Financial Loss
San Diego’s Loss is Sempra’s Gain
Stepping back and looking at the big picture, there are basically two approaches to energy transmission. We can build large transmission projects, and import power from a great distance to our population centers, or we can decentralize and locally generate our power here (or a mix of the two).
Here in sunny San Diego, we are fortunate because we have a great natural resource – SUNSHINE… we certainly don’t need to import the “sun” (and the jobs) from Imperial County. We could use that $1.9 billion dollars and put San Diegans and our local solar power companies to work right here, and build a truly sustainable green economy, and have plenty of power for our grandchildren and children.
If the Sunrise Powerlink is built, instead of becoming a more prosperous region, we will instead be indenturing those children and grandchildren to a utility monopoly; and importing our power from Imperial County (and actually from Indonesia and Russia vis a via Sempra’s liquid natural gas plants in Baja). This is not good for San Diego or San Diegans, but very good for Sempra’s bottom line.
In addition, large transmission projects have significant environmental impacts, including (and this is a direct quote from the Sunrise project report), ” will significantly increase the likelihood of a catastrophic wildfires.” So basically, San Diego is getting all of the downside, and none of the upside.
“Public Good” on the Backs of Individuals
The American Dream. Start a small business. Own your own home. Be responsible with your finances and if you are lucky, not end up “upside down” on your mortgage. You can be insured to the hilt, for general liability, fire insurance, earthquake insurance… but there is no insurance against the financial devestation that the CPUC can bring on individuals in the name of the “public good”.
While property owners will be compensated for the actual land site taken for the powerline easement, there will be no compensation for those who lose the value of their homes due to the proximity to high powered transmission lines (making many homes unsaleable) or for the loss of value due to the loss of “pristine views”. When high powered transmission towers are errected that are up to 180 feet tall, complete with floating balls across the transmission lines, and are put directly in front of homes, the impact is severe. Make it worse, and put those lines through a designated scenic corridor, where homesite after homesite has been built in order to accentuate the view. This is a recipe for financial disaster.
How can it be justified that even if one accepts that “this is for the public good” (which in this author’s opinion is clearly not the case), that the economic cost should be paid by the individual property owners and individual business owners? If it is for the public, the public should pay for it. As in other cases of eminent domain, the public should make those individuals and businesses “whole”.
You would expect that in America, right? Wrong.
Click here to read an article that gives real testimony on the loss of property values: http://www.feb.se/EMFguru/Elf/houston-trans-lines.html
Rebuilding After the Cedar Fire... only to lose it all again to SDG&E
