Mesa Substation Project: Home

Introduction

Related Links:

CPUC Proceeding
A.15-03-003 - Proceeding

Welcome to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) website for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review of proposed construction of the Mesa 500-kV Substation Project (Mesa Substation Project). On March 13, 2015, SCE filed an application [Application No. A.15-03-003] for a Permit to Construct (PTC) with the CPUC to rebuild and upgrade a portion of its transmission infrastructure primarily within the Western Los Angeles Basin Electrical Needs Area. The majority of would take place in the City of Monterey Park with some work occurring in nearby cities and portions of unincorporated Los Angeles County. If the proposed project is approved, the existing 220/66/16-kV Mesa Substation would be upgraded to a 500/220/66/16-kV substation.

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.

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Project Description
Project Location
Application and Proponent’s Environmental Assessment
Data Requests and Responses
Public Scoping and Notice of Preparation of an EIR
Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and Public Comment Period
Final Environmental Impact Report (New)
Administrative Law Judge's Proceeding
Additional Information

Project Description

Major components of the Mesa Substation Project include the following:

Construction of the 500/220/66/16-kV Mesa Substation and demolition of the existing 220/66/16-kV Mesa Substation in the City of Monterey Park. The substation would be located at the existing Mesa Substation site but would result in a 69.4-acre footprint expanded from the current 21.6-acre footprint.
Removal, relocation, modification, and/or construction of transmission, subtransmission, and distribution structures within SCE-owned properties, rights-of-way (ROW s), and franchise areas in the cities of Monterey Park, Montebello, and Commerce and portions of unincorporated Los Angeles County to accommodate the new substation configuration.
Installation of two new telecommunications lines and reroute of one existing telecommunications line within the cities of Monterey Park, Montebello, and Rosemead, and portions of unincorporated Los Angeles County.
Reroute of existing telecommunications lines inside the perimeter fence lines of Vincent, Pardee, and Walnut Substations.
Conversion of an existing distribution line from overhead to underground between three street lights within the City of Bell Gardens.
Replacement of a section of a Metropolitan Water District 72-inch-diameter water line within the Mesa Substation property and adjacent northern transmission ROW with an 84-inch-diameter water line.
Installation of a temporary 220-kV circuit loop-in at Goodrich Substation in Pasadena to allow for continued service to Pasadena during required outages for the 220-kV line.
Replacement of 220-kV line termination equipment at the existing Laguna Bell and Lighthipe Substations.
Upgrades to various 66-kV and 220-kV line protection relays and/or telecommunications equipment inside the existing Mechanical Electrical Equipment Rooms (MEERs) at 27 satellite substations across the Electrical Needs Area (ENA).

Construction of the new 500/220/66/16-kV substation and demolition of the existing 220/66/16-kV substation would occur in phases. Phase 1 would consist of grading and initial site development on the western portion of the project site. Phase 2 would consist of construction of the first half of the new Mesa Substation. During Phase 1 and 2, the existing substation on the eastern portion of the site would remain operational in order to maintain electrical service to customers during construction. Phase 3 would consist of demolition of the existing substation and construction of the second half of the new substation on the eastern portion of the site. Construction of the Mesa Substation Project is anticipated to begin in 2017 and would take approximately 4.5 years.

Project Location

The Proposed Project is located in Los Angeles County, California, primarily in the City of Monterey Park where the existing 220/66/16-kV Mesa Substation would be demolished and the new 500/220/66/16-kV Mesa Substation would be constructed. Other major components will be located within portions of Monterey Park, Montebello, Rosemead, South El Monte, Commerce, Bell Gardens, Pasadena, Industry, Santa Clarita, and in portions of unincorporated Los Angeles County.

Application and Proponent’s Environmental Assessment

SCE filed an application (A.15-03-003) for a PTC and Proponent's Environmental Assessment (PEA) for the proposed project on March 13, 2015. The PEA provides information to begin the independent environmental review process conducted by the CPUC. On April 2, 2015, the CPUC sent a deficiency letter to SCE, which requested additional information needed in order to deem the application complete. SCE provided a response to Deficiency Letter #1 on April 30, 2015. Following review of SCE’s response, the CPUC deemed the application complete on May 15, 2015.

Data Requests and Responses

The CPUC reviewed the application and PEA to identify additional data needed from the Applicant to complete the environmental review process. The CPUC submitted data requests to the applicant for specific information to support the environmental review process. Those requests and the applicant's responses are included below.

CPUC Request	SCE’s Response	Attachments
Data Request #1 (5/22/15)	DR #1 Response (Part 1) (6/5/15) Data Request #1 Responses 6/5/15 Answer Q.04 Answer Q.05 Answer Q.06 Answer Q.07 Answer Q.08 Answer Q.09 Answer Q.10 Answer Q.12 Answer Q.13 Answer Q.14 Answer Q.16 Answer Q.17 Answer Q.18 Answer Q.19 Answer Q.20 Answer Q.21 Answer Q.22 Answer Q.23 Answer Q.25 Answer Q.26 Answer Q.27 Answer Q.28 Answer Q.29 Answer Q.30 Answer Q.31 Answer Q.32 Answer Q.33 Answer Q.34 Answer Q.35 Answer Q.36 Answer Q.37 Answer Q.38 Answer Q.40 Answer Q.43 DR #1 Response (Part 2) (6/9/15) Data Request #1 Responses 6/9/15 Answer Q.11 Answer Q.15 Answer Q.24 Answer Q.39 Answer Q.41 Answer Q.42 DR #1 Response (Part 3) (6/16/15) Data Request #1 Responses 6/16/15 Answer Q.02 Answer Q.03	Response Attachments Data Request #1 Response Attachments Q.02 Attachment-Scope-Laguna Bell Q.03 Attachment-Scope-Lighthipe Q.08 Attachment-Proposed Mesa trenchless locations Q.11 Attachment-Project Solid Waste Q.14 Attachment-MLI-Additional Laydown Yard Q.16 Attachment-Mesa VP 15-20 Q.16 Attachment-Mesa VP 21-24 Q.19 Attachment-Mesa Figure 4.4.1 Vegetation Community Map Q.36 Attachment-Mesa –Construction Water Use Evaluation Q.39 Attachment-Stockpile Location Q.41 Attachment-Retaining Wall Exhibit Q.43 Attachment-Revised LST Analysis
Data Request #1 Follow Up (6/25/15)	DR #1 Follow Up Response (Part 1) (7/22/15) Data Follow Up #1 Responses 7/22/15 Answer Q.04 Answer Q.05 Answer Q.07 Answer Q.08 Answer Q.10 Answer Q.14 Answer Q.18 Answer Q.19 Answer Q.36 Answer Q.40 DR #1 Follow Up Response (Part 2) (8/5/15) Data Follow Up #1 Responses 8/5/15 Answer Q.08-01 DR #1 Follow Up Response (Part 3) (8/3/15).¹ Data Follow Up #1 Responses 8/3/15 Answer Q.19-01	Response Attachments Data Request #1 Response Follow Up Attachments Answer Q.02 Answer Q.03 Q.10-01 Attachment-Table 3-13 Proposed Project Estimated Land Disturbance Q.18-01 Attachment-Photos of dulled, darkened, and galvanized un-dulled steel
Data Request #1 Follow Up 02 (8/14/15)	DR #1 Follow Up 02 Response (8/31/15) Data Follow Up #1 02 Responses 8/31/15 Answer Q.26-01 Answer Q.26-02 Answer Q.26-03 Answer Q.26-04 Answer Q.26-05 Answer Q.26-06 Answer Q.26-07 Answer Q.26-08 Answer Q.26-09 Answer Q.26-10 Answer Q.26-11 Answer Q.26-12 Answer Q.26-13	Response Attachments Data Request #1 Response Follow Up 02 Attachments Answer Q.26-01
Data Request #1 Follow Up 03 (9/1/15)	DR #1 Follow Up 03 Response (9/16/15) Data Follow Up #1 03 Responses 9/16/15 Answer Q.19-02 Answer Q.19-02 Part 2	Response Attachments Data Request #1 Response Follow Up 02 Attachments Answer Q.26-01
Data Request #2 (7/22/15)	DR #2 Response (Part 1) (8/1/15) Data Request #2 Responses 8/1/15 Answer Q.02 Answer Q.03 Answer Q.04 Answer Q.05 Answer Q.06 Answer Q.08 DR #2 Response (Part 2) (8/17/15) Data Request #2 Responses 8/17/15 Answer Q.01 DR #2 Response (Part 3) (8/18/15) Data Request #2 Responses 8/18/15 Answer Q.07 AB Answer Q.07 CDE
Data Request #2 Follow Up (8/6/15)	DR #2 Follow Up Response (8/27/15) Data Follow Up #2 Responses 8/27/15 Answer Q.01.A (04-01) Answer Q.01.B (04-01) Answer Q.01.C (04-01) Answer Q.01.D (04-01) Answer Q.02.A (05-01) Answer Q.02.B (05-01) Answer Q.02.C (05-01) Answer Q.02.D (05-01) Answer Q.03.A (06-01) Answer Q.03.B (06-01)	Response Attachments Data Request #2 Response Follow Up Attachments Answer Q.01.A (04-01) Answer Q.01.A (04-01) Transmission Plan Answer Q.01.B (04-01) High Density Urban Area
Data Request #3 (9/1/15)	DR #3 Response (9/16/15) Data Request #3 Responses 9/16/15 Answer Q.01.a Answer Q.01.a Answer Answer Q.01.b Answer Q.01.b Answer Answer Q.01.c Answer Q.02.a Answer Q.02.b Answer Q.02.c Answer Q.02.d Answer Q.03	Response Attachments Data Request #3 Response Attachments A1503003 ED-SCE-03 Q.01.a Attachment A- Information Supporting Responses to CPUC Data Request #3 A1503003 ED-SCE-03 Q.01.a Attachment-CEC-700-2014-002 (Part 1) A1503003 ED-SCE-03 Q.01.a Attachment-CEC-700-2014-002 (Part 2) A1503003 ED-SCE-03 Q.01.a Attachment-CEC-700-2014-002-AD A1503003 ED-SCE-03 Q.01.a Attachment-CEC-700-2014-002-AD2
Data Request #4 (9/16/15)	DR #4 Response (Part 1) (10/2/15) Data Request #4 Responses 10/2/15 Answer Q.01 Answer Q.03A Answer Q.03B Answer Q.04 Answer Q.05 Answer Q.06 Answer Q.07 Answer Q.08 Answer Q.09A Answer Q.09B Answer Q.10B Answer Q.10C DR #4 Response (Part 2) (10/2/15) Data Request #4 Responses 10/2/15 Answer Q.10A DR #4 Response (Part 3) (10/9/15) Data Request #4 Responses 10/9/15 Answer Q.02	Response Attachments Data Request #4 Response Attachments Q.2 Attachment (well coordinates) Q.7 Attachment (Well decommissioning CalEEmod Air outputs) Q.10A Attachment (Well #03705181 Documentation) Q.10A Attachment (Well #03705799 Documentation Q.10A Attachment (Well #03712269 Documentation) Q.10A Attachment (Department of Conservation, DOGGR Records) Q.10A Attachment (Additional well information)
Data Request #5 (9/18/15)	DR #5 Response (Part 1) (10/2/15) Data Request #5 Responses 10/2/15 Answer Q.01A Answer Q.01B (Confidential) Answer Q.02A (Confidential) Answer Q.02B Answer Q.02C Answer Q.03A Answer Q.03B Answer Q.03C Answer Q.04A Answer Q.04B Answer Q.05A Answer Q.05B Answer Q.05C (Confidential) Answer Q.06A (Confidential) Answer Q.06B (Confidential) Answer Q.06C (Confidential) Answer Q.06D (Confidential) Answer Q.06E (Confidential) Answer Q.7A Answer Q.7B DR #5 Response (Part 2) (10/8/15) Data Request #5 Responses 10/8/15 Answer Q.03A (Confidential) Answer Q.03C DR #5 Response (Part 3) (10/13/15) Data Request #5 Responses 10/13/15 Answer Q.03B (Confidential)	N/A
Data Request #6 (10/30/15)	DR #6 Response (11/17/2015) Data Request #6 Responses 11/17/15 Answer Q.1A Answer Q.1B Answer Q.1C Answer Q.1D Answer Q.2A Answer Q.2B Answer Q.2C Answer Q.3A Answer Q.3B Answer Q.3C Answer Q.4A Answer Q.4B Answer Q.4C	N/A
Data Request #7 (11/18/15)	DR #7 Response (12/3/2015) Data Request #7 Responses 12/3/15 Answer Q.1 Answer Q.2	Answer Q.1 Attachment (Pre-Project Contingency List)

^{1. Revised visual simulations provided in response to Data Request #1 Follow UP Q.19 show a 10 ft. wall. Consistent with the current proposed project, these simulations will be revised to reflect a 12 ft. wall.}

During the public comment period for the Draft EIR, SCE submitted a comment letter to the CPUC. After reviewing the comment letter, the CPUC sent a data request to SCE. SCE provided responses on 7/15/16 and 8/3/16. The requests and responses are included in the table below.

CPUC Request	Response	Attachments
Data Request #8 - to SCE (7/22/16)	DR #8 Response (8/4/16) Data Request #8 Responses 8/4/16 Answer Q.01 Answer Q.02 Answer Q.03 Answer Q.04 Answer Q.05 Answer Q.06 Answer Q.07	Response Attachments Data Request #8 Response Attachments Q.01 Attachment (GIS Data) Q.02 Attachment 1 of 3 (Comment Table) Q.02 Attachment 2 of 3 (Plot Plan) Q.02 Attachment 3 of 3 (Construction Phases) Q.03 Attachment 1 of 11 Part 1 (LSAA Permit Application) Q.03 Attachment 1 of 11 Part 2 (LSAA Permit Application) Q.03 Attachment 2 of 11 (401 Permit Application) Q.03 Attachment 3 of 11 (404 Permit Application) Q.03 Attachment 4 of 11 (401 Permit Attachment A) Q.03 Attachment 5 of 11 (404 Permitting Figure 3) Q.03 Attachment 6 of 11 (404 Permit Figure 4: Detail) Q.03 Attachment 7 of 11 (404 Permit Figure 4: Overview) Q.03 Attachment 8 of 11 (404 Permit Figure 5) Q.03 Attachment 9 of 11 (404 Permit Figure 1: Project Components) Q.03 Attachment 10 of 11 (404 Permit Figure 2: Substation Layout) Q.03 Attachment 11 of 11 (404 Permit Attachment C) Q.04 Attachment (Avian Protection Plan) Q.05 Attachment (USACE Correspondence) Q.06 Attachment 1 of 3 (Recycled Water Letter) Q.06 Attachment 2 of 3 (Recycled Water Meeting Notes) Q.06 Attachment 3 of 3 (Monterey Park Recycled Water Map)

During the public comment period for the Draft EIR, the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) submitted a comment letter to the CPUC. After reviewing the comment letter, the CPUC sent a data request to CAISO and received a response as indicated below.

CPUC Request	Response	Attachments
Data Request #1 - to CAISO (7/20/16)	CPUC received CAISO’s response on 8/3/16	N/A

After the release of the Draft EIR (April 2015), the following data requests were submitted to the CPUC. The responses to these data requests have been provided to assist the parties in providing comments on the Draft EIR.

SCE Request	CPUC's Response	Attachments
Data Request #1 (5/16/16)	DR #1 Response (5/23/216)	Attachment 1 (Written Responses to SCE’s Data Request)

Public Scoping and Notice of Preparation of an EIR

On June 5, 2015, the CPUC published a Notice of Preparation (NOP) indicating that an EIR would be prepared. The NOP, which includes a figure depicting an overview of project components, is located here.

Publication of the NOP initiated a public comment period beginning June 5, 2015, and ending at 5:00 pm on July 5, 2015. All interested parties, including the public, responsible agencies, and trustee agencies, were invited to learn more about the project, ask questions, and present comments about the Mesa Substation Project at the public scoping meeting. The scoping meeting was held on June 23, 2015 at the Langley Center, located at 400 W. Emerson Avenue in the City of Monterey Park, California from 6:00 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. A copy of the PowerPoint presented at the scoping meeting is located here.

In addition, all interested parties were invited to provide written scoping comments via mail, fax, or e-mail to the CPUC during the NOP comment period specified above.

Comments received during the scoping period will be considered during preparation of the Mesa Substation Project EIR. The following comments were received during the scoping period:

Written Comments Received during the Scoping Period
Name	Affiliation	Date Received
Local and Regional Agencies
Barbara Radlein	South Coast Air Quality Management District	6/23/15
Dianna Watson	California Department of Transport (Caltrans)	7/1/2015
Deborah Drezner	Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Metropolitan)	7/1/2015
Joyce Kinnear	Silicon Valley Power (SVP)	7/6/2015
Tribal Representatives
Andy Salas	Chairman Of Gabrieleño Band Of Mission Indians/Kizh (Kit'c) Nation	6/12/15
Individuals and Organizations
Doug Ito	None	4/2/2015
Samuel B. Villalobos	None	4/13/2015 7/4/2015 7/5/2015
Victor Pelayo	None	4/13/2015¹
J.P. Wolk	None	6/9/2015
Saul Roe	None	6/12/2015
Oral Comments Received During Scoping Meeting
Samuel Villalobos	None	6/23/2015
Note ¹Three separate emails were submitted by this commenter on the same date.

All scoping comments can be found here and are organized by the date that they were received.

Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and Public Comment Period

As the CEQA Lead Agency, the CPUC prepared a Draft EIR for the proposed project in accordance with CEQA. Links to view the Notice of Completion, Notice of Availability, and Draft EIR are provided below.

Hardcopies of the Drat EIR were available at the following repositories during the comment period:

Monterey Park Library
318 S Ramona Avenue
Monterey Park, CA 91754
(626) 307-1368

Montebello Library
1550 W Beverly Boulevard
Montebello, CA 90640
(323) 722-6551

The CPUC initiated a 45-day comment period starting April 29, 2016 extending through June 13, 2016. The CPUC extended the comment period to 60 days, and accepted written comments on the Draft EIR through June 27, 2016. All written comments must have been postmarked or received by fax or email no later than 5:00 p.m. on June 27. The comment period is now closed

The CPUC held a public meeting on May 18, 2016, to explain the proposed project, discuss the proposed project’s significant impacts, and receive written comments on the Draft EIR from the public. The meeting began with a presentation, followed by an informal discussion session. Details for the public meeting are provided below:

May 18, 2016, 6:00 p.m.
Barnes Park – Service Club House Main Room
350 S. McPherrin Ave.
Monterey Park, CA 91754

Link to the Presentation

The following comments were received on the Draft EIR:

Written Comments Received on the Draft EIR
Name	Affiliation	Date Received
State and Local Agencies
Betty Courtney	California Department of Fish and Wildlife	6/16/2016
Deanna Watson	California Department of Transport (Caltrans)	6/1/2016
Jordan Pinjuv	California Independent System Operator	6/27/2016
Jillian Wong	South Coast Air Quality Management District	6/10/2016
Vivian Romero	City of Montebello	6/22/2016
City of Montebello, City Council Members	City of Montebello	6/22/2016
Jose Jimenez	City of Commerce	5/31/2016
Michael Huntley	City of Monterey Park	6/23/2016
Tribal Representatives
Andrew Salas	Chairman Of Gabrieleño Band Of Mission Indians/Kizh (Kit'c) Nation	5/10/2016
Non-Government Organizations
Margot Eister	Save Montebello Hills	5/22/2016
Yvonne Watson	Sierra Club
Margot Eiser	Citizens for Open and Public Participation	6/27/2016
Josh Havelka	Barnhart Crane	6/10/2016
Individuals
Saul Roe	None	4/30/2016
James Flournoy	None	5/1/2016
Calvin Yoshitake	None	5/18/2016
Marc Blodgett	None	5/18/2016
Samuel Villalobos	None	5/18/2016¹
Samuel Villalobos	None	5/18/2016¹
Samuel Villalobos	None	6/27/2016¹
Henry Yew	None	6/27/2016
Yvonne Watson	None	6/27/2016
Applicant
Applicant	SCE	6/27/2016
Note ¹Three separate comments were submitted by this commenter; two were received on 5/18/2016, and a third was submitted on 6/27/2016.

Final EIR

CPUC published the Final EIR on October 7, 2016. It includes comments on the Draft EIR, responses to comments on the Draft EIR, and revisions to the Draft EIR. The Final EIR is available electronically by clicking the link below.

Final EIR
- Volume I/Volume II: EIR
- Volume III: Response to Comments

Hard copies of the Final EIR are available at the following libraries:

Monterey Park Library
318 S Ramona Avenue
Monterey Park, CA 91754
(626) 307-1368

Montebello Library
1550 W Beverly Boulevard
Montebello, CA 90640
(323) 722-6551

Commerce Public Library
5655 Jillson Street
Commerce, CA 90040
(323) 722-6660

Administrative Law Judge’s Proceeding

For information about the proceeding or to find out how you can participate in the proceeding, please click the following link and enter the proceeding number (1503003):

Link to the Proceeding

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:

Project email: Mesa.CPUC@ene.com
Project fax: 415-398-5326
Project voicemail: (844) 538-6992 (toll free)

The CPUC’s Project Manager is:

Lisa Orsaba, CPUC Project Manager
California Public Utilities Commission
505 Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94102
Email: Lisa.Orsaba@cpuc.ca.gov
Tel.: (415) 703-1966

STATE OF CALIFORNIA
PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION

Southern California Edison
Mesa 500-kV Substation Project

(Application No. A.15-03-003)