Solar Showdown in the Desert

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger wants San Diego residents to have access to solar power to reduce greenhouse gases. But his support for a plan that would erect transmission lines to send the electricity across 22 miles of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park has angered environmentalists.

Schwarzenegger has further enraged opponents by removing two high profile people who opposed the plan -- Clint Eastwood and his own brother-in-law Bobby Shriver -- from the state's parks commission. The towers could be placed elsewhere, but at a much greater expense, according to power company San Diego Gas and Electric.

This conflict exemplifies the potential environmental conflict between accessing carbon-free power and transmitting it to consumers. Regional renewable power plants -- via wind or solar -- require new transmission lines that must go somewhere.

Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.