Welcome to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) website for the environmental review of a 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 also submitted an application for a Special Use Easement to the USDA Forest Service. The Project has been reviewed 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 U.S. EPA's Office of Federal Activities published a Notice of Availability of the Final EIS in the Federal Register on January 19, 2007. The USDA Forest Service will prepare a Record of Decision (ROD), which states the decision, identifies all alternatives considered, and describes applicable mitigation.
Information previously posted here indicating that there would be a 30-day no-action period after the publication of the Notice of Availability of the Final EIS was incorrect.
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 was accomplished by sending the Final EIR to all agencies that commented.
The CPUC approved the project on March 1, 2007, by granting a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. A link to the Final Decision document is provided below.
Other Documents Available
- Final Decision granting a CPCN
- 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 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 500-kV transmission line will 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 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 will be energized initially at 220 kV. The Project will 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 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 Project and alternatives are provided above, in the link provided to the Final EIR/EIS.
For Additional Information
The CPUC and the USDA Forest Service, through their Environmental Review Team, have completed the environmental review process for this project. For additional information, please contact the CPUC's Project Manager:
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
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