Hoping to Unplug the Powerlink

2/29/2008 - San Diego Union Tribune
By Laura Copic

This letter is in response to the Union Tribune Editorial entitled "Yes to the Powerlink" that was published on February 27, 2008


Your editorial stated that to reject the line would "ignore the inexorable energy demands of San Diego's economic future." The experts at the California Public Utilities Commission have spent the last two years evaluating if there are smarter, more efficient, more modern alternatives to filling this energy gap than the century-old solution of long transmission lines – and, not surprisingly, they have come up with five environmentally superior alternatives. Some of these alternatives have also been vetted through expert testimony to be more efficient and less costly. I encourage people to do their research and look into the facts for themselves.

The Powerlink is not the best solution to filling our growing energy needs; it is simply the most profitable for SDG&E. It is disappointing to see some of our supposed business and political leaders trying to strong-arm the PUC into a decision that would undermine many of the goals of the state's Energy Action Plan and the San Diego Regional Energy Strategy, which promote the superior efficiency and lower risk of local and distributed generation and local renewables. Remember that it was local generation that kept the lights on during the October wildfires when all transmission failed.

LAURA COPIC
San Diego

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