CPUC Seal

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Introduction

Welcome to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) website for the environmental review of the proposed Happy Valley Telephone Company (Happy Valley, d.b.a. TDS Telecom) Olinda Last Mile Underserved Broadband Project (proposed project). The proposed project includes construction and installation of a fiber-optic network to extend high-speed internet service to communities in Happy Valley, Olinda, Igo, and other areas of unincorporated Shasta County. The proposed project is subject to review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the CPUC is the CEQA Lead Agency. A CEQA review is being performed to evaluate the potential environmental impacts associated with the proposed project. This site provides access to public documents and information relevant to the CEQA review process. Additional project information and documentation will be posted as it becomes available.

Quick Links

Project Description

The proposed project involves the construction of a second-generation, very-high-bit-rate digital subscriber line (VDSL2) fiber-optic network capable of 25 Mbps/5 Mbps (megabit-per-second download/upload) speed. Approximately 24.6 km (15.3 miles) of new fiber-optic cable would be buried within protective conduit along existing roads in southwestern Shasta County.

The proposed project is partly funded by the California Advance Services Fund (CASF). On December 20, 2007, in Decision 07-12-054 established the CASF program to provide grants that support projects that will a) provide broadband services to areas currently without broadband access and b) build out facilities in underserved areas, if funds are still available. CPUC Resolution T-17411 approved funding in the amount of $1,833,689 from the CASF for the proposed project. Additional funding to complete the proposed project was approved in CPUC Resolution T-17517. Links to Resolutions T-17411 and T-17517 are provided above.

Project Location

The proposed project is located approximately 11 miles south of Redding in Shasta County. The proposed project area includes components throughout the unincorporated communities of Olinda, Igo, and Happy Valley, west of the City of Anderson and the Sacramento River. The majority of the project area is used for agriculture with limited residential and commercial properties dispersed throughout. Public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lies near the western end of the project area, but the proposed project is not located within BLM jurisdiction.

Environmental Review

On February 1, 2013, TDS Telecom submitted an application for CASF funding in the underserved areas of Olinda, Anderson, and other unincorporated areas of Shasta County. Resolution T-17411 stipulates that prior to receiving funds from the CASF grant, the proponent is required to provide a Proponent’s Environmental Assessment (PEA) and the CPUC must complete CEQA review. TDS Telecom provided the CPUC with their PEA on August 5, 2015. The approximate schedule for the subsequent CEQA processes following the PEA submittal are described below, in the CEQA Environmental Review Calendar.

CEQA Environmental Review Calendar

Status Action Item Date
Complete PEA review October 2016
Complete Application deemed complete by CPUC March 2017
Complete AB 52 notification and consultation process April 2017 - February 2019
Complete Draft IS/MND publication April 2019
Complete Close of 30-Day Draft IS/MND comment period May 2019
Complete Final IS/MND publication October 2019
CPUC adoption of IS/MND and Resolution Winter 2019

Deficiencies, Data Requests, and Responses

The CPUC reviewed the application and PEA to identify additional data needed from the Applicant to complete the environmental review process. The CPUC submitted data requests to the applicant for specific information to support the environmental review process. Those requests and the Applicant’s responses are included below.

CPUC Report/Request TDS’s Response Attachments
Deficiency Letter No. 1
(Submitted 11/1/2016)
Deficiency Response No. 1
(Received 12/20/2016)
Attachments A and B
(Received 12/202/2016)
Deficiency Letter No. 2
(Submitted 01/17/2017)
Deficiency Response No. 2
(Received 02/22/2016)
Attachments A to D
(Received 2/22/2017)
PEA Completeness Letter
(Submitted 03/20/2017)
PEA Completeness Letter
Data Request Letter No. 1
(Submitted 4/24/2017)
Responses to Data Request No. 1
(Received 05/16/2017)
Attachments A and B
(Received 05/16/2017)
Data Request Letter No. 2
(Submitted 08/02/2018)
Responses to Data Request No. 2
(Received 08/22/2018)
Attachment A
(Received 08/22/2018)
Data Request Letter No. 3
(Submitted 08/02/2019)
Responses to Data Request No. 3
(Received 08/16/2019)
Attachments 1 and 2
(Received 08/16/2019 and 08/21/2019)

AB 52 Consultation

Pursuant to Assembly Bill 52 (AB 52) and Public Resources Code Section 21080.3.1, the CPUC sent formal notification letters to California Native American tribes that have requested, in writing, to be informed about proposed projects under review by the Commission. In addition, notification letters were sent to organizations and individuals identified by the Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC) as traditionally and culturally affiliated with the geographic area of the proposed project. The 30-day formal notification process ran from April 3rd to May 3rd 2017. Additional AB 52 notification letters were sent to two additional tribes that requested notification by the CPUC about new projects in Northern California. Consultation with interested tribes began June 2017 and was finalized in February 2019.

Draft IS/MND

On April 30, 2019, the CPUC released a Notice of Intent (NOI) to adopt a Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) for the Olinda Last Mile Underserved Broadband Project. The Draft IS/MND was circulated from April 30, 2019 through May 31, 2019. Links to view the Draft IS/MND are provided below:

Draft IS/MND (main document)

Draft IS/MND Appendices

Public Review

The CPUC initiated a 31-day comment period starting April 30, 2019 extending through May 31, 2019.

The following written comments on the Draft IS/MND were received from the public:

Written Comments Received on the Draft IS/MND
Name Affiliation Date Received
State and Local Agencies
Curt Babcock California Department of Fish and Wildlife 5/30/2019
Individuals
Jonathan Bank None 2/19/20191
Note
1This comment was submitted by this commenter on 2/19/2019, prior to the 30-day comment period; however, it is still considered as a comment received on the Draft IS/MND.

Final IS/MND

Final IS/MND (main document)

Final IS/MND Appendices

Availability of Final IS/MND

Hardcopies of the Final IS/MND will be available for review at the following public access locations:

Shasta Public Library: Anderson Branch
3200 West Center Street
Anderson, CA 96007
Phone: (530) 365-7685

Shasta Public Library: Redding Branch
1100 Parkview Avenue
Redding, CA 96001
Phone: (530) 245-7250

Shasta County Department of Resource Management
Planning Division
1855 Placer Street, Suite 103
Redding, CA 96001
Phone: (530) 225-5532

If you would like to request a hard copy of the Final IS/MND, please call: 1(844) 442-9692, or email: Olinda.CPUC@ene.com

Additional Information

Additional information will be posted as it becomes available. The CPUC, through its Environmental Review Team, is conducting an environmental review of the project. To request additional information, ask a question, or be added to the project mailing list, please contact us by email, fax, phone, or mail, as follows:

Email: Olinda.CPUC@ene.com
Fax: (415) 796-0846
Toll-Free Voicemail: (844) 578-9456

U.S. Mail or Courier:
Connie Chen
c/o Ecology and Environment, Inc.
425 Market Street, 17th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105

The CPUC Project Manager is:

Connie Chen
Energy Division
Infrastructure Permitting and CEQA
505 Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94102