Greetings,

Local volunteers gather to rally against Sunrise Powerlink

Send a Letter-to-the-Editor of the Voice of San Diego, Union-Tribune and North County Times today!

As our region grapples with the fallout of the devastating San Diego Fires, questions are emerging. How did they start? Were power lines to blame? Could these fires have been prevented? What should we do to minimize fire threat in the future? One recurring theme, however is unquestionable: the key to a secure energy future for San Diego is to generate power locally, not import it over long transmission lines like the proposed Sunrise Powerlink.

With the looming threat of the Sunrise Powerlink and SDG&E's power lines under investigation for starting the fires, we need to ensure elected leaders are properly informed about the dangers of adding new transmission lines to San Diego County.

Several news outlets have joined the conversation, including the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times.

You can help amplify our message that the Sunrise Powerlink is the wrong solution for San Diego, and a better alternative is the reliable, renewable, in-basin solution offered in our plan, San Diego Smart Energy 2020 by writing a Letter-to-the-Editor of the Los Angeles Times, the Union-Tribune, the Voice of San Diego and the North County Times! Helpful tips, contact information and talking points are outlined below.

SEND A MESSAGE TO LOCAL LEADERS - WRITE A LETTER-TO-THE-EDITOR!

WHO: letters@uniontrib.com, letters@latimes.com, letters@nctimes.com. Click here to access the Voice of San Diego's Letter-to-the-Editor form.

WHAT: Letters must be less than 150 words and include full name, address and phone number.

TALKING POINTS:

• The recent fires underscored the need for San Diego to adopt a clean, renewable, distributed generation energy model like San Diego Smart Energy 2020, not the Sunrise Powerlink.
• The San Diego Smart Energy 2020 model reduces global warming emissions that lead to increased dry spells, keeps new high voltage power lines out of San Diego County, and builds in-basin energy so we are not relying on imported power over long distances.
• During the recent fires, local power generation kept San Diego running while the region's transmission lines were shut down or damaged due to fire. In some cases, those lines prevented the fires from being properly fought.
• The safe, sensible approach for regional energy planning is to increase local production, not build more risky transmission lines.

After you send your letter-to-the-editor, feel free to email your letter to me in a SEPARATE email at mmitrosky@sierraclubsandiego.org. If you copy me when you send your letter-to-the-editor, it's less likely to be published.

Best,

Micah

P.S. Stay tuned for more exciting campaign happenings this week when we launch our new campaign web site!

Sierra Club's Smart Energy Solutions Campaign 3820 Ray Street, San Diego, CA 92104 619-299-1797 mmitrosky@sierraclubsandiego.org