Southern California Edison Company is proposing a new 64-mile high-voltage (220/500-kV) transmission line between Daggett and Hesperia, CA. The proposed CLTP would traverse approximately 15.7 miles of public lands managed by the BLM. The project would also include a new substation and new telecommunications facilities, roads, road upgrades and staging areas, and would involve the removal of some power poles used by adjacent power lines.
Approximately 46.5 miles of the proposed transmission line would parallel or be constructed within existing overhead utility rights-of-way and designated transmission corridors. The remaining 15.7 miles occurring outside of a designated transmission line corridor will require a plan amendment to the BLM California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan to designate a new transmission line corridor.
The BLM, as the lead agency under the National Environmental Policy Act, will prepare an environmental impact statement to analyze the site-specific impacts of the proposed grant of the right-of-way and a proposed amendment to the CDCA Plan. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), as the lead agency under the California Environmental Quality Act, will prepare an environmental impact report to analyze the site-specific impacts of the proposed project in support of required state approvals and development of the Certificate of Public Necessity and Convenience.
The BLM has identified the following preliminary issues: air quality and greenhouse gas emissions, biological resources including special status species, cultural resources, geology and soils, hazards and hazardous materials, hydrology and water quality, land use, noise, recreation, traffic, visual resources, lands with wilderness characteristics, cumulative effects, and areas with high potential for renewable energy development.
Publication of the Notice of Intent initiates a public scoping period of 30 days, ending September 3, 2014. During the scoping period, the BLM and the CPUC will solicit public comments on planning issues, environmental concerns, potential impacts, alternatives, and mitigation measures that should be included in the analysis of the proposed action.
Joint BLM/CPUC public meetings are scheduled on the following dates:
![blm-meetings](http://valleyonlinenews.com/images/2014/august/blm-meetings.jpg)
The BLM will use the public scoping comments received to prepare the draft environmental documents to be available for public review in 2014.
Further details can be found at the BLM web page: http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/barstow/renewableenergy/coolwater_lugo.html. For information contact Noel Ludwig, Project Manager, at (951) 697-5368, or e-mail nludwig@blm.gov