Sunrise Powerlink Approved

Published: Thursday, December 18, 2008 12:24 PM PST

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The California Public Utilities Commission voted 4-1 today to approve San Diego Gas & Electric's proposed $1.9-billion, 123-mile high-voltage power line connecting San Diego and Imperial County.

Commission President Michael Peevey, who made the recommendation for approving the line, said SDG&E's earlier plan to build through Anza-Borrego Desert State Park was "simply not acceptable." But requiring the utility to guarantee that it would use the line to deliver renewable energy -- one of SDG&E's selling points -- is too "heavy-handed," Peevey said.

The vote culminates a three-year-long regulatory process and clears the way for the project to be built. Opponents, though, are likely to sue.

-- ROB DAVIS