A 47-mile natural gas pipeline running through parts of Rancho Bernardo and Poway is causing some controversy among residents.
The concern for some with a pipeline running under Pomerado Road is safety in neighborhoods where there are churches, schools and homes.
The San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) pipeline would run from the Riverside county line down to MCAS Miramar.
SDG&E spokesperson Jennifer Ramp said the way things are now San Diego County relies on just one transmission pipeline to bring in 90 percent of our natural gas.
“A lot of people don't realize how critical natural gas is to our economy. Natural gas fuels our economy,” Ramp said. “This proposed pipeline would provide more reliability to the system so that there are actually two robust pipelines bringing in that clean and affordable natural gas."
SDG&E is now waiting for approval from the California Public Utilities Commission for the projected $639 million project.
Opponent Rosemary Vandervort said she's already received a notice requesting to raise her rates in her utilities bill. The request regards the ‘pipeline safety and reliability project.’
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She argues the project is far from safe and has been fighting against the route running through Pomerado Road for 23 years.
“I just care about the safety of the kids,” Vandervort said. “And if people care about it they need to speak up because otherwise it's going in.”
One concern is construction on the busy road, though Ramp said SDG&E will develop traffic plans.
Vandervort and others worry about an emergency such as an earthquake or gas leak.
“I’m concerned of an event of an earthquake or leak in a pipe that will cause an explosion. How will you evacuate all these people? What is the evacuation plan? And there is none in place as far as I know,” she said. “A major explosion like we had in San Bruno, it could happen here.”
“Our first priority is safety,” Ramp countered. “This project will make the system even safer. Constructed with state of the art technology and will be a safe pipeline.”
Vandervort and other opponents have opened an online petition against the project, which has just over 60 signatures.
SDG&E are asking for a decision from the CA Public Utilities Commission by 2017 so they can put the line in service by 2020.
