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Welcome to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) web
site for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review
of Pacific Gas and Electric's (PG&E's) proposed Cressey-Gallo
115 kV Power Line Project. An application for this project was submitted
to the CPUC on November 30, 2011 (A.11-11-020). This site provides
access to public documents and information relevant to the CEQA
review process.
Background
In its 2011 application, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E)
proposed to construct the Cressey-Gallo 115 Kilovolt (kV) Power
Line Project, a new, approximately 14.4-mile-long, single-circuit
power line needed to improve transmission system reliability for
customers in north-central Merced County, California.
The project consisted of constructing a new 115 kV power line between
Cressey and Gallo Substations to form a power line loop with two
other area substations (Livingston and Atwater). The new transmission
loop allows power to flow from another direction when there is an
outage on a line feeding the loop, avoiding customer service interruptions
from single-line outages in this area. As proposed by PG&E,
the project included:
- Constructing a new, approximately 14.4-mile, single-circuit
115 kV power line interconnecting Cressey Substation and Gallo
Substation.
- Upgrading the bus configurations at Cressey Substation and replacing
the existing radial power line transition into the substation
within the existing substation property.
- Expanding Gallo Substation to add switchgear and upgrade the
bus configurations.
The project is located in the San Joaquin Valley in Merced County
near the City of Livingston, California. The project route is oriented
primarily east to-west between Cressey Substation and Gallo Substation,
intersecting with State Route 99 south of the City of Livingston.
The project connects Cressey Substation (located at the southeast
corner of West Lane and Meadow Drive, approximately 2 miles east
of the community of Cressey) to an expanded Gallo Substation (located
on the property of the Gallo Winery facility at 18000 River Road,
approximately 4 miles west of the City of Livingston).
CPUC Application Review and Approval
The PG&E Cressey-Gallo 115 kV Power Line Project was
evaluated in accordance with the California Environmental Quality
Act (CEQA). A Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) was prepared
to inform the CPUC and public of the potential project impacts and
available mitigation (information on the MND preparation is provided
below). The CPUC voted on January 16, 2014 to approve the PG&E
Cressey-Gallo 115 kV Transmission Project and Final MND (Decision
D.14-01-003) and a Notice of Determination was submitted to the
State Clearinghouse (SCH #2013021061). The mitigation measures and
applicant-proposed measures (APMs) described in the Final MND were
adopted by the CPUC as conditions of project approvals.
Construction and Mitigation
Monitoring
Mitigation Monitoring, Compliance, and Reporting
Plan
Following CPUC approval, a Mitigation Monitoring, Compliance, and
Reporting Plan (MMCRP) was prepared to ensure compliance with APMs
and mitigation measures approved in the Final MND. The MMCRP provided
guidelines and standardized procedures for environmental compliance
during project implementation. The procedures were developed in
coordination with PG&E and CPUC and described the reporting
relationships, the roles and responsibilities of the project's environmental
compliance team members, compliance reporting procedures, and the
communication protocol.
The MMCRP can be viewed here (5.2MB).
Notices to Proceed with Construction
As defined by the MMCRP, it was necessary for CPUC to issue a Notice-to-Proceed
(NTP) before construction could start. On the Cressey-Gallo Project
there were multiple work packages and work sites, so PG&E elected
to request multiple separate NTPs. Each separate NTP request was
applicable to a defined segment or aspect of the Project. Over the
course of the Cressey-Gallo Project, PG&E submitted 3 separate
NTP requests. CPUC reviewed the NTP requests and the applicable
pre-construction requirements to ensure that all of the information
required to process and approve the NTPs was included. CPUC requested
additional information or clarification as needed. Based on information
provided in the requests for NTPs and the review findings, CPUC
issued each of the 3 NTPs. The complete list of NTPs issued by CPUC
for the Cressey-Gallo Project is provided in the table below.
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Notices to Proceed
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Date Requested
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Date Issued
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Description
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#1
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09/12/14
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Installation and removal of the shoo-fly, expansion
work at the Gallo Substation, construction of the single and
double circuit 115 kV pole lines on the Gallo Property, and
modification work at the Cressey Substation. |
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#2
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12/11/14
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Installation of remaining TSPs, construction of
the re-route area north of Livingston Canal, construction of
single circuit 115 kV pole lines within 1/2-mile buffers for
Swainson’s hawk nesting areas east of Howard Street, and pulling
of conductor. |
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#3
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03/09/15
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Installation of the remaining portions of the Project,
including construction of single circuit 115 kV pole lines and
pulling of conductor. |
Construction began in November 2014. The transmission line, and
substation structure upgrades were complete and energized on December 19,
2015. Remaining substation work (including paving, fencing and clean-up)
was completed and crews were demobilized by January 2016. A soil
pile and construction trailer located in the Project staging area
was removed in February 2016. Weekly reports documenting construction
and compliance activities can be viewed here.
Minor Project Changes
As defined by the MMCRP, at various times throughout project construction,
minor changes to the project, such as the need for additional or
revised workspace, were anticipated as common practice for construction
efforts of this scale. Minor Project Change requests were required
for such activities. The CPUC Project Manager, along with the CPUC
EMs, implemented the Minor Project Change procedures defined in
the MMCRP to evaluate each proposed project change for its potential
for creating significant environmental effects to determine whether
supplemental CEQA review is required. A complete list of Minor
Project Changes processed for the Cressey-Gallo Project is provided
in the table below.
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Minor Project Changes
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Date Requested
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Date Issued
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Description
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#1
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10/01/14
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Use of an existing alternative staging
area 75 feet west of the proposed Staging Area 001 located southeast
of the Gallo Substation |
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#2
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01/22/16
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(1) Allow for a temporary fence around
the project staging area to remain permanently, per the request
of the Gallo Winery, and (2) allow for 3 existing wooden power
line poles to remain in place, to be used by an orchard as owl
box posts. |
A Final Report documenting Cressey-Gallo permitting, NTPs, construction,
compliance, and Minor Project Changes is located here.
Environmental Review Process
PG&E filed a Proponent's Environmental
Assessment (PEA) with the Application in November 2011. The
PEA provided a starting point for the independent environmental
review process conducted by the CPUC.
PG&E's Application and PEA were deemed complete for review
by the CPUC on December 21, 2011.
Mitigated Negative Declaration Preparation
On February 27, 2013, the CPUC released a Notice of Intent
to Adopt a Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Cressey-Gallo
115 kV power Line Project showing that the Proposed Project, as
mitigated, would not have any significant effects on the environment.
The Draft IS/MND underwent a public review period from February 27,
2013, through March 29, 2013.
On June 7, 2013, the CPUC released a Final Mitigated Negative Declaration
for the Cressey-Gallo 115 kV Power Line Project, showing that the
Proposed Project, as mitigated, would not have any significant effects
on the environment. The Final MND detailed the Proposed Project,
evaluated and described its potential environmental impacts, identified
those impacts that could be significant, and presented mitigation
measures to avoid or minimize these impacts. The Final MND can be
viewed here.
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