Greetings,

Sunrise Powerlink promises to deliver fossil-fueled energy, a major cause of global warming, which would permanently alter fragile landscapes and make them uninhabitable for endangered species such as the Bighorn Sheep of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.     Photograph by David Gummer, © 2004 Royal Alberta Museum

Send a letter to the Editor of the San Diego Union-Tribune and the L.A. Times today!

The San Diego Smart Energy Solutions campaign to protect Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, the Cleveland National Forest and local communities from SDG&E's unnecessary, destructive Sunrise Powerlink proposal needs you to take immediate action!

Over the weekend, the Los Angeles Times published an article entitled "Spring Awakens Desert's Beauty" and the San Diego Union-Tribune featured a cover story about current threats to Bighorn Sheep habitats.  Click HERE to read the San Diego Union-Tribune article. (The L.A. Times requires a fee to view archived articles).

Unfortunately, neither article mentioned the fossil-fueled Sunrise Powerlink as a major threat to these scarce natural resources. Global warming is today's greatest environmental threat, because it will permanently alter fragile habitats like Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, making them uninhabitable for endangered species like Bighorn Sheep. Therefore, no matter where Sunrise Powerlink is built, it will harm parks, forests, protected species and open spaces. Remember, Governor Schwarzenegger recently announced that he supports Sunrise Powerlink even though this fossil-fueled proposal is clearly out of sync with his vision to reduce global warming greenhouse gases.

I need your help to educate the Governor about this harmful project. Do your part to protect our parks, forests and local communities from the proposed Sunrise Powerlink by writing a letter to the Editor of the San Diego Union-Tribune and the L.A. Times! Helpful tips, contact information and talking points are outlined below.

EDUCATE THE GOVERNOR: WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR!

WHO: letters@uniontrib.com and letters@latimes.com

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

TALKING POINTS:

• Thank you for the excellent article discussing the beauty of our local deserts and/or endangered Bighorn Sheep. Unfortunately, you overlooked one of the single biggest threats to these special natural resources: the global warming Sunrise Powerlink proposal.
• No matter where it is constructed, Sunrise Powerlink will increase greenhouse gases that cause global warming. This threatens all protected open spaces and endangered species.
• The Draft Environmental Impact Report, released in January, confirms Sunrise Powerlink will lead to an increase in global warming greenhouse gases. This same report confirms we have smarter energy alternatives than the unnecessary Sunrise Powerlink.
• The more environmentally-responsible plan, San Diego Smart Energy 2020, emphasizes clean, local renewable energy over imported fossil-fuels, which Sunrise Powerlink is likely to deliver.
• Independent expert analysis has shown over and over that this line is not needed, because we have smarter alternatives.  California taxpayers should not be forced to shell out $7 Billion for an outdated technology in order to line the pockets of Sempra Energy Executives and shareholders.

After you send your letter to the Editor, feel free to email your letter to me in a SEPARATE email at mmitrosky@sierraclubsandiego.org. Don't copy me when you send your letter, because it will be less likely to be published.

Best,

Micah

P.S. Send a letter to the Editor of the San Diego Union-Tribune and Los Angeles Times today! This simple, effective action will help amplify our message to the Governor that there are smarter energy solutions to power our region than the fossil-fueled, global warming Sunrise Powerlink.

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