Imperial Beach, SDG&E, Community Volunteers Plant Trees.

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 17, 1998--Imperial Beach community volunteers and employee volunteers from San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) will plant trees today as part of a continuing effort to replace foliage that had to be removed because it was growing into power lines.

The "Tree Smart" plantings, a joint effort between People for Trees, a non-profit urban forestry group; SDG&E; the City of Imperial Beach; and the non-profit community improvement group IB Beautiful, will replace trees near power lines that were threatening fire safety, public safety and power reliability.

"Trees give us oxygen, beauty and shade -- and they help us conserve energy -- when they are planted in the right place," said Steve Allman, Director of Construction Services for San Diego Gas & Electric. "We're donating these trees because a beautiful community is important to us all."

IB Beautiful will provide follow-up to ensure that planted trees are properly cared for.

Today's replanting effort is the first time the Tree Smart program has planted replacement trees outside the City of San Diego.

"The goal is to replace trees one-for-one in any community where trees have had to be removed," said Allman. "SDG&E is committed to expanding the Tree Smart program throughout our service area."

Imperial Beach tree planting sites are being picked in conjunction with city staff, IB Beautiful volunteers and SDG&E crews. More trees are available to be planted along city streets in Imperial Beach. Imperial Beach residents interested in having a tree planted in front of their home -- in the public right-of-way -- can contact Bob Wadham at 619/424-7200 or 619/423-3193 for more information.

The next scheduled tree planting in the South Bay will be on Dec. 5 in National City.

San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) is a public utility that provides service to 3 million consumers through 1.2 million electric meters and 720,000 natural gas meters in San Diego and southern Orange counties. SDG&E is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE), a Fortune 500 energy services holding company based in San Diego.