Welcome to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) website for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review of proposed construction of Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) Palermo-East Nicolaus Project. An application for this project was submitted to the CPUC on March 2, 2009 (Application A. 09-02-023). This site provides access to public documents and information relevant to the CEQA review process.

Background

PG&E filed an application with the CPUC to construct the Palermo-East Nicolaus Project on March 2, 2009. The application was deemed complete by the CPUC, the CEQA lead agency, on March 27, 2009. The Final Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) and supporting Initial Study (IS) were submitted to the State Clearinghouse on September 21, 2010. The project was approved by the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) on May 21, 2008.

The Palermo-East Nicolaus Project, as proposed by PG&E, includes the reconductoring of both spans of the existing 115-kV transmission line between PG&E's Palermo, East Nicolaus, and Rio Oso Substations with 45 miles of 1113 all aluminum conductors or 457 steel supported aluminum (SSAC) conductor. Reconductoring would require the removal of the existing lattice steel Milliken towers and replacement with hybrid tubular steel poles, tubular steel poles, and lattice steel monopoles.

The transmission line that PG&E proposes to reconductor traverses Butte, Yuba, and Sutter Counties and would cross the cities of Marysville and Oroville. The line is currently part of a bulk transmission system that connects to generating facilities including hydropower generation on the Feather River and around Lake Oroville.

The applicant's stated needs for the project include upgrades to ensure transmission system reliability in the Yuba/Sutter/Butte County area, improving safety and efficiency by replacing aging facilities, and implementing the CAISO Boards of Governor's May 21, 2008 resolution to approve the project.

Pending the outcome of environmental review and permitting, construction activities are proposed to begin late 2010 or early spring 2011.

Figure 1: Project Overview shows an overview of the proposed project route.

Application and Proponent's Environmental Assessment (PEA)

The Application, PEA, and other project documentation are provided below. The application was deemed complete by the CPUC on March 27, 2009. The CPUC did not send a letter of deficiency to the applicant regarding their application.

Application
Final PEA
Final PEA Appendix
Determination of Completeness

Draft Mitigated Negative Declaration and Initial Study

As the CEQA lead agency, the CPUC circulated a Draft MND/IS to the State Clearinghouse on August 4, 2010. The Draft MND/IS describes the project, evaluates potential environmental impacts, identifies impacts that could be significant, and presents mitigation measures that would avoid or reduce potential impacts to less than significant levels. A Notice of Intent (NOI) to adopt the MND/IS was circulated to the public on August 3, 2010.

Draft MND/IS (without appendices, 8 MB)
Appendix A
Appendix B-1 (34 MB)
Appendix B-2 (29 MB)
Appendix B-3 (11 MB)
Appendix B-4 (127 MB)
Appendix B-5 (12 MB)

Public Meeting and Comment Period

Circulation of the Draft MND/IS on August 4, 2010 opened a 30-day public comment period that extended from August 5, 2010 through September 3, 2010. The CPUC hosted a public meeting about the project on Thursday, August 19, 2010, at 7:00 p.m. at the Yuba County Library in Marysville, California.

Printed copies of the Draft MND/IS are available for review at the following libraries:

Butte County Library
1820 Mitchell Avenue
Oroville, CA 95966-5387
(530) 538-7641

Sutter County Library (Main)
750 Forbes Avenue
Yuba City, CA 95991
(530) 822-7137

Sutter County Library
Browns Branch
1248 Pacific Avenue
Rio Oso, CA 95674
(530) 633-2170

Yuba County Library
303 2nd Street
Marysville, CA 95901
(530) 749-7380

Final Mitigated Negative Declaration and Initial Study

Following the public comment period on the Draft MND/IS, the CPUC prepared a Final MND/IS that addresses comments received on the Draft. It was submitted to the State Clearinghouse on September 21, 2010. A Notice of Availability (NOA) of the Final MND/IS was circulated to public agencies, tribes, elected officials, organizations, residents and other interested parties on September 21, 2010.

Final MND/IS (without appendices, 14 MB)

By Section:
Final MND/IS Cover
Final MND
Final IS Cover
Table of Contents
1.0 Background Information
2.0 Environmental Determination
3.0 Evaluation of Environmental Impacts (8 MB)
4.0 List of Preparers
5.0 Mitigation Monitoring, Reporting and Compliance Plan
6.0 Responses to Comments
Appendix A
Appendix B-1 (34 MB)
Appendix B-2 (29 MB)
Appendix B-3 (11 MB)
Appendix B-4 (127 MB)
Appendix B-5 (12 MB)

There is no comment period following issuance of the Final MND/IS. If the Final MND is determined to be adequate by the CPUC, the CPUC will adopt the document as being compliant with CEQA and issue a Proposed Decision on the Application, which will be announced and published concurrent with a scheduled CPUC commission meeting. After the Commission makes the decision on the application, a Notice of Determination will be mailed to the State Clearinghouse within 5 days. After the Notice of Determination is filed, the 30-day statute of limitations for court challenges will begin.

For Additional Information

The CPUC's Environmental Review Team is conducting an environmental review of the project. To request additional information or to be added to the mailing list, please contact us by email, fax, or phone, as follows:

Iain Fisher, CPUC Project Manager
California Public Utilities Commission
505 Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94102
tel. (415) 355-5580
fax (415) 703-2200
email: aei@cpuc.ca.gov