A massive 150-mile power line called the Sunrise Powerlink.
The Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. The Cleveland National
Forest. A dozen all impacted communities. Controversial
industrial wind and solar projects proposed for fragile and
protected areas. These are the ingredients for one of the
longest pitched battles over energy in San Diego, California.
How should electricity be generated? Who should own or
control the decision-making process? Should hundreds of
huge transmission towers be built through the county,
marching their way to the sea, through the Anza-Borrego
Desert State Park or the Cleveland National Forest, and
through fire-prone wildlands and communities? Should
more energy be imported from Mexico? Or should energy
be produced locally from San Diego’s renowned sunshine
on rooftop arrays - along with other sustainable alternatives
- to power the city and the area? Thousands have become
involved in the fight over this precedent-setting transmission
line project and its national ramifications. What happens
here could happen anywhere. This compelling and persuasive
documentary, produced by regular folks, lays out both
arguments and solutions. It is a timely crash course about
electricity, the role of business interests and profits,
achievable and affordable alternatives, global warming,
environmental protection, and increased burdens on utility
rate payers who will pay for the one-billion dollar-plus
line. Most importantly, it is about how ordinary people have
joined forces and taken extraordinary actions to change the
energy future of Southern California.
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