SEMPRA/SDG&E LOBBYIST NOMINATED BY OBAMA AS DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF INTERIOR: VOTE SLATED THURSDAY

[Liberty Belle]

Source: East County Magazine

March 12, 2009 (San Diego’s East County) – East County residents opposed to Sempra Energy’s Sunrise Powerlink project are mobilizing opposition to President Barack Obama’s nomination of David Hayes as deputy director of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Hayes served as Deputy Director of the department during the Clinton Administration, but later went to work for the lobbying firm Latham & Watkins—representing Sempra Energy and SDG&E. The Interior Department oversees Bureau of Land Management properties that Powerlink is slated to cross in Lakeside's El Monte Valley and other areas of San Diego's East County.

A vote is expected Thursday in the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee. (See http://energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=About.Members for a list of committee members and their contacts.)

The high-voltage power line project has generated massive opposition here in a region that has suffered the worst wildfires in California history. An environmental impact report found Powerlink will pose a serious fire risk and that the fire danger cannot be mitigated. . .Four California Public Utilities Commissioners appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger approved the project at the Governor's urging, even though two administrative law judges found the project unnecessary to meet our region's energy needs.

In a letter to President Obama dated March 10th, Ramona resident Diane Conklin wrote,“Mr. Hayes lobbied for Sempra Energy and San Diego Gas & Electric Company on transmission issues. SDG&E's Sunrise Powerlink transmission project was approved by the California Public Utilities Commission last December despite the company's refusal to dedicate any portion of the line for renewable energy. SDG&E threatened not to build the line rather than accept an alternate decision to condition a portion of the line for renewables. ..Now the line is not guaranteed to carry renewable energy and, in fact, may carry LNG-generated electricity from a Sempra Mexican generation plant, across the border from San Diego County and fueled by the newly built LNG facility in Baja , Mexico , just north of Ensenada...



Read more: http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/?q=node/738

---

There is much more at the link above. This vote could come as early as today, so I'm hoping folks here will give this a big kick and recommend to make sure everyone reads this. Many here believe the fix is in for Sempra--and lives are at stake. This is NOT a green project. In fact SDG&E threatened to pull the plug when a CPUC commissioner tried to get the company to guarantee that Powerlink would carry renewable energy.

If you visit the site, please also read stories about the fire whistleblower, a former insurance investigator who accuses SDG&E of covering up design flaws that he believes were responsible for many more fires--an installationd design that the utility refuses to fix. Cal-Fire and the state have found SDG&E responsible for several major wildfires in the past 5 years, including last year's deadly Witch Fire. Now SDG&E wants to put Powerlink, which our County Supervisor calls "a giant extension cord through the most-fire prone regions". Rather than fix lines, SDG&E threatens to shut off power to backcountry communities now whenever there are high winds and hot, dry conditions. They are being sued by the state, local government, and fire victims. Now SDG&E is counter-suing fire victims and their families.

Putting a Sempra lobbyist in as deputy director of an agency that will soon be sued over Powerlink issues and asked to reverse its approval appears to be a conflict of interest and a bad move on the part of Obama--and is being viewed as a slap in the face by fire victims and others here.

If you share these concerns, you can use the committee link above to contact committee members and urge them to reject this nominee!

[Hardrada]

1. BHO's choices for Interior and Ag and Education really suck!

More part of the problem than the solution. Oh and the Treasury Sec too. Hard for BHO to get off the ground with all that corporatist baggage.

[EFerrari]

2. Thank you, Liberty Belle.

[corruptmewithpower]

3. I live in San Diego and I pay the highest rate in the USA for electricity, and .

the top gasoline prices, and now I pay the highest state taxes in the nation. I need a break!

I'm absolutely in favor of the powerlink whether or not promised solar energy arrays in the desert become reality.

[Liberty Belle]

4. What about locally generated power?

There is no guarantee that rates will go down if Powerlink is built. The stated goal is to assure future power supplies will be met, not to reduce costs to ratepayers. The high rates here are a result of manipulation by ENRON and the utility scams.

Even our Republican Supervisor, Dianne Jacob, now wants the state to allow homeowners to sell back surplus solar power to the grid, so homeowners can pocket the profits instead of SDG&E. Julian is hosting a "Sustainable Julian" event next week and wants to go off-grid and be totally energy self-sustaining.

Interestingly lots of conservative Republicans out here who don't believe in global warming now support energy independence through locally generated renewable wind and solar -- not Powerlink's fossil fuels or even industrial-scale solar/wind projects.

2 CA administrative law judges and environmental planner Jim Bell have all concluded that we can meet our power needs without Powerlink.

[depakid]

5. Another Clinton retread and a lobbyist to boot

[No Elephants]

6. Yep. Way too many Clintonites who went on to be lobbyists or industry insiders. That can

make the divisive and extended primary seem quaintly amusing in retrospect sometimes, can't it?

I am going to think at least 2.5 times before ever getting that involved in a primary again.

[Bluenorthwest]

9. As I said then

The primary was extended and divisive because the two candidates were so very similar in every way. That is why it became the presonality contest, the mudslinging fest, that it became. There was no policy seperation to argue about, so folks just hurled abuse.

[xxqqqzme]

7. That first lobbyist appointment

exception opened the gate for others to scurry down the path....as was predicted here.

[acmavm]

8. Bwahahahahahahhaha! **Change** cough cough **my ass**