In a debate that questions where and how to get renewable energy, an environmental group has petitioned against the installation of a 123-mile power line from Imperial Valley to San Diego that has yet to promise the transport of energy from strictly renewable sources.

The Sunrise Transmission Project power line has been proposed to transport energy – some of which may come from wind, solar and geothermal power – to San Diego. The energy transported could power up to 685,000 homes. The San Diego Gas & Electric company says the $2 billion line would help it meet state mandates to boost its use of renewable power by ensuring that there is enough transmission capacity to get renewable energy to urban areas.

However, the Center for Biological Diversity asked the California Supreme Court on Wednesday to review the project that was approved last month by the state Public Utilities Commission. The center says the commission violated state law by failing to ensure that the proposed project would be used principally to carry renewable energy, and by neglecting alternative routes that would avoid fragile wilderness areas. They also claim that the utilities failed to provide enough information about how the line would affect the environment and did not properly account for or mitigate potential damage.

The proposed route skirts the U.S.-Mexico border and goes through 20 miles of the Cleveland National Forest, which has yet to approve the line, and other areas of natural open space..Opponents say the money would be better spent installing solar panels in San Diego and its suburban areas.

“The Sunrise Transmission Project would sacrifice sensitive public lands and vital habitat without any guarantee the line will be used to deliver clean energy,” said Ileene Anderson of the Center for Biological Diversity. “Not only is the southern route of this line terribly destructive to the Cleveland National Forest and local communities, it may make Southern Californians more dependent on dirty, global warming fossil fuels.”

We are likely to see many more debates of similar nature as utilities scramble to reach far off renewable energy sources while stuck in old habits. Nowadays there are many other solutions to habitat-damaging power lines.

Installing solar panels in sunny San Diego is an excellent idea because we need to encourage communities to become as sustainable as possible on their own without getting energy from others. We also must ensure that all proposals boasting renewable energy actually have binding requirements written into the contract. With the amount of energy innovations popping up and being practiced, there is no excuse for a plan to cover 123 miles of sensitive habitat with no promise of supplying power from solely renewable sources.