Sunrise Powerlink: More Technological Dusk

On my commute yesterday I heard that the Sunrise Powerlink has been approved. This new high-power utility line will cut through one of my favorite places on earth, Santa Ysabel between Julian and Warner Springs. For years I've made it a habit to drive through Santa Ysabel and take S22 Montezuma Valley Road to a little unimproved campground calledCulp Valley, which overlooks Hellhole Canyon in the Anzo-Borrego Desert State Park. It saddens me that by 2012 the lovely views will be sullied by huge power lines.

Strangely enough, sometimes enormous power lines have a kind of beauty, I think. John Sexton's magnificent photographic work Places of Power comes to mind. Or, having traveled east from Southern California, in my mind's eye I can recall trips through the California, Nevada, and Utah deserts when at dawn or dusk the sun shines long and the shadows of power lines reach into the horizon, and inspire thoughts of adventure.

Even behind our house a set of big power lines runs. We can see them disappear into the ocean to the west and over some foothills in the east. Piper and I go hiking a couple of times a week on the trails beneath those power lines. Just the other morning we came across two gorgeous coyotes. They were big and looked more like wolves. The two of them were standing underneath one of power-line towers looking up at a large hawk, probably either a Cooper's hawk or a Red Tailed hawk, whichever is bigger. The hawk was on the lowest rung of the tower, peering down at the coyotes. As best I could tell the three of them were in conversation, and they got frustrated when Piper and me showed up. Maybe that's more the indictment. Undomesticated animals adjust better to human-generated technologies than to humans themselves.

I'm annoyed by the Sunrise Powerlink anyway. The decision to place more scars on the landscape with these power lines reflects an unwillingness to care about the land. Forty years ago we were shooting people to the moon. Almost a hundred years ago we were packing horses carrying concrete a hundred miles to build power-generating dams at twelve thousand feet in the Sierras. We can do almost anything we want to do when it comes to technology. We can move mountains, mine the oceans, crash rockets into distant planets. We just cannot to put our energy and industry toward preserving the beauty of our land. If caring for beautiful land were a priority, could we find a way to deliver power across San Diego without ugly and dangerous power lines? Of course.

As I considered writing this post and looked up the area I'm talking about on Google Maps, I was struck by another example of our disregard for land. The map has changed. Look at Google Maps and you can hardly tell that S22 Montezuma Valley Road exists. You'd never know that this wonderful road will take you through one of the most incredible valleys in San Diego county and past striking mountains including the tallest in the county, then drop you four thousand feet into an expansive desert state park. On the map, the road has disappeared and the route looks insignificant -- a perfect setting for power lines.

Comments

[tim]

If caring for beautiful land were a priority, could we find a way to deliver power across San Diego without ugly and dangerous power lines? Of course.

First off beauty is in the eye of the beholder - secondly this is not a technology problem. Its a political problem.

Here is my solution: build small localized nuclear power plants. Now get one built.

Technology exists - just not the will to use it.

[Somebody]

tim, that's what Dave is saying, it's a political problem and our politics is to not care. Or to pretend to care.

(Besides, "now get one built"? Come again?

I might counter your view with "technology exists - just not the will to not use it".)

[stearman]

Just about every human endevor is a compromise of some sort. It is sad that some of the beauty of the landscape along which the Sunrise Power Link will run. But am I disturbed enough to turn off the electricity to my house, to leave my place of employment because they are closing down due to lack of electrity or cancel that critical surgery because the hospital does not have access to reliable electrical power.

It is certainly right and proper that these things get scrutinized and debated but at some point a compromise and decision must be made. Do the opponents of this power line have viable alternate solutions? Conservation is a good one but only a partial solution.