Southern California Edison's
Antelope-Pardee 500-kV Transmission Line Project

Welcome to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) website for the environmental review of a proposed 500-kilovolt (kV) transmission line from the Antelope Substation in northern Los Angeles County to the Pardee Substation in the City of Santa Clarita. Southern California Edison (SCE) submitted an application for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) for this project to the CPUC on December 9, 2004. SCE has also submitted an application for a Special Use Easement to the USDA Forest Service. The proposed Project is subject to review under both the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This site provides access to public documents and information relevant to the CEQA and NEPA review processes.

Final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement

The Final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (Final EIR/EIS) was prepared in December 2006 and issued in early January 2007. The Final EIR/EIS consists of two volumes. Volume I is a re-printed version of the Draft EIR/EIS. Changes made to the Draft EIR/EIS in Volume I are identified as follows: inserted text is underlined and deleted text is shown in strikeout. Volume II consists of all comments received on the Draft EIR/EIS and responses to those comments, as well as the mitigation monitoring plan.

The CPUC released the Draft EIR/EIS for the proposed Project on July 21, 2006. The public comment period for this document ended on October 3, 2006. All comments received on the Draft EIR/EIS have been responded to in the Final EIR/EIS, Volume II, as discussed above.

NEPA Process and USDA Forest Service Record of Decision

The Forest Service will circulate the Final EIS for 30 days prior to making a decision on the proposed action, and the U.S. EPA's Office of Federal Activities publishes a Notice of Availability of the Final EIS in the Federal Register. If no changes to the Final EIR/EIS are warranted based on the comments, the USDA Forest Service will prepare a Record of Decision (ROD), which documents the selected alternative and specific mitigation measures. The ROD will not be issued until the 30-day no-action period has lapsed following the publication of the Notice of Availability in the Federal Register.

CEQA Process and CPUC General Proceeding

CEQA requires that the CPUC provide written responses to public agency comments at least 10 days prior to certifying an EIR (Public Resource Code 21092.5(a)). This is accomplished by sending the Final EIR to all agencies that commented.

The CPUC will determine the adequacy of the Final EIR, and if adequate, will certify the document as compliant with CEQA. The CPUC will issue a decision on the project, which will be announced and published concurrent with a scheduled CPUC meeting. The CPUC's proposed decision is expected in mid-February 2007. Within 30 days after the decision is issued by the CPUC, parties can apply for rehearing.

Other Documents Available

• Notice of Availability of the Final EIR/EIS (December 29, 2006)
• Notice of Extension of the Draft EIR/EIS review period (September 13, 2006)
• Notice of Availability of the Draft EIR/EIS (July 21, 2006)
• Federal Register Notice of Intent to prepare a joint environmental impact statement/report (June 28, 2005)
• Notice of Preparation of an EIR/EIS (June 24, 2005)
• SCE's Proponent's Environmental Assessment (December 9, 2004)

Project Background and other Project Information

SCE has filed applications with the CPUC and the USDA Forest Service to construct a new, 25.6-mile 500-kV transmission line between SCE's existing Antelope and Pardee Substations in Los Angeles County, California. The proposed 500-kV transmission line would replace an existing 66-kV line that traverses the majority of the proposed route between Antelope Substation and Pardee Substation, including approximately 13 miles within the Angeles National Forest (ANF).

The proposed 500-kV transmission line route also traverses residential developments in the Santa Clarita Valley, north and east of the existing Pardee Substation. The 500-kV transmission line would be energized initially at 220 kV. The proposed Project would include electrical interconnections at the existing Antelope and Pardee Substations as well as an initial expansion of the Antelope Substation and relocation of several existing 66-kV sub-transmission lines in the vicinity of Antelope Substation (collectively, referred to as the Antelope-Pardee 500-kV Transmission Line Project). The proposed Project also includes the acquisition and fencing of approximately 31 acres of land necessary for upgrades to the existing Antelope Substation.

Maps and figures for the proposed Project and alternatives are provided above, in link provided to the Final EIR/EIS.

For Additional Information

The CPUC and the USDA Forest Service, through their Environmental Review Team, are conducting an environmental review of this project. To request additional information or to be added to the mailing list, please contact us by email, fax, or phone, as follows:

Project E-mail: antelope-pardee@aspeneg.com
Project Fax and Voicemail: (661) 215-5152

The CPUC's Project Manager is:
John Boccio, CPUC Project Manager
California Public Utilities Commission
505 Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco CA 94102
Tel. (415) 703-2641
Fax (415) 703-2200
Email: jbx@cpuc.ca.gov