Welcome to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) website for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review of Pacific Gas and Electric's (PG&E) proposed Embarcadero-Potrero 230 kV Transmission Project (Proposed Project or Embarcadero-Potrero 230 kV). An application for this project was submitted to the CPUC on December 11, 2012 (A.12-12-004), which starts the CPUC proceeding to decide whether a Certification of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) should be issued. The CPUC is currently reviewing the application. This site provides access to public documents and information relevant to the CEQA review process.

Background

PG&E filed an application with the CPUC to build the proposed Embarcadero-Potrero 230 kV Transmission Project. The Proposed Project would include construction, operation, and maintenance of a 230 kV transmission line entirely within the City and County of San Francisco from Embarcadero Substation near the corner of Fremont and Folsom Streets, to Potrero Switchyard on Illinois Street between 22nd and 23rd Streets.

The new 230 kilovolt (kV) transmission line would be approximately 3.5 miles in total length, including approximately 2.5 miles to be installed offshore underneath the seafloor of the San Francisco Bay (the Bay), 0.4 mile to be installed in horizontal directional drills (HDD) from two onshore transition points to the Bay, and approximately 0.6 miles to be installed underground in paved areas. The new transmission line would be placed in City streets, including Spear Street and Folsom Street in San Francisco's Rincon Hill neighborhood and 23rd Street east of Illinois Street. Construction of a new 230 kV switchyard would occur near the existing Potrero Switchyard, but no new substation work is proposed to occur at the existing Embarcadero Substation beyond the proposed termination of the new cable into the 230 kV bus.

PG&E's project objectives include improving the reliability of the existing transmission system in San Francisco to provide a high likelihood of continued electric service to downtown San Francisco in the event of overlapping outages on both of two existing 230 kV transmission lines that presently feed Embarcadero Substation.

Proponent's Environmental Assessment (PEA)

PG&E filed a PEA with the Application on December 11, 2012. This document provides a starting point for the environmental review process conducted by the CPUC. PG&E's Application and PEA were deemed complete for review by the CPUC on January 10, 2013.

Environmental Review Process

The CPUC Energy Division reviewed PG&E's Application and PEA and prepared an Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND) as the appropriate CEQA document for this project.

Draft Mitigated Negative Declaration and Supporting Initial Study

The CPUC released a Notice of Intent to Adopt a Mitigated Negative Declaration for the proposed Embarcadero-Potrero 230 kV Transmission Project showing that the Proposed Project, as mitigated, would not have any significant effects on the environment. The Draft Mitigated Negative Declaration and Supporting Initial Study (IS/MND) was made available for public review and comment from August 13, 2013 to September 16, 2013.

The Draft IS/MND can be viewed here.

Final Mitigated Negative Declaration and Supporting Initial Study

On October 29, 2013, the CPUC released a Final Mitigated Negative Declaration showing that the proposed Embarcadero-Potrero 230 kV Transmission Project, as mitigated, would not have any significant effects on the environment. The Final IS/MND details the Proposed Project, evaluates and describes its potential environmental impacts, identifies those impacts that could be significant, and presents mitigation measures to avoid or minimize these impacts.

The Final IS/MND can be viewed here.

CPUC Actions After Final Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND) Publication

There is no comment period following release of the Final IS/MND. The CPUC will determine the adequacy of the Final IS/MND, and, if adequate, the CPUC may adopt the document as being compliant with CEQA and issue a Proposed Decision on the Application. Any Proposed Decision will be announced and published concurrent with a scheduled Commission meeting. After the Commission makes the decision on the Application, a Notice of Determination will be mailed to the State Clearinghouse within 5 days of the Decision. The 30-day statute of limitations for court challenges begins after the Notice of Determination is filed.

Mitigation Monitoring

Mitigation Monitoring, Compliance, and Reporting Plan. Following CPUC approval, a Mitigation Monitoring, Compliance, and Reporting Plan (MMCRP) will be prepared to ensure compliance with applicant proposed measures (APMs) and mitigation measures approved in the Final IS/MND. This MMCRP will be developed to provide guidelines and standardize procedures for environmental compliance during project implementation. The procedures will be developed in coordination with PG&E and CPUC and will describe the reporting relationships, the roles and responsibilities of the project's environmental compliance team members, compliance reporting procedures, and the communication protocol.

For Additional Information

The CPUC, through its Environmental Review Team, is conducting an environmental review of the project. To request additional information, please contact the CPUC, as follows: