Welcome to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) website for the
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review of Pacific Gas and Electric
Company’s (PG&E’s) South of Palermo 115-kilovolt (kV) Power Line Reinforcement
Project (proposed project). PG&E submitted an application for this project to
the CPUC on April 28, 2016 (Application A.16-14-023) accompanied by a
Proponent’s Environmental Assessment (PEA). CPUC issued its Decision on May 10, 2018 (Decision D.18.05.014). This site provides access to public
documents and information relevant to the CEQA review process.
Quick Links
Background
Project Description
Application and
Proponents' Environmental Assessment
Application Review,
Data Requests, and Responses
Environmental Review
Commission Decision (May 10, 2018)
New Mitigation Monitoring, Compliance, and Reporting
For Additional Information
PG&E’s South of Palermo 115 kV Power Line Reinforcement Project proposes
to replace aging facilities (originally built in the early 1900s), address
overloads, and improve reliability of electric service to its customers.
PG&E would reconstruct, operate, and maintain the existing approximately
60-mile Palermo to Rio Oso transmission system located in Butte, Yuba, and
Sutter Counties.
The applicant’s objectives for the proposed project are:
- To maintain transmission system reliability to ensure that the
Palermo to Rio Oso 115 kV transmission system will continue to meet
planning standards and criteria established by the California
Independent System Operator and North American Electric Reliability
Council.
- To replace aging electrical transmission conductors and support
structures in a cost-effective and environmentally sensitive manner to
maintain a safe transmission system.
The existing power transmission system is located in the western Sierras
and the communities of Palermo, Honcut, Tierra Buena, Yuba City, East
Marysville, Linda, Olivehurst, Plumas Lake, Rio Oso, and East Nicolaus,
traversing Butte, Yuba, and Sutter Counties (see the
Regional Location map).
The proposed project will improve reliability, ensure the system has
adequate capacity to meet local needs, and be designed to accommodate future
operation. The majority of the existing towers are proposed to be replaced
with combination of hybrid poles (bottom concrete/top steel) and tubular
steel poles. The project proposes the following the specific components:
- Replace the conductor and existing lattice towers on the 115
kV single-circuit power line between Palermo Junction and Rio Oso
Junction (approximately 38.7 miles).
- Replace the conductor on the Palermo sub-line (approximately
1.6 miles).
- Install cage tops on existing towers, replace a single lattice
tower, and re-conductor on the Pease sub-line (approximately 5.2 miles).
- Replace existing towers and conductor on the double-circuit lines to
Bogue (approximately 6.4 miles). This line must remain in service, and
consequently construction requires a temporary line to be constructed to
support the conductors during construction.
- Replace 15 of 45 towers and the conductor on the
double-circuit line between East Nicholas and Rio Oso (approximately 7.6
miles).
- Undertake minor modifications to equipment and facilities at
Palermo, Pease, Bogue, and Rio Oso substations to tie in the new
conductor.
Project construction is expected to last approximately 30 months.
PG&E filed an application (A.16.04.023) and PEA on April 28, 2016, for a
Permit to Construct the proposed project. The documents at the following
links are available for the public to view:
Application for the South
of Palermo Reinforcement Project – April 2016
Proponents
Environmental Assessment (PEA) – April 2016
The CPUC conducted a completeness review of the PEA to identify additional data needs from the
applicant to complete the environmental review. Based on this review, PG&E’s application
was deemed complete by CPUC on March 3, 2017.
Completeness letter - March 3, 2017
CPUC’s data requests and PG&E’s responses are listed in the table below.
Final Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND) Publication
On August 30, 2017, the CPUC prepared a Final Mitigated Negative Declaration (Final MND) under CEQA for consideration of the Pacific Gas and Electric Company South of Palermo Reinforcement Project. The information in the Final MND describes the proposed project and potential environmental impacts, identifies those impacts that could be significant, and presents mitigation measures to avoid or minimize potentially significant impacts.
The Final IS/MND incorporates all comments received during the public review period for the Draft IS/MND, as well as revisions discussed and agreed upon during various discussions with the applicants and the CPUC. The responses to comments are provided in Section 7 of the Final IS/MND. Revisions to the Draft IS/MND are shown in strikeout/underline in the Final IS/MND. No substantial changes to the environmental document analyses or conclusions resulted from evaluation of the comments received during the public review period. No substantial revisions that would merit recirculation as defined by 15073.5(b) of Title 14 of CEQA were made to the project or analyses after public comment.
• Final IS/MND
Draft Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND)
Publication
On May 15, 2017, the CPUC released a Notice of Intent (NOI)
to Adopt a MND for the South of Palermo Reinforcement Project, showing that the proposed
project, as mitigated, would not have any significant effects on the environment. This
notice is a re-issuance of the Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) the
proposed project that was originally issued April 17, 2017. In order to allow full
evaluation of the updated Draft IS/MND the comment period has been extend until
June 14, 2017. The May 2017 NOI and Draft IS/MND
are available by clicking on the following links:
• Notice of Intent
• Draft IS/MND
The CPUC voted on May 10, 2018 to grant PG&E a permit to construct the South of Palermo 115 kV Power Line Reinforcement Project.
A Notice of Determination was filed with the State Clearinghouse on May 11, 2018.
• Decision granting Permit to Construct to SDG&E
• Notice of Determination
The CPUC, through its Environmental Review Team, is conducting an
environmental review of the project. To request additional information or to be
added to the mailing list, please contact us by email, fax, or phone, as
follows:
Project email:
SouthofPalermo@dudek.com
Project voicemail: 866-956-7296
Project fax: 866-956-7297
The CPUC's project manager is:
Andrew Barnsdale, CPUC Project Manager
California
Public Utilities Commission
505 Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94102
Email:
andrew.barnsdale@cpuc.ca.gov
Please report any problems to the
Energy
Division web coordinator.
