SHAREHOLDERS TO PUT LIMITS ON SEMPRA EXECUTIVE PAY

“Felsinger’s salary is a graphic example of the grossly disproportionate salaries that CEOs continue to feast upon even in our current economic malaise. It is offensive in many ways, including the fact that it is partially paid by themoney we pay SDG&E montly.” – Michael Shames, Utility Consumers Action Network (UCAN)

By Miriam Raftery

July 8, 2010 (San Diego) Stockholders at Sempra Energy, parent company of San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E), have approved a “say on pay” clause giving them power to restrict executive compensation. The vote came in may, following disclosure that Sempra’s chief executive, Donald Felsinger, was the highest-paid executive in San Diego County last year with a $20.9 million annual salary and benefits package, plus a $35 million golden parachute retirement package he woudl receive if the company is ever sold.

Conservation and Demand-response Programs Still Important

East County News Service

June 28, 2010 (San Diego) – Summer is here, and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) says it has lined up adequate electricity supplies and required reserves to meet customers’ expected energy needs this summer, barring extreme weather conditions

 

“I am persuaded that this project will not be built. It was conceived in secrecy ….sold with misleading information.” – Stephen Volker, attorney

Anonymous donor pledges to match donations for legal battle up to $20,000

June 24, 2010 (Alpine) – A standing-room-only crowd of around 700 people packed into the Alpine Community last night, where Supervisor Dianne Jacob and the Protect Our Communities Foundation convened a meeting for the public to provide input on SDG&E’s proposal to route Sunrise Powerlink through the Cleveland National Forest.  No representatives were present from the U.S. Forest Service or SDG&E.
 
Many public officials and candidates for office came out in opposition to the project—while others were conspicuous by their absence or failure to take a stance. 
 
The public has until June 29 to submit comments to Forest Supervisor William Metz. You may submit your comments online at www.mailroom_r5_cleveland@fs.fed.us and include the subject line “Sunrise Powerlink Comments” or call to leave recorded comments at (858)673-6180.

 
June 22, 2010 (San Diego) - A Mexican court has suspended operations of a liquid-natural gas (LNG) plant operated by Sempra, parent company of San Diego Gas & Electric Company.  The order follows a dispute over ownership of a parcel adjacent to the terminal site.  

CORRECTION:  Our newsletter contained an incorrect date for the Powerlink town hall meeting. The event will be held on Wednesday, June 23. 

June 18, 2010 (Alpine) – Supervisor Dianne Jacob and The Protect Our Communities Foundation will host a town hall meeting Wednesday, June 23 in Alpine to provide the public a forum for comments to the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), which is considering whether to allow the controversial Sunrise Powerlink high-voltage power lines to cross 19 miles of Cleveland National Forest in East County.

Electrical expert asks if same changes have been made along other

lines he identified as fire risks; SDG&E does not

respond to inquiries

June 14, 2010 (San Diego) – Back in February 2009, East County Magazine published claims by electrical transmission expert Ed Clark, who contended that faulty power line installations caused the Paradise, Witch and Cedar Fires. Clark and two other experts consulted by ECM contended that SDG&E installations of two down-guy wires connected by a single bolt were dangerous.

Clark, who has headed up power line installations for Southern California Edison and served as an expert witness for SDG&E, argued that SDG&E's installations were also illegal, violating a state rule requiring 12 inches of separation on poles. He provided evidence of arcing including charred, black marks on anchor bolts at the base of the pole where the 2003 Paradise fire began.

“Those power lines are going to be a detriment to the air attack program and the ground program…More country is going to burn. It’s obvious.” – Bob Robeson, retired Division Chief, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal-Fire)

By Miriam Raftery

June 1, 2010 (Lakeside) – Swift attacks by aerial drops and ground crews narrowly succeeded in saving threatened homes Saturday along Highway 67 in the Slaughterhouse Canyon area of Lakeside, where several small fires started by a vehicle's catalytic converted merged into a 30-acre brush fire. But ECM columnist Dennis Richardson, an eyewitness to the firefighting efforts, raises a troubling concern.
Fires were burning directly along the route of the Sunrise Powerlink high voltage lines planned by SDG&E, he noted. (See map; fire was located between CP37-2 and CP31-2): http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/environment/info/aspen/sunrise/pmr/sdge_final_pmr_fig38.pdf .

“The Cal-Fire aerial firefighters would not have been able to work this fire until it burned out from under the transmission wires,” Richardson stated. Saturday’s fire occurred in spring, when grasses were still green and winds were only 5 mph. Had it occurred in dry conditions during summer or fall, with even moderate winds, Richardson warned, “No telling how many homes and lives could have been lost.”

May 24, 2010 - The Final Project Modification Report has been released for Sunrise Powerlink, showing the final route and any changes/modifications made to the project. View the report: http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/environment/info/aspen/sunrise/toc-pmr.htm.

The East County Community Action Coalition has organized an effort among opponents of the project to request that the Sunrise Powerlink CEQA/NEPA process be reopened to address issues that were not covered or not adequately covered in the original Environmental Impact Report (EIR/EIS).

UTILITY ALSO PRESENTS ITS ENERGY RESOURCE PLAN FOR OUR REGION AT ECEDC COMMUNITY LEADERS SPOTLIGHT

May 25, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) has announced that the company will bring the world’s largest heavy-lifting helicopter in the world to our region to construct Sunrise Powerlink, which SDG&E hopes to begin constructing this summer. “It can also be used for firefighting—and it can bring up to 2,500 gallons of water,” said Michael R. Niggli, president and chief operating officer of SDG&E. By contrast, the largest firefighting helicopter previously in San Diego had a capacity of 300 gallons, he said.

Niggli made the remarks during the East County Economic Development Council’s Community Leaders Spotlight at Cuyamaca College in Rancho San Diego yesterday.  The company's executives also presented business and education leaders with its plans for economic revitalization and sustainable energy that SDG&E indicated will benefit East  County. 

Opponents call move a “golden opportunity” for public to weigh in and potentially halt project

May 16, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – Yesterday, Cleveland National Forest issued a request for public comments on SDG&’E’s proposed Sunrise Powerlink project.

The public has 45 days to submit comments on the planned high-voltage line. As part of a national energy corridor, the line could ultimately a 1,000 foot-wide swatch of clearance through Cleveland National Forest in East County. Forest Services officials are preparing a Supplemental Information Report (SIR) to include new information received. The Union-Tribune reports that the Forest Service said Saturday that the massive power line “threatens views, creeks and roadless areas in the forest.”

Photovoltaic Facility Proposed by LS Power Could Deliver up to 130 Megawatts of Clean Energy to San Diego Across Planned Sunrise Powerlink

May 14, 2010 (San Diego)—San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) announced yesterday that it has signed a 20-year power-purchase agreement with an LS Power subsidiary to procure up to 130 megawatts (MW) of solar energy from the proposed Centinela Solar Energy facility in the Imperial Valley.

By Laura Cyphert

East County Community Action Coalition

At an April 2010 event at the East County Chamber of Commerce, Laura McDonald from SDG&E boldly stated that “there are not any fire risks with this project.”

It is not known if McDonald purposely intended to mislead San Diegans (or if she will someday be fined for misleading San Diegans), but what is known is that the “Fire and Fuels Management” section of the environmental impact report identifies numerous significant fire risks associated with the project, and even states that the project will “significantly increase the likelihood of catastrophic fires.”

SDG&E ratepayers due refunds for ENRON-style price manipulations; company also assessed higher fire insurance premiums

SAN DIEGO, May 10, 2010 – Sempra Energy reports first-quarter 2010 earnings of $106 million, or $0.42 per diluted share, down from $316 million, or $1.29 per diluted share, in the first quarter 2009. First-quarter 2010 earnings included a charge of $96 million after tax related to the energy-crisis litigation settlement announced last week.

More meetings set for May 18 in Boulevard and May 27 in Lakeside

May 10, 2010 (Alpine) – San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E) will host a community meeting on Sunrise Powerlink at 6 p.m. tonight at the Alpine Women's Club, 2156 Alpine Blvd. in Alpine.

“Many may think this is a David vs. Goliath fight, but remember, David won the fight. We can, too,” said Sharmin Self, East County Community Action Coalition, an organization representing 79,000 people opposed to the Powerlink project. Self urged community members to attend the meeting, adding, “Numbers do count.”

Congressman accuses Sempra and SDG&E of “monopolistic” practices

April 25, 2010 (Washington D.C.) – Congressman Bob Filner (D-San Diego) has sent a letter to Ken Salazar, U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary, asking for an independent environmental evaluation on impacts of Sunrise Powerlink proposed by San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E) through Bureau of Land Management property along the California/Mexico border. 

Filner asks that Assistant Secretary of Interior David Hayes be excluded from any decision-making related to the Powerlink project because of his recent role as a lobbyist for Sempra/SDG&E. “Mr Hayes lobbied the Department of Energy (DOE) on behalf of Sempra/SDG&E in 2006 seeking National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor (NIETC) designed by DOE for the SDG&E Powerlink corridor,” Filner's letter points out.

 
April 25, 2010 (San Diego's East County) - San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E) has announced four community meetings on Sunrise Powerlink during May in Campo, Alpine, Scripps Ranch, and Boulevard. (Details below).  But conspicuously absent is a long-awaited second meeting in Lakeside that SDG&E officials promised area residents. 

At a contentious first meeting in Lakeside, SDG&E officials promised to respond to citizens' concerns in a follow-up meeting. Lakeside's new fire chief, Andy Parr, missed that meeting but pledged to attend the subsequent public meeting.  SDG&E has since cancelled two followup meetings in Lakeside, one due to weather and a second due to conflicts with the Lakeside Rodeo calendar.

By Miriam Raftery
 

April 8, 2010 – How safe would giant wind turbines, power stations, high voltage lines, and a dump proposed for East County be during a powerful earthquake? Consumer advocates and area residents are raising those questions—and the answers in some cases are unsettling.

Backcountry residents burned up over latest tactic to grab land before court cases on Powerlink are heard

March 8, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – Aiming to begin construction on Sunrise Powerlink this summer, San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E) is going to court to seek eminent domain powers to force landowners to turn over as many as 80 properties to the utility for construction of the controversial high-voltage power line. The tactic has sparked outrage among many East County residents.

 


“The Bureau of Land Management totally disregarded laws to protect people and nature when it approved the Sunrise Powerlink.  Even the judge presiding over this project with the California Public Utilities Commission agreed with opponents that there’s no need for the project to be built anywhere let alone through communities and the Cleveland National Forest.” - attorney Stephan Volker
 
February 16, 2010 (San Diego)--A lawsuit was filed today aimed at halting construction of San Diego Gas and Electric’s Sunrise Powerlink high-voltage transmission line through southern Imperial and San Diego counties. The lawsuit was filed in the Federal Eastern District Court in Sacramento.

 
 


“It simply is not prudent to introduce new projects into an area that is already prone to wildfire and will also reduce the ability of fire fighting agencies…”—Congressman Duncan Hunter, on impacts of the proposed Tule wind energy and Sunrise Powerlink transmission line projects

“Sempra’s track record does not show that it will develop or manage the Baja California wind energy resources properly.” – Congressman Bob Filner
 

By Miriam Raftery
 
February 14, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-Alpine), Congressman Bob Filner (D-San Diego) have sent letters to federal and state regulatory agencies voicing serious concerns over several major energy projects proposed in East County.

By Miriam Raftery

 “How can you sit there and say it’s safe to be there when that canyon has burned every year—and you’re going to put those towers up, leave us with no power, and we only have one way in and one way out?” -- Myles Thurman, Lakeside

February 3, 2010 (Lakeside) – SDG&E officials received a far-from-warm welcome from Lakeside residents at a community forum last night hosted by the utility to discuss impacts of Sunrise Powerlink. SDG&E plans to hold a follow-up meeting within 30 days.

Customers Urged to Enroll in Assistance, Energy-efficiency Programs
 
January 27, 2010 (San Diego) – As post-holiday bills arrive in mailboxes this month, some families will be faced with tough financial decisions, struggling to make payments in a difficult economy. Southern California Gas Co. (The Gas Company) urges customers to take advantage of the utility’s assistance programs -- programs that can help reduce winter heating bills and increase energy efficiency.

January 24, 2010 – Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE) and its subsidiaries have announced realignments designed to bolster their organizations and enhance management experience. All changes are effective March 29, 2010.

 
 
January 21, 2010– Heavy rain and high winds are expected to keep San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) crews busy as forecasters predict the worst of this week’s series of storms will sweep through the region today. Utility crews are being staged at operations centers for staffing around-the-clock to coordinate service restoration, communications and logistical support throughout the storms.

January 20, 2010 (San Diego's East County) SDG&E has just announced cancellation of this week's community council meetings in Campo and Lakeside due to stormy weather. Those meetings were set for tonight and tomorrow night, respectively. 

SDG&E plans to reschedule and will announce new dates soon, Jennifer Briscoe, spokesperson for the utility company, informed East County Magazine today.  A meeting in Alpine remains scheduled for Feb. 15. 

January 17, 2009 (Alpine) San Diego Gas and Electric’s current proposal for Sunrise Powerlink, including undergrounding high-voltage power lines along Alpine Boulevard, was not well received by 400-plus people at a meeting on January 14th. County Supervisor Dianne Jacob convened the meeting to show the community information left out of the latest report submitted by SDG&E to the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) in Sacramento.

January 17, 2010 – Sempra Energy Foundation, the charitable giving arm of Sempra Energy (parent company of San Diego Gas & Electric Co.) has pledged $50,000 in disaster-relief assistance funds to victims of the devastating Haitian earthquake. Sempra Energy Foundation will direct the funds through the San Diego—Imperial County Chapter of the American Red Cross International Relief Fund.

December 30, 2009 (San Diego’s East County) – SDG&E has named 110 people to serve on community councils to make recommendations on how areas should deal with disruptions caused by Sunrise Powerlink, the $1.88 billion high voltage power line project that the utility company wants to build. But many of the project’s most vocal opponents were not invited to participate—and are accusing SDG&E of stacking the deck in its favor.

 
 
 

By Miriam Raftery, Editor
 
December 27, 2009 – We’ve made our list and checked it twice, finding out who’s been naughty or nice. Below is our list of “naughty newsmakers” who made headlines for antics that were seamy, steamy, or just plain unseemly. Some of these folks from San Diego’s eastern region accomplished good deeds in their careers before finding themselves in hot water, making one wonder: just what were they thinking? For those who made this year’s “naughty” list—from Tiger Woods’ mistress to ethically challenged politicians to a dethroned beauty queen--we couldn’t resist also offering some good-spirited advice for New Year’s resolutions.

 
Dec. 15, 2009 (San Diego) – San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) is encouraging  customers to deck the halls with energy-efficient holiday decorations to help the environment and save money at the same time.
 
“As we prepare for the holidays, we hope customers will keep safety and energy conservation at the top of the list,” said Hal D. Snyder, vice president of customer solutions for SDG&E. For example, he noted, switching to LED bulbs for holiday decorations has a number of benefits; LED lights are shatterproof and cool to the touch, making them safer as well as about 90-percent more efficient.