People come from all over the country to camp out on Carolyn Morrow's beautiful 180 acre farm in Ranchita, listen to music and enjoy the festivities.

We arrived an hour late (thanks Google Maps) and found Kathleen and Jim setting up their People's Powerlink table. In case you aren't aware, Peoples Powerlink has been a long time opponent of the Sunrise Powerlink  and maintains an excellent web page with up to date news.

To say Ranchita Rocks is a glimpse into "Woodstock" or "Burning Man" wouldn't do it justice. Interspersed with the dreadlocks, incense and hula-hoops, there were booths with information on alternative energy solutions such as solar/photovoltaics and wind power. It was great to see the diverse group of festivall attendees all getting together in the name energy independence.

Kathleen's "Declaration of Energy Independence" was a creative way to get people to think outside of the box. Just because a mega-corporation like Sempra tells us that the Sunrise Powerlink is the only way to get power to the people does not mean it is the best answer. There are better less damaging, innovative solutions, that do not involve desecrating the San Diego back country.

We had a great time meeting new faces, listening to music and learning how to hula-hoop again. 

More to come.....

Check out the Photo Album

New Anza Borrego plates

I was excited to see that this license plate was available on the DMV's website. Not really sure of a better way you could spell out Anza Borrego with 7 letters? This is what I came up with and I think it works pretty good.

CPUC believes SDG&E has lied regarding Sunrise Powerlink facts

Union Tribune Article Here!

No surprise since SDG&E's whole Sunrise Powerlink campaign has been based on lies and misrepresentations. This article is in reference to one of the alternate southern routes.

Facts that SDG&E does not want you to know.

• San Diego does not need the Sunrise Powerlink to meet it's energy needs.
• Sunrise Powerlink's main objective is to get fossil fuel generated power from Mexico to Southern Orange County and Los Angeles.
• 500 KW towers are harmful to wildlife, ugly and help make lot's of $$$ for SDG&E

Sunrise Powerlink decision delayed until end of year.

In yet another set back for SDG&E the California Public Utilities Commission has ordered a "re-circulation of the draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the Sunrise Powerlink."   According to the Union Tribune article the CPUC would like further in depth analysis  of the technical feasibility and the economic benefits of the various alternatives cited in the DEIR.

What does this mean for us?

• The CPUC's decision is delayed to the end of the year and not the end of the summer as was orignally planned. This gives us more time to get the word out to the public, politicians and others that the Sunrise PowerLink is not in our best interests environmentally, economically or technically.

You can read the Union Tribune Article here.

 Stay tuned for more opportunities to participate in stopping this project and plan on attending  Ranchita Rocks at the end of the summer.

Bob

Sunrise Powerlink Final CPUC Hearing

You would think that the Monday 1PM schedule would deter many Sunrise PowerLink opponents from making the trek out to Borrego Springs for the final CPUC hearing. 
Not true!
This is a passionate group of grassroots people who don't want unnecessary 500 KW powerlines strung through protected California State Park land and pristine San Diego back country.

This hearing was different in a couple ways. First it was the only time that 4 of the 5 CPUC Commisioners would be present and second it was the last chance for the public to express their concerns, opinions, and views to the CPUC.

While most attendees such as myself merely had to endure  drizzle, thick fog and road construction to get to the hearing, Dennis Trafecanty , a Sunrise Powerlink opponent, ran 50 miles overnight throught the Desert  to arrive at the Borrego Springs Resort by 12 noon. How is that for making a statement ?!

Another hilight was the banner that the Sierra Club put together with all of the postcards that were collected at Earth Day. During Micah's public comment a group of us walked the banner in (all 27' of it) and paraded it in front of the commissioners. Pretty fun to do and I think it was very effective.

I am glad there were so many people that were willing to drive out to Borrego to voice their opinions against this ridiculous proposal. Besides the core group I am starting to notice some new faces so it looks like the word is getting out. Now we wait until we hear from the CPUC. They are expected to make a decision sometime this summer so check your local papers and the Smart Energy Website for updates.

Bob

Sunrise PowerLink Advocacy Hike

This past Saturday morning Mary, Kaiel, Diesel and I joined David Hogan and the Sierra Club on an advocacy hike out in Ramona. The hike was an effort to illustrate that in addition to  scarring a path through Anza Borrego, the Sunrise Powerlink would run through some beautiful areas of the San Diego backcountry.

The weather for the hike was a bit on the warm side and hats and sunscreen were necessary. We hiked in the morning sun for close to an hour and in that time we saw an eagle, a flat-tailed horned lizard and a pretty cool looking large brown spider.

Thanks to Micah for organizing this hike and thanks to David Hogan for sharing his knowledge. It is good to see that we have so many that are dedicated to stopping this proposal. 

Slideshow with all the pictures.

Earth Day versus Sunrise PowerLink

The Sierra Club's Smart Energy Solutions campaign could not have had better timing to promote its' Sunrise PowerLink alternatives.
On Saturday I helped set up a table at the Patagonia store in Cardiff to take Polaroid pictures and collect comments from people. As opposed to SDG&E's $45,000 glossy ad campaign that is rammed down our throats, these grassroot type events reach people on a more personal level, giving them the chance to ask questions. The event was a bit on the small side but we did manage to collect alot of postcards that will be presented to the California Public Utilities Commission on May 12 in Borrego Springs.

On a much grander scale, and I mean GRANDER, Earth Day in Balboa Park is like a huge rock concert with tens of thousands of people. By the time I arrived at the Smart Energy Solutions Booth for my shift  the Polaroid film was gone and according to Micah (the Smart Energy Solutions organizer) they had collected 300 comment cards. I also met Larry Hogue from the Desert Protective Council who was kind enough to give my website a mention in his great BLOG. I think the Sierra Club, various watchdog groups and community organizations are doing a great job on getting the word out to the public.
We don't need the Sunrise PowerLink !!

Next stop Borrego Springs on May 12 for the CPUC hearing.

Bob

Carrizo Gorge trail to Goat Canyon

Well I have been studying Google maps as well as my GPS map software and it looked like it was possible to hike along Carrizo Gorge/Creek trail to the mouth of Goat Canyon . If you have been reading my BLOG you know that Goat Canyon is home of the world famous Goat Canyon Trestle. At two hundred feet tall and 750 feet long, it is one of the  tallest, longest wood trestles ever built often described as an engineering marvel or "the impossible railroad". 

Previously, when it was somewhat legal, we hiked along the tracks from Dos Cabezas to reach the trestle and in another adventure, Mary Kaiel and I did a 3 hour hike from Mortero Wash to reach the trestle. This time I wanted to try to access it from along the canyon floor. Armed with my new Delorme PN-20 GPS and steadfast confidence Mary and I jumped in her Toyota Tacoma and drove out to Anza Borrego. We hit some pretty strong winds driving over the Tecate Divide but once we dropped down into Ocotillo the wind settled down.

Pulled off the S2 at Carrizo Creek, put the Tacoma in low range and headed down the trail.  The trail heading south through Carrizo Gorge actually goes pretty far in and there are a few somewhat technical 4-wheel sections towards the end. Let me clarify, technical for a stock, non-lifted Tacoma. I don't think the modified  jeeps that drove past us had any trouble, but then again they were running 35" tires and we were still using the useless 30" Dunlops that came with the truck..

According to my GPS we were about 3 miles from the mouth of Goat Canyon from where we parked . That distance is a bit misleading in that it is "as the crow flies" and I knew we would be scampering over boulders, squeezing through marsh reeds (carrizo) and trying to avoid the prolific cholla in certain areas. Still Mary and I were game and headed off along the canyon floor.

The trail was pretty obvious in some places and at times would completely disappear. The GPS was very helpful in keeping us on course  as were the "ducks" (trail markers). This seldom explored area of Anza Borrego is beautiful and amazingly quiet. We were constantly scouring the surrounding mountains in hope of seeing  Bighorn Sheep. No sheep but we did get an impressive view of the Carrizo Gorge railroad high above the canyon floor.

After about an hour and a half of hiking the trail disappeared and we were confronted by a somewhat impenetrable forest of catclaw. Up to this point we had been collecting scrapes and cholla thorns so the thought of squeezing through yet more vegetation was not that appealing. We opted to turn around this point which was unfortunate since the GPS showed we had 7/10 of a mile to go.

I would love to know if anyone has completed this hike to Goat Canyon so let me know in the comments.

Until next time,
Bob

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