Once again the Anza-Borrego desert has an environmental threat in the form of an innocuous sounding project called the Golden Pacific Powerlink. Regardless of what is being presented, this is a devastating 135 mile transmission line that would cut through the heart of the Anza Borrego Desert State Park.
Wow, I don’t know about you but I just had a massive flashback to the Sunrise Powerlink days. Didn’t we decide back in 2007 that the Anza-Borrego desert should be protected and not be used as a utility corridor? How are CAISO and SDG&E able to rehash this incredibly destructive project and slap a new fancy name on it?
This colossal transmission project would bisect Anza Borrego State Park with large 500kV towers that will be visible for miles. These massive structures would march north from the Imperial Valley up to a new substation adjacent to the decommissioned San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. Their destructive path would cut through culturally sensitive lands, impact pristine desert landscape and views and fragment wildlife corridors.
Proposed Map
Although the proponents of this project might portray the area as empty desert, this could not be further from the truth. Anza-Borrego is teeming with life. This desert ecosystem supports golden eagles, roadrunners, kit foxes, mule deer, and the iconic Peninsular bighorn sheep which gives the park its’ name.
There are currently two massive transmission lines (Southwest Powerlink and the aforementioned Sunrise Powerlink) that snake there way from Imperial County westwards through communities and public lands. Do we really need a third?
What can you do to get involved?
Below is a list of upcoming in-person and online meetings that the public are encouraged to attend. I will add more to the list as I learn more.
Meetings
Borrego Springs Sponsor Group Meeting
05/06/2026
Wednesday 5PM
Borrego Springs Library or Online Zoom link
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84263546601?pwd=wFnbfD26grkhGDaVxcQXvb6eUq7YiO.1
SDG&E Open House
05/12/2026
Tuesday 12:00PM or
Tuesday 5:30PM
SDG&E Open House
05/14/2026
Thursday 12:00PM or
Thursday 5:30PM
Links
Desert Protective Trust
Protect Our Communities Foundation
Anza-Borrego Foundation
Stop the Golden Pacific Powerlink FB Group