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Pacific Gas and Electric Company South of Palermo Reinforcement Project

(Application No. A.16-04-023)

Last Update: July 2, 2018

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Welcome to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) website for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review of Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s (PG&E’s) South of Palermo 115-kilovolt (kV) Power Line Reinforcement Project (proposed project). PG&E submitted an application for this project to the CPUC on April 28, 2016 (Application A.16-14-023) accompanied by a Proponent’s Environmental Assessment (PEA). CPUC issued its Decision on May 10, 2018 (Decision D.18.05.014). This site provides access to public documents and information relevant to the CEQA review process.

 

Quick Links

Background

Project Description

Application and Proponents' Environmental Assessment

Application Review, Data Requests, and Responses

Environmental Review

Commission Decision (May 10, 2018)

New Mitigation Monitoring, Compliance, and Reporting

For Additional Information

 

Background

PG&E’s South of Palermo 115 kV Power Line Reinforcement Project proposes to replace aging facilities (originally built in the early 1900s), address overloads, and improve reliability of electric service to its customers. PG&E would reconstruct, operate, and maintain the existing approximately 60-mile Palermo to Rio Oso transmission system located in Butte, Yuba, and Sutter Counties.

The applicant’s objectives for the proposed project are:

  • To maintain transmission system reliability to ensure that the Palermo to Rio Oso 115 kV transmission system will continue to meet planning standards and criteria established by the California Independent System Operator and North American Electric Reliability Council.
  • To replace aging electrical transmission conductors and support structures in a cost-effective and environmentally sensitive manner to maintain a safe transmission system.

 

Project Description

The existing power transmission system is located in the western Sierras and the communities of Palermo, Honcut, Tierra Buena, Yuba City, East Marysville, Linda, Olivehurst, Plumas Lake, Rio Oso, and East Nicolaus, traversing Butte, Yuba, and Sutter Counties (see the Regional Location map). The proposed project will improve reliability, ensure the system has adequate capacity to meet local needs, and be designed to accommodate future operation. The majority of the existing towers are proposed to be replaced with combination of hybrid poles (bottom concrete/top steel) and tubular steel poles. The project proposes the following the specific components:

  •  Replace the conductor and existing lattice towers on the 115 kV single-circuit power line between Palermo Junction and Rio Oso Junction (approximately 38.7 miles).
  •  Replace the conductor on the Palermo sub-line (approximately 1.6 miles).
  •  Install cage tops on existing towers, replace a single lattice tower, and re-conductor on the Pease sub-line (approximately 5.2 miles).
  • Replace existing towers and conductor on the double-circuit lines to Bogue (approximately 6.4 miles). This line must remain in service, and consequently construction requires a temporary line to be constructed to support the conductors during construction.
  •  Replace 15 of 45 towers and the conductor on the double-circuit line between East Nicholas and Rio Oso (approximately 7.6 miles).
  • Undertake minor modifications to equipment and facilities at Palermo, Pease, Bogue, and Rio Oso substations to tie in the new conductor.

Project construction is expected to last approximately 30 months.

 

Application and Proponent’s Environmental Assessment (PEA)

PG&E filed an application (A.16.04.023) and PEA on April 28, 2016, for a Permit to Construct the proposed project. The documents at the following links are available for the public to view:

Application for the South of Palermo Reinforcement Project – April 2016

Proponents Environmental Assessment (PEA) – April 2016

 

Application Review, Data Requests, and Responses

The CPUC conducted a completeness review of the PEA to identify additional data needs from the applicant to complete the environmental review. Based on this review, PG&E’s application was deemed complete by CPUC on March 3, 2017.

Completeness letter - March 3, 2017

CPUC’s data requests and PG&E’s responses are listed in the table below.

CPUC Review and
Data Request

PG&E’s
Response

 

Attachments

CPUC Deficiency letter and Data Request 1.0
(Submitted May 18, 2016)

PG&E Response to Data Request 1.0 (June 17, 2016)

A – Agency Contacts Table

B – Figures of Typical Guard or Crossing Structures

C – AQ/GHG Phasing and Modeling Assumptions

D – Construction Phasing Figure

E – Photographs: Existing Conditions and Simulated Photographs

F – Preliminary Helicopter Use Plan

G – Noise and Modeling Spreadsheet 

Data Request 2.0
(Submitted August 25, 2016)

PG&E Response to Data Request 2.0 (September 8, 2016)

 

Environmental Review

Final Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND) Publication

On August 30, 2017, the CPUC prepared a Final Mitigated Negative Declaration (Final MND) under CEQA for consideration of the Pacific Gas and Electric Company South of Palermo Reinforcement Project. The information in the Final MND describes the proposed project and potential environmental impacts, identifies those impacts that could be significant, and presents mitigation measures to avoid or minimize potentially significant impacts. The Final IS/MND incorporates all comments received during the public review period for the Draft IS/MND, as well as revisions discussed and agreed upon during various discussions with the applicants and the CPUC. The responses to comments are provided in Section 7 of the Final IS/MND. Revisions to the Draft IS/MND are shown in strikeout/underline in the Final IS/MND. No substantial changes to the environmental document analyses or conclusions resulted from evaluation of the comments received during the public review period. No substantial revisions that would merit recirculation as defined by 15073.5(b) of Title 14 of CEQA were made to the project or analyses after public comment.

Final IS/MND

Draft Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND) Publication

On May 15, 2017, the CPUC released a Notice of Intent (NOI) to Adopt a MND for the South of Palermo Reinforcement Project, showing that the proposed project, as mitigated, would not have any significant effects on the environment. This notice is a re-issuance of the Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) the proposed project that was originally issued April 17, 2017. In order to allow full evaluation of the updated Draft IS/MND the comment period has been extend until June 14, 2017. The May 2017 NOI and Draft IS/MND are available by clicking on the following links:

Notice of Intent
Draft IS/MND

 

Commission Decision

The CPUC voted on May 10, 2018 to grant PG&E a permit to construct the South of Palermo 115 kV Power Line Reinforcement Project. A Notice of Determination was filed with the State Clearinghouse on May 11, 2018.

Decision granting Permit to Construct to SDG&E
Notice of Determination

 

For Additional Information

The CPUC, through its 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:

Project email: SouthofPalermo@dudek.com
Project voicemail: 866-956-7296
Project fax: 866-956-7297

The CPUC's project manager is:

Andrew Barnsdale, CPUC Project Manager
California Public Utilities Commission
505 Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94102
Email: andrew.barnsdale@cpuc.ca.gov

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