A new threat to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

The specter of a towering 500 kV transmission line cutting in half the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park has haunted our region for the last two decades. Construction of such a line would be a disturbing, years-long proposition. The region’s unsurpassed wilderness scenery and long uninterrupted views are the foundation of Borrego’s destination economy. Such a 500 kV transmission line’s negative economic impact on visitation to the town and Park has been calculated in the tens of millions of dollars. And residents of Borrego would receive no benefit from the completed line, but simply pay the economic and environmental price of its presence.

The Sunrise Powerlink was a close call, but the threat was averted when that line was sited south of the Park. Today there is a new threat. The powers that be are planning a new 500 kV line that would transect the Park, and it is on the verge of becoming a reality.

The forces behind today’s threat dwarf the mere corporate greed that fueled the drive to build the Sunrise Powerlink. Today’s threat is driven by California’s urgent response to climate change, a dramatic shift in the regulatory environment, and politicians who are singing from the song book given to them by the investor-owned utility industry.

Implications for Borrego Springs and Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

In May 2023 the Board of Governors of the ISO approved its 2022-2023 Transmission Plan. This plan was created in coordination with the CPUC. The plan deals with transmission lines throughout the state, but of paramount importance to Borrego and the Park is the section affirming the need for a 500 kV line to run from southern Imperial County to northern San Diego County. This line is referred to as the Imperial Valley-North of SONGS 500 kV Line and is estimated to cost ratepayers $2.3 billion dollars. SONGS is the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station located in northern San Diego County. (See full text of the plan here: bit.ly/4bu1lrp.)

This new world of “coordination of activity” among regulatory agencies means that the ISO’s 2022-2023 Transmission Plan authorizing a 500 kV line from southern Imperial County to northern San Diego County was developed in conjunction with the CPUC and that the CPUC with its siting/permitting authority will give “substantial weight” to the project application when it eventually comes before the CPUC for final approval.

The simple translation of the MOU is, “The CPUC is now involved from the beginning in the ISO’s planning process for transmission lines, so when it comes time for the CPUC to approve those lines planned by the ISO, the CPUC will approve them. Quickly! And why not? The CPUC has been involved in the planning from the beginning.”

The upshot for Borrego and the State Park is that the Imperial Valley-North to SONGS Line is the largest, most expensive plan in the ISO’s 2022-2023 Transmission plan, and is very likely (“substantial weight”) to receive CPUC approval.

Full Speed Ahead

In the year since issuing its 2022-2023 Transmission Plan, the ISO has wasted no time in seeking a company to build the Imperial Valley-North of SONGS Line. On May 9, 2024, the ISO published a report detailing the selection process for the “Project Sponsor” that would build, own, manage, and operate the Imperial Valley-North of SONGS 500 kV Line. In an interesting twist, SDG&E was not selected as the Project Sponsor. The firm selected is Horizon West Transmission, LLC. See full text of the report here.

The Route through the Park

In its application submitted to the ISO, Horizon West described the route it will take in constructing the Imperial Valley-North of SONGS Line. “… its proposed route is approximately 135 miles along and it would acquire land rights from the BLM, DoD, California State Parks, and private landowners. Horizon West indicated that its proposed route would minimize impacts to the Anza Borrego Desert State Park by following a combination of existing transmission lines, existing roads, and other permanent impacts within the park for the majority of the crossing.”

Currently, the only existing transmission line in the State Park is the 69kV line on wooden poles that is sufficiently innocuous to be barely visible as it traverses a path from the Narrows Substation to the Warner Substation. (See Map 1) A 500 kV line with its 180 - 200-foot-tall metal towers in the same easement as the existing 69 kV line would be visible from miles away. The footprint on the ground of such massive towers is the size of a house.

How you can Help

What happens next depends on what happens with General Order 131-D and the updated streamlining processes for approving electrification projects. CEQA protections are still under threat and there could be little standing in the way of the CPUC and the development of their “exclusive power,” in approving the route through the State Park for a 500 kV transmission line.

To maintain our progress with educating and advocating on the importance of protecting our deserts specifically, Anza-Borrego we need your help! Our coalition will remain on the front lines of the conversation and give our feedback to the CPUC to make sure they understand the implications of their actions on the protected desert lands of California.

Please consider a donation today to help protect our precious natural resources.

For those interested in participating in this political process please contact us by sending us an email here.