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STATE OF CALIFORNIA
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Welcome to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) website for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review of proposed construction of Southern California Edison's (SCE) San Joaquin Cross Valley Loop Transmission Project. An application for this project was submitted to the CPUC on May 30, 2008 (Application A.08-05-039). This site provides access to public documents and information relevant to the CEQA review process. |
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Files linked on this page are in Portable Document Format (PDF). To view them, you will need to download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader if it is not already installed on your PC. |
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BackgroundTulare County is one of the fastest growing regions in California. This increased growth has resulted in an increased demand for electricity. SCE has determined that the existing transmission lines, which deliver electricity to the Rector Substation located southeast of Visalia, are operating at or near their limits and will be unable to deliver sufficient electricity to safely and reliably serve this increased demand. As a result, SCE is proposing to construct the San Joaquin Cross Valley Loop Project, which consists of the construction of a new 19 mile double-circuit 220 kilovolt transmission line. This proposed line would connect to an existing 220 kilovolt line, which would allow SCE to deliver additional power from SCE's Big Creek hydroelectric facilities in the Sierra Nevada Mountains into the Rector Substation. To view a project area map showing the proposed and possible alternate routes, click here. To see the map in spanish, click here. Environmental ReviewThe CEQA ProcessAs the state agency with the authority to certify Southern California Edison's San Joaquin Cross Valley Loop project, the CPUC will carry out the environmental review/public participation process mandated under CEQA to identify, evaluate, and mitigate the possible impacts of the project on the environment. The review conducted by the CPUC will be an independent and unbiased environmental analysis of the various project alternatives available for implementation, culminating in the identification and recommendation of an "environmentally superior project alternative". At an early point in the process, the CPUC will hold a series of public scoping meetings in the San Joaquin Valley area to facilitate public input and solicit the community's comments and recommendations regarding the proposed project. The CPUC will also consult with various local, state, and federal agencies to determine their concerns and encourage their involvement in the project development process. Based on the public comments and information collected from the scoping meetings and in-the-field environmental studies, the CPUC will prepare an analysis known as a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR). The DEIR will identify the "environmentally superior" alternative from the range of project alternatives previously evaluated. Upon publication, the DEIR will be circulated to the public for 45 days for review and comment. During this period, the CPUC will once again hold several community meetings in the project area to solicit public comments with regard to the DEIR. Comments and recommendations from the public will then be addressed and incorporated into a document known as a Final EIR (FEIR). The document will then be forwarded to a CPUC Administrative Law Judge, who will incorporate the major findings and mitigation measures identified in the FEIR, into a draft CPUC decision. The draft decision will then be circulated for 30 days to all parties to the proceeding. Commissioners of the CPUC will then vote on the proposed decision in a public meeting. CPUC ApprovalSCE must receive CPUC approval for both the purpose and need for the project and the exact route, including a complete investigation of the environmental impacts and possible mitigations, before the project can commence construction. Public CommentParties to the proceeding will have opportunities to present analysis and comments as the Commission considers issues relating to environmental impacts, project economics, and community values. Members of the public who do not plan to be active in the proceeding may share their views on SCE's application at any time by sending comments via mail or electronically to our Public Advisor at 505 Van Ness Ave., Room 2103, San Francisco, CA 94102, or . A detailed description of the application submittal and review process is provided in the following document: A guide to public participation in the CPUC review process is provided in the following document: Educational WorkshopIn response to letters of concern and comments from the public regarding the Proposed Project, the CPUC held two Educational Workshops in Tulare County on August 11th and 12th, 2008. Click here to view the notice in English and Spanish. Topics Covered in these Educational Workshops. Both workshops covered the same information. Specifically, the workshops addressed:
Also available from the workshop are the:
Public Scoping Period for this Notice of PreparationOn August 22, 2008 the CPUC published a Notice of Preparation (NOP) of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the San Joaquin Cross Valley Loop Transmission Line Project (A.08-05-039). Click here to view the NOP in English and Spanish. Due to the time limits mandated by State law, comments must be sent at the earliest possible date, but no later than 30 days after the date of this notice. The public scoping period will close at 5:00 p.m. on September 22, 2008. Please include a name, address, and telephone number of a contact person for all future correspondence on this subject. Scoping MeetingIn order for the public and regulatory agencies to have an opportunity to ask questions and submit comments on the scope of the EIR, two meetings will be held during the NOP scoping period. The scoping meetings will start with a brief presentation providing an overview of the Proposed Project and alternatives identified to date. Subsequent to the presentation, interested parties will be provided an opportunity to ask questions and provide comments about the project. Written comment forms will be supplied for those who wish to submit written comments at the scoping meetings; written comments may also be submitted anytime during the NOP scoping period to the address, fax, or e-mail listed above. The scoping meetings will be held: Wednesday September 17, 2008 Thursday September 18, 2008 To view the scoping meeting presentation, click here. REMINDER: Scoping comments will be accepted by fax, e-mail, or postmark through September 22, 2008. Click here to print a public comment form (in english and spanish) to mail in your comments. Please be sure to include your name, address, and telephone number. To view the Scoping Report, click here. [pdf 34.5mb] Current ProgressThe CPUC is currently in the process of preparing the EIR. The EIR, and other CEQA review documents will be posted on this website when they are available. Proponent's Environmental Assessment (PEA)To view the PEA for the project click a link below: To go to the SCE website for the project click here. Other Documents AvailableTo view the Application for the project click here. Application Deemed Complete Letter (June 17, 2008), click here to view. Fact sheet, click here to view. Data RequestsThe EIR Team submits Data Requests to SCE and other entities when it needs specific information to support EIR preparation. The following are the data requests submitted to date: Data Request Letter No. 1 (June 17, 2008), click here to view. Responses may be viewed by clicking here. Data Request Letter No. 2 (June 23, 2008), click here to view. Responses may be viewed by clicking here. Data Request Letter No. 3 (August 7, 2008), click here to view. Responses may be viewed by clicking here. Data Request Letter No. 4 (August 21, 2008), click here to view. Responses may be viewed by clicking here. DR #4 has two attachments (click on each link to view them): A - Internet Research Samples, and B - Compliance Handbook. |
For Additional InformationThe CPUC, through its Environmental Review Team, manages 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: Project email: The CPUC's Project Manager in the Energy Division's CEQA unit is: Mr. Jensen Uchida, CPUC Project Manager To request additional information, please contact us by email at |
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