STATE OF CALIFORNIA
PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION

Welcome to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) website for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review of the Prineville to Reno Fiber Optic Project (project) proposed by Zayo Group, LLC (applicant). An application (A.20-10-008) for the project was submitted to the CPUC on October 1, 2020 and includes the Proponent's Environmental Assessment (PEA) prepared pursuant to Rule 2.4 of the CPUC's Rules of Practice and Procedure. Click here to access the Formal Proceeding website. The site provides access to public documents and information relevant to the CEQA review process.

In accordance with CEQA, the CPUC, as the Lead Agency, is required to conduct a review of the environmental impacts of the proposed project and has prepared an Environmental Impact Report (EIR). This site provides access to public documents and information relevant to the CEQA review process. Additional project information and documentation will be posted as it becomes available.

Zayo Group, LLC, a California telephone corporation, proposes the construction and operation of an underground fiber optic network from Prineville, Oregon, to Reno, Nevada, spanning 433.8 miles. The applicant intends to construct fiber optics infrastructure and associated facilities (such as conduits, fiber optics cable, handholes and manholes) in connection with the transport and transmission of communications. The three state project includes a 193.9 mile route through California. The project primary travels along U.S. Route 395 from the Oregon border through Modoc, Lassen and Sierra counties and into Nevada. Figure 1: (Project Overview Map PDF) shows the route in California.

According to the applicant, the purpose of the project is to improve the quality of rural broadband in south-central Oregon, northeastern California, and northwestern Nevada, and to make affordable broadband internet services available to currently undeserved communities in these areas.

The portion of the project that crosses California would extend 193.9 miles across portions of Modoc, Lassen, and Sierra counties. The project generally follows U.S. Route 395 but also county roads between the communities of Standish and Buntingville in Lassen County, where it follows Lassen County Road A3 for 7.35 miles and Cummings Road for 1.15 miles before returning to the right-of-way parallel to U.S. Highway 395. Conduit to house the new fiber optic cable would be buried using a combination of plowing or trenching construction techniques.

Quick Links

• Proponent's Environmental Assessment (PEA) and Application
  • Application
  • PEA
  • Appendix A: Maps & Drawings of Project
  • Appendix B: Air Quality, Greenhouse Gases & Energy Calculation
  • Appendix C: Biological Resources Technical Report
  • Appendix D: Cultural Resources Study (Confidential)
  • Appendix E: Detailed Tribal Consultation Report (Confidential)
  • Appendix F: Environmental Data Resources Report
  • Appendix G: Agency Consultation and Public Outreach Report
  • Appendix H: Water Body Crossings
  • Appendix I: Paleontological Resources Constraints Analysis
  • Appendix J Soils Mapbook
  • CPUC Deficiency Letter, dated October 30, 2020
  • Zayo Response Letter, dated December 7, 2020
    • Attachment A: November 13, 2020 Initial Comment Response Matrix
    • Attachment B: Personal communication with Caltrans
    • Attachment C: Revised PEA Biological Resources Section
    • Attachment D: Revised PEA Figures
    • Attachment E: Paleontological Resources Report GIS
    • Attachment F: Revised PEA Noise Section
    • Attachment G: USACE Aquatic Resources Spreadsheets
    • Attachment H: BRTR Revised Figure 3
    • Attachment I: Paleontological Resources Report Revised Table 3
  • Zayo Response Letter December 31, 2020
  • Attachment A: Revised PEA Project Description
  • Attachment B: Revised PEA Wildfire Section
    • Appendix A to the Wildfire Section: Fire Incidents in Counties Intersecting the Running Line
    • Appendix B to the Wildfire Section: Weather Station Data: wind direction and speed, relative humidity, temperature (2010-2020 provided hourly)
  • Attachment C: Revised PEA Figure 3-2
  • Attachment D: Oregon Wetland Memorandum
  • Attachment E: Nevada Wetland Delineation
  • Attachment F: Botanical Resources Field Survey Report for the Toiyabe National Forest
  • Attachment G: Invasive Plant Survey and TES Plant Habitat Assessment on Fremont-Winema Forest Lands
  • Attachment H: Botanical Resources Field Survey - Nevada
  • Attachment I: Botanical Resources Report - Prineville to Oregon Border
  • Zayo Response Letter February 2, 2021
    • Attachment A: Safety Data Sheets
    • Attachment B: FEMA Floodplain Tables
    • Attachment C: Revised Cumulative Table
    • Attachment D: Cumulative Administrative Record (51mb)
    • Attachment E: Revised Air Quality, Greenhouse Gas, Energy Emission Tables
    • Attachment F: PEA GIS
  • Zayo Response Letter, dated February 18, 2021
    • Section 4 - Description of Alternatives
    • Section 6 - Comparison of Alternatives
  • Zayo Response Letter, dated February 26, 2021
    • Section 1 - Executive Summary
    • Section 2 - Introduction
    • Section 3 - Proposed Project Description
    • Section 4 - Description of Alternatives
    • Section 5.1 - Environmental Analysis
    • Section 5.2 - Agriculture and Forestry Resources
    • Section 5.3 - Air Quality
      • Section 5.3,5.6, 5.8 Tables
    • Section 5.4 - Biological Resources
    • Section 5.5 - Cultural Resources
    • Section 5.6 - Energy
    • Section 5.7 - Geology, Soils and Paleontological Resources
    • Section 5.8 - Greenhouse Gas Emissions
    • Section 5.9 - Hazards, Hazardous Materials and Public Safety
    • Section 5.10 - Hydrology and Water Quality
    • Section 5.11 - Land Use and Planning
    • Section 5.12 - Mineral Resources
    • Section 5.13 - Noise
    • Section 5.14 - Population and Housing
    • Section 5.15 - Public Services
    • Section 5.17 - Transportation
    • Section 5.18 - Tribal Cultural Resources
    • Section 5.19 - Utilities and Services Systems
    • Section 5.20 - Wildfire
    • Section 5.21 - Mandatory Findings of Significance
    • Section 6 - Comparison of Alternatives
    • Section 7 - Cumulative and Other CEQA Considerations
      • Revised Cumulative Table
    • Section 9 - References
  • Zayo Response Letter, dated April 28, 2021 (Please note: All files are mark-ups)
    • Appendix A - Detailed Maps and Design Drawings (pp.1-50)
    • Appendix A - Detailed Maps and Design Drawings (pp.51-100)
    • Appendix A - Detailed Maps and Design Drawings (pp.101-150)
    • Appendix A - Detailed Maps and Design Drawings (pp.151-200)
    • Appendix A - Detailed Maps and Design Drawings (pp.201- 250)
    • Appendix A - Detailed Maps and Design Drawings (pp.251- 292)
    • Appendix B - Revised CalEEMod Assumptions
    • Appendix C - Wetland Delineation
    • Appendix C - USFWS Consultation Letters
    • Appendix C - Botanical Resources Report
    • Appendix C - Biological Resource Technical Report (clean version)
    • Appendix D - Cultural Resources Study (Confidential)
    • Appendix E - Detailed Tribal Consultation Report (Confidential)
    • Appendix F - Environmental Data Resources Report
    • Appendix G - Agency Consultation and Public Outreach Report
    • Appendix H - Water Body Crossings
    • Appendix I - Paleontological Resources Constraints Analysis
    • Appendix J - Soils Mapbook
    • Section 1 - Executive Summary
    • Section 2 - Introduction
    • Section 3 - Proposed Project Description
    • Section 4 - Description of Alternatives
    • Section 5.1 - Environmental Analysis
    • Section 5.2 - Agriculture and Forestry Resources
    • Section 5.3 - Air Quality
    • Section 5.4 - Biological Resources
    • Section 5.5 - Cultural Resources
    • Section 5.6 - Energy
    • Section 5.7 - Geology, Soils and Paleontological Resources
    • Section 5.8 - Greenhouse Gas Emissions
    • Section 5.9 - Hazards, Hazardous Materials and Public Safety
    • Section 5.10 - Hydrology and Water Quality
    • Section 5.11 - Land Use and Planning
    • Section 5.12 - Mineral Resources
    • Section 5.13 - Noise
    • Section 5.14 - Population and Housing
    • Section 5.15 - Public Services
    • Section 5.16 - Recreation
    • Section 5.17 - Transportation
    • Section 5.18 - Tribal Cultural Resources
    • Section 5.19 - Utilities and Services Systems
    • Section 5.20 - Wildfire
    • Section 5.21 - Mandatory Findings of Significance
    • Section 6 - Comparison of Alternatives
    • Section 7 - Cumulative and Other CEQA Considerations
    • Section 8 - List of Preparers
    • Section 9 - References
• CPUC Completeness Letter - February 3, 2021
• Notice of Preparation (NOP) - March 8, 2021
• Public Scoping Report - April 23, 2021

Data Response

• Data Response #1

Schedule

For Additional Information

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 the CPUC's Project Manager.

Connie Chen, CPUC Project Manager
California Public Utilities Commission
505 Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94102
Email: connie.chen@cpuc.ca.gov
Tel: (415) 703-2124
Fax: (909) 307-0056