Sunrise Powerlink in the News

On April 18, 2008, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger delivered the keynote address at the 2008 Conference of Governors on Climate Change at Yale University. Read an excerpt from the speech below.

"One energy expert the other day said that the California Mojave desert which is a vast space with thousands of square miles is one of the best spots on planet earth for solar power plants... And the whole world -- the Germans, the French, the Canadians, the Japanese -- they all want to come out to California and put solar power plants in the Mojave desert and in other places. The only thing is that the problem is getting that new energy to the power grid because of environmental hurdles.

"San Diego Gas & Electric wants to develop solar geothermal fields in Imperial Valley and build 150 miles of transmission lines to go and take this power right into San Diego, but it faces opposition even though it would replace an old carbon-based power plant.

"So the point I'm making is it's not just businesses that have slowed things down, it's not just Republicans that have slowed things down, it's also Democrats and also environmental activists sometimes that slow things down."

Click here to read the complete text of the Governor's speech »