Welcome to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) website for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review of the proposed Sunrise Powerlink Transmission Line Project. Applications for this project were submitted to the CPUC on December 14, 2005 (A.05-12-014) and August 4, 2006 (A.06-08-010). This site provides access to public documents and information relevant to the CEQA and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review processes.

Background

SDG&E has filed an application with the CPUC to construct the Sunrise Powerlink Project (SRPL). The CPUC is the CEQA lead agency and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is the lead agency under NEPA. The CPUC and BLM are preparing an Environmental Impact Report (EIR, under CEQA) and an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS, under NEPA), which will be published as a single joint document, an EIR/EIS.

This project was approved by the California Independent System Operator on August 3, 2006. The Proponent's Environmental Assessment was filed with the CPUC on August 4, 2006 and is available on SDG&E's project website.

The CPUC maintains other web pages for documents related to its proceeding on the SRPL, where it makes available documents filed by parties to that proceeding. The web page for Application A.06-08-010 incorporates the earlier filing, and lists documents and rulings filed in the proceedings. The CPUC also maintains a page of general information on the SRPL project.

The SRPL Project, as proposed by SDG&E, includes a new, approximately 90-mile, 500 kV line from Imperial Valley Substation (in Imperial County, near the City of El Centro) to a new Central East Substation (in central San Diego County, south of the intersection of County Highways S22 and S2). The 500 kV portion would approximately follow the eastern boundary of BLM lands west of El Centro and SR 78, and would pass through Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

The SRPL Project also proposes approximately 60 miles of 230 kV transmission lines from the new Central East Substation to SDG&E's existing Peñasquitos Substation (in the City of San Diego). SDG&E proposes to construct two segments underground (one segment south of Ramona and another in the community of Ranchos Peñasquitos, San Diego). Figure 1 shows an overview of the proposed project route.

Draft EIR/EIS

The Draft EIR/EIS was released to the public on January 3, 2008. It is available here and is also available for review at numerous area libraries and government offices.

Copies of the Executive Summary of the Draft EIR/EIS along with a DVD of the complete document may be requested. The CPUC and BLM also have a limited number of copies of the complete six-volume Draft EIR/EIS document available to the public. Requests for documents should be made to (866) 711-3106 (phone or fax) or via e-mail to sunrise@aspeneg.com.

Resumen en Español. Un resumen del borrador Informe de Impacto Ambiental/Declaración de Impacto Ambiental en español está disponible aquí.

Submitting Comments on the Draft EIR/EIS. Written comments on the Draft EIR/EIS must be postmarked or received by fax or e-mail no later than April 11, 2008. Please be sure to include your name, address, and telephone number. Written comments on the Draft EIR/EIS should be sent to:

Informational Workshops. The CPUC and BLM will hold 9 informational workshops during the week of January 28, 2008. These informal workshops are an opportunity to speak with the specialists who wrote the Draft EIR/EIS and ask questions; the specialists will be available at the times listed in the attached table for workshops. At the start of each workshop, a brief presentation will summarize the EIR/EIS process, the alternatives evaluated, the conclusions of the Draft EIR/EIS, and the decisionmaking process. Presentation notes will be available during all workshops, so attendance at the beginning of the workshop is not required. While written comments may be submitted during these workshops, there will be no facilities to record oral comments.

Public Participation Hearings. The Public Participation Hearings will be held on the dates listed in the attached table to receive oral and written comments from interested parties. CPUC Administrative Law Judge Steven Weissman will conduct the Public Participation Hearings, and receive comments on the Draft EIR/EIS and any other issues of concern related to the SDG&E CPCN application. These oral comments will be recorded and entered into the public record.

Table 1. Sunrise Powerlink Draft EIR/EIS Public Workshops & Public Participation Hearings
LOCATION AND TELEPHONE	DATE AND TIME
Workshops on Draft EIR/EIS (to talk to CPUC and BLM staff and EIR/EIS preparers)
El Centro CALWorks, Meeting Rooms B & C 2995 S. 4th Street, El Centro, CA 92243 760-336-4030	Monday, January 28 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Presentation: 12:40 to 12:55
Alpine Alpine Community Center, Sage Room 1830 Alpine Boulevard, Alpine, CA 91901 619-445-7330	Monday, January 28 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Presentation: 7:10 to 7:25
Temecula Community Recreation Center, Multipurpose Room 30875 Rancho Vista Road, Temecula, CA 92592 951-694-6410	Tuesday, January 29 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Presentation: 1:10 to 1:25
San Diego-Rancho Peñasquitos Hilltop Recreation Center 9711 Oviedo Way, San Diego, CA 92129 858-538-8198	Tuesday, January 29 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Presentation: 7:10 to 7:25
Ramona Ramona Community Center 434 Aqua Lane, Ramona, CA 92065 760-789-0999	Wednesday, January 30 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Presentation: 2:10 to 2:25
Warner Springs Warner School Cafeteria 30951 Highway 79, Warner Springs, CA 92086 760-782-3517	Wednesday, January 30 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Presentation: 7:10 to 7:25
Pine Valley Mountain Empire High School, Gymnasium 3305 Buckman Springs Road, Pine Valley, CA 91962 619-473-8601	Thursday, January 31 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. and 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Presentations: 3:40 and 7:10.
Borrego Springs Borrego Springs High School, Community Room 2281 Diegueño Road, Borrego Springs, CA 92004 760-767-5357	Friday, February 1 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Presentation: 1:10 to 1:25
Public Participation Hearings (to make oral comments on the Draft EIR/EIS)
Pine Valley Mountain Empire High School, Gymnasium 3305 Buckman Springs Road, Pine Valley, CA 91962 619-473-8601	Monday, February 25 6:30 p.m.
Borrego Springs Borrego Springs Resort, De Anza Room 1112 Tilting T Drive, Borrego Springs, CA 92004 760-767-5700	Tuesday, February 26 1:00 p.m.
Ramona Charles Nunn Performing Arts Center 1520 Hanson Lane, Ramona, CA 92065 760-787-2000 (Ramona School District)	Tuesday, February 26 7:00 p.m.

EIR/EIS Alternatives

Throughout 2007, the CPUC and BLM gathered information on alternatives to the proposed Sunrise Powerlink Project through an extensive public involvement process. Information and documents from that process are available here.

Documents Available

In addition to the EIR/EIS, other documents that were published during the CEQA and NEPA processes are available here.

Data Requests

The EIR/EIS Team submits Data Requests to SDG&E and other entities when it needs specific information to support EIR/EIS preparation. These requests are available here at the time they are issued.

For Additional Information

To request additional information or to be added to the mailing list, please contact us by email, fax, or phone, as follows:

The CPUC's Project Manager is: