Highlighting the importance of new electric transmission to the state of California, leaders of Californians for Clean and Reliable Energy (Cal-CARE) have announced their support of the Sunrise Powerlink, a 150-mile transmission line that would deliver reliable and renewable power from the Imperial Valley to San Diego and help avoid more than one million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Cal-CARE is the only statewide coalition of business and labor organizations to support a transmission project in California.

"While the line is located in San Diego, it will link to the state's transmission grid, enhancing energy security for businesses and families across the state and ensuring our economy stays strong as our population and corresponding energy demand continues to grow," said Allan Zaremberg, Cal-CARE co-chair and president of the California Chamber of Commerce.

The Sunrise Powerlink will be located in a region recently identified by the U.S. Department of Energy as one of the two weakest and most vulnerable power grids in the nation. San Diego is the second largest city in the state, yet the region is connected to the state's energy grid by only two transmission lines -- the last one built more than 20 years ago.

"The summer's first big heat wave should serve as a wake-up call that our energy security should not be taken for granted," Zaremberg added. "We must begin taking immediate steps to strengthen our energy grid and help protect consumers across the state from blackouts."

The project's importance to California goes beyond strengthening the state's power grid. The Legislature and Gov. Schwarzenegger recently approved several "clean air" policies, including AB 32, which mandates greenhouse gas emissions reductions, and the Renewable Portfolio Standard, which calls for an increase in the use of renewable energy resources. The Sunrise Powerlink is the first true test of the state's commitment to these important environmental policies to come before the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). The CPUC is currently holding hearings in San Diego, and is expected to vote on the project early next year after releasing a draft environmental impact report (EIR) in August, holding public hearings in September and issuing its final EIR in November.

"By linking the state to abundant supplies of solar, wind and geothermal power in the Imperial Valley, the Sunrise Powerlink will battle climate change by helping meet California's environmental mandates of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing the use of renewable energy," said Bill Keese, Cal-CARE co-chair and former chairman of the California Energy Commission (CEC). "It is such an important issue that the CEC has identified the Sunrise Powerlink as one of the state's highest priority transmission projects," he added.

Not only will the line help ensure that the lights stay on in California during peak energy use, but it has significant benefits to the state's overall environmental health.

A study being authored by David Maul, president of Maul Energy Advisors, as well as former CEC manager of several offices, including the Environment and Energy Research and Development Program and published author of more than 50 studies, is expected to show the Sunrise Powerlink would save the emission of approximately one million metric tons of carbon dioxide or carbon dioxide equivalent annually. This would have the practical impact of taking more than 200,000 average sized cars off California's roads.

The Sunrise Powerlink is supported by elected officials, government agencies, numerous business and labor organizations including the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the California Business Roundtable, California Grocers Association and the California Retailers Association, along with individual ratepayers throughout the state. The California Independent System Operator and the CEC strongly support the Sunrise Powerlink.