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ENERGIZING THE FUTURE n SDG&E'S PROPOSED NATURAL GAS PIPELINE OFFERS MANY BENEFITS BY larrY urish S ome observers initially believed their entire town blew up. Actually, a por- tion of San Bruno, Calif., did just that on Sept. 9, 2010, when a natural gas pipeline burst into flames. Eyewitnesses reported seeing a wall of fire hundreds of feet high. The massive explosion and resulting blaze leveled 35 houses and damaged many more. Eight people died. If you think that can't happen here in North County, think again. Safety is just one of the many reasons why so many local cities, business owners and residents support San Diego Gas & Electric's proposed Pipeline Safety & Relia- bility Project. If approved by the California Public Utilities Commission, it will result in a new natural gas pipeline that will connect SDG&E's Rainbow Metering Station, near the Riverside County line, to existing facili- ties on Marine Corp Air Station Miramar. Once the CPUC gives the go-ahead, the 47-mile pipeline, slated for completion in 2022, will be located underground, prima- rily beneath existing streets. The proposed route was selected by SDG&E after the com- pany looked at dozens of alternatives. The Oceanside, Vista, Escondido and Carlsbad chambers of commerce, along with the San Diego North EDC, are but a few of the organizations that support the pipeline project. "Natural gas is used every day by mil- lions of San Diego customers," says Jennifer Ramp, SDG&E's senior communications manager. "Along with traditional heating and cooking purposes in homes and busi- nesses, natural gas [drives] our power plants that provide electricity. When you look at San Diego's $200 billion economy, virtually all sectors rely on natural gas." A March 2016 study by Pricewaterhouse- Coopers concluded that the proposed SDG&E project is the most cost-effective op- tion, since it provides more benefits than any alternative. In addition to enhanced safety, the new pipeline will increase the natural gas capac- ity and provide far greater operational flexi- bility to better meet customer needs during peak times; enable renewable energy re- sources such as wind and solar power to be further integrated into the power grid; and help keep clean-burning natural gas cars, buses and trucks up and running. Then there's the significant economic im- pact in North County. "It is estimated this project will generate a direct economic impact across San Diego County of approximately $471 million over the next eight years and 3,300 jobs," Ramp says. In addition, it will generate more than $86 million in support of local businesses and create more than $14.7 million in new tax revenue, according to SDG&E. ............................................................................ ›› CLICK HERE to learn more. VIASAT-2 CREATES MORE CONNECTIONS T he world became more con- nected in June as ViaSat, a Carlsbad-based company, launched its latest satellite from New Guinea. The ViaSat-2 launch is expected to significantly improve speeds, reduce costs, and expand the footprint of broadband services across North Amer- ica, Central Amer- ica, the Caribbean, a portion of north- ern South America, as well as serve as the primary aero- nautical and mar- itime routes across the Atlantic Ocean between North America and Europe. "This successful launch is a mo- mentous event in ViaSat's history," said Mark Danberg, ViaSat's chair- man and CEO, referencing the June 1 launch. "It represents the culmina- tion of hard work, dedication and commitment to technical excellence from across the ViaSat team. We also want to recognize our launch team partners, Boeing and Arianespace, for their support and collaboration in helping us launch ViaSat-2." – JOel Beers {LIFT OFF!} l IN THE NEWS NORTH COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL x SUMMER 2017 x sdnedc.org Map is for illustration purposes and not to scale.