California
News Release
For Release: Friday, July 11, 2008
Contact: Stephen Razo (951) 697-5217; e-mail srazo@ca.blm.gov
CA-CDD-08-57
Supplemental Environmental Information Released for Sunrise Powerlink
A supplement to the draft environmental impact statement (EIS) and revised environmental impact report (EIR) for the proposed Sunrise Powerlink transmission line from El Centro to San Diego has been jointly published by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and is available for further comment.
The BLM, as the lead federal agency, and the CPUC, as the lead state agency, developed the document to augment the analysis for the Sunrise Powerlink project proposed by San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E). The document is being recirculated due to receipt of new information since the draft EIS/EIR was released in January 2008.
SDG&E proposes to construct a new 91-mile, 500-kV electric transmission line from the Imperial Valley Substation near El Centro to a new Central East Substation in central San Diego County, and a new 59-mile 230-kV line that includes both overhead and underground segments from the new Central East Substation to the Penasquitos Substation in San Diego. Portions of the proposed 500-kV transmission line would traverse about 35 miles of federal lands managed by BLM and approximately one mile in San Diego County. The remainder of the proposed project would cross lands owned by the State, local governments and private parties.
A supplement to an EIS on the federal side and recirculation of the EIR on the state side is required when there are significant new circumstances or information relevant to the environmental concerns related to the proposed project or its impacts. In this case, the new information involves changes to the project and route revisions proposed by SDG&E, as well as the Sempra La Rumorosa Wind Project in northern Mexico and its transmission and substation interconnections.
Public comments are invited during the additional comment period, which ends August 25, 2008. Comments should be addressed to CPUC/BLM c/o Aspen Environmental Group, 235 Montgomery Street, Suite 935, San Francisco, CA 94104. E-mail comments should be sent to sunrise@aspeneg.com and should include name and return address in the e-mail message. Comments may also be sent by fax to (866) 711-3106 and also must include name and address.
CPUC and BLM will conduct two public workshops in Jacumba, CA, on August 4, one in the afternoon and one in the evening. The workshops will be held from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 8:p.m. at the Highlands Senior Citizens Center, 44681 Old Highway 80.
Copies of the document are available at numerous libraries and on the project website at http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/environment/info/aspen/sunrise/sunrise.html. A compact disc (CD) may be requested by phone or fax at (866) 711-3106 or by e-mail at sunrise@aspeneg.com. For more information regarding the project, contact BLM (Lynda Kastoll) at (760) 377-4421; e-mail lkastoll@ca.blm.gov; or CPUC (Billie Blanchard) at (415) 703-2068; e-mail BCB@cpuc.ca.gov.
-BLM-
California Desert District Office - 22835 Calle San Juan de Los Lagos, Moreno Valley, CA 92553
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