Most population centers along the US/Mexico border suffer from poor air quality and very limited water. Accelerated development of renewable energy resources in the US/Mexico border region, specifically solar, wind, and geothermal, is a priority objective of the organization. However, construction of additional fossil fuel fired power plants and supporting infrastructure are underway. It is BPPWG's belief that these facilites should be constructed to the highest practicable environmental standard if they are going to be built. BPPWG defines "environmentally sustainable" as:

Power Plants: 1) "zero" air emissions (via catalytic controls and offsets), 2) dry cooling, 3) no wastewater discharge.
LNG Regasification Terminals: unnecessary on West Coast due to ample availability of lower-cost domestic natural gas. The 2004 CPUC decision authorizing gas utilities to contract for LNG supplies transfers Baja LNG price risk from investors to consumers and is totally unacceptable. The Ratepayers for Affordable Clean Energy (RACE) coaliton is challenging the CPUC decision in court.
SDGE's Sunrise Powerlink: unnecessary if San Diego's two aging coastal power plants are replaced with state-of-the-art local plants per San Diego Regional Energy Strategy 2030. SDGE has already acknowledged in its application to the CPUC that Sunrise is not necessary to reach the 20% by 2010 renewable energy mandate, and Sempra's CEO (SDG&E parent company) has made clear SDG&E will not go beyond the 20% mandate.

Current and Recent Documents of Interest:

April 15, 2007: BPPWG letter (Attach A, Attach B, Attach C) to DOE - deny transmission corridor status for Sunrise Powerlink

March 12, 2007: BPPWG letter requesting CEC not use California's critical transmission corridor process to advance Sunrise

March 6, 2006 SDG&E and Nov. 28, 2005 Sempra letters to DOE requesting critical transmission corridor status for Sunrise

November 13, 2006: presentation - Sempra's Strategy and Alternatives to Sempra/SDG&E Sunrise Powerlink

April 6, 2007: RACE comment letter to State Lands Commission: Domestic natural gas supplies are sufficient for CA w/o LNG