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Environmental Review

Draft Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration Publication (*NEW*)

On July 21, 2017, the CPUC released a Notice of Intent (NOI) to adopt a Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) for the Fulton-Fitch Mountain Reconductoring Project based on the findings of an Initial Study (IS) that was prepared pursuant to California Public Resources Code § 21000 et seq. The Draft IS/MND shows that all project-related environmental impacts could be reduced to a less-than-significant level with the incorporation of minor revisions to the proposed project and feasible mitigation measures, which PG&E has agreed to implement should CPUC approve the project. The NOI and Draft IS/MND are available by clicking on the following links:

• Notice of Intent
• Draft IS/MND

Public and Agency Comments

The Draft IS/MND is being circulated for a 30-day public review period, July 21, 2017 through August 21, 2017. The public may submit comments and concerns regarding the proposed project and the adequacy of the Draft IS/MND. Written comments on the Draft IS/MND must be postmarked or received by fax or email no later than August 21, 2017.

Comments submitted during the formal comment period will be addressed in the Final IS/MND, as required by CEQA. The CPUC will not consider anonymous comments. Individual respondents may request confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your name or street address from public review, you must state this prominently at the beginning of your written comment. Such requests will be honored to the extent allowed by law. All submissions from organizations and businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be publicly disclosed in their entirety. Written comments on the Draft IS/MND should be submitted by U.S. mail, fax, or email to:

Background

PG&E proposes to reinforce the electric transmission system in central Sonoma County by replacing the conductor on a 9.8-mile-long section of the Fulton-Hopland 60-kV Power Line (Fulton-Hopland line) between the Fulton Substation and Fitch Mountain Substation. The project would include replacing poles along 8 miles of the Fulton-Hopland line, replacing conductor on 1.4 miles of the Geysers #12-Fulton 230-kV Transmission Line (one of two circuits), and making modifications to Fitch Mountain Substation.

The proposed project is subject to CEQA review because the CPUC has been presented with a discretionary action to approve or deny PG&E’s PTC application. Before making a decision about PG&E’s application, the CPUC is required to analyze potential environmental impacts associated with the proposed project and present the findings in an environmental document for public review and comment. This website provides access to public documents and information relevant to the CEQA review process.

Project Overview

The 9.8-mile-long project alignment is comprised of the Southern Segment, Northern Segment, and Fitch Mountain Substation. Proposed actions at each location are summarized as follows:

• Southern Segment/Fulton-Shiloh Segment. Replace 1.8 miles of 60-kV conductor and 1.4 miles of 230-kV conductor co-located on existing tubular steel poles (TSPs). Insulators on the TSPs would be replaced, but the poles would remain in place. 
• Northern Segment/Shiloh-Fitch Segment. Replace 8.1 miles of 60-kV conductor located on primarily wood poles. Approximately 70 existing poles would be replaced at a roughly 1-to-1 ratio with approximately 59 light duty steel poles (LDSPs) and 7 TSPs. New poles would be between 3 to 30 feet taller than existing poles, depending on the pole location.
• Fitch Mountain Substation. Modify the existing substation by replacing motor switches, control building, conductor, and conductor support structures to accommodate the higher rated conductor that would be installed for the Fulton-Hopland line. The gravel surface of the substation would also be paved.

Application and Proponent's Environmental Assessment

PG&E filed an Application (A.15-12-005) for a PTC which included a Proponent's Environmental Assessment (PEA) on December 3, 2015. The PEA is a starting point for the independent environmental review process conducted by the CPUC.

Deficiency Reports

The CPUC submitted Deficiency Reports to PG&E requesting specific information that was not included with the Application or PEA. PG&E addressed the CPUC's comments and provided material identified in the Deficiency Reports. The CPUC deemed the Application complete on April 29, 2016. The Application and PEA can be viewed here. The Application completeness letter can be viewed here. Deficiency Reports for the project and PG&E’s responses are summarized in the following table.

CPUC Deficiency Report	PG&E Response and Status
Deficiency Report #1 (December 23, 2015)	Response #1 (January 22, 2016) Table of Responses #1 Attachment: Revised Typical Structure Drawings Attachment: Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Calculations Attachment: EDR Report Attachment: New Affected Properties Spreadsheet Response #1A (January 25, 2016) Letter #1A Attachment: Biological Resources Technical Report (GANDA 2012) (Confidentiality Withdrawn) Attachment: Addendum #1 to the Biological Resources Technical Report (TRC 2015) (Confidentiality Withdrawn) Attachment: Raptor Survey (TRC 2015) (Confidentiality Withdrawn) Attachment: Bat Survey (TRC 2015) (Confidentiality Withdrawn) Attachment: Wetland Delineation Report (TRC 2015) (Confidentiality Withdrawn) Attachment: Water Crossing Mapping (GANDA 2016) (Confidentiality Withdrawn) Attachment: Cultural Resources Reports and GIS data (NCRM 2011, TRC 2015, and Quercus 2015) (Confidential) Attachment: Paleontological Report (TRC 2015) (Confidentiality Withdrawn) Attachment: GIS data for project elements, biological resources, and wetland and water resources (Confidential) Response #1B (January 29, 2016) Letter #1B Attachment: Detailed Map Book (Confidentiality Withdrawn) Attachment: Existing General Arrangement Plans (Confidentiality Withdrawn) Attachment: GIS data for project elements, biological resources, and wetland and water resources (Confidential) Response #1C (February 5, 2016) Email #1C Attachment: Project Map Response #1D (February 26, 2016) Attachment: Detailed Project Map Response #1E (July 8, 2016) Letter #1E Attachment: Cultural Survey Memo (TRC 2016) (Confidential) Attachment: Addendum #2 to the Biological Resources Technical Report (TRC 2016) (Confidentiality Withdrawn)
Deficiency Report #2 (February 19, 2016)	Response #1 (March 18, 2016) Table of Responses #1 Attachment: GIS data for alternate workspaces and access routes (Confidential) Response #2 (April 1, 2016) Attachment: Preliminary Helicopter Use Plan Response #3 (April 22, 2016) Attachment: Revised DRAFT Wetland Delineation Report (TRC 2016) (Confidentiality Withdrawn)
Deficiency Report #3 (April 7, 2016)	Response #1 (April 26, 2016) Letter #1 Attachment: Cultural Memo RE P-49-001179 and APM CR-1 (Confidential Information Redacted)
Letter Regarding Public Disclosure of CEQA Information (August 2, 2016)	Response (August 23, 2016) Letter #1 (Note: Materials where PG&E withdrew claims of confidentiality under PUC Section 583 are marked above)

Data Needs

The CPUC will submit Data Needs requests to PG&E as necessary during the environmental review process to support the preparation of an environmental document. Data Needs for the project and PG&E’s responses are summarized in the following table.

CPUC Data Needs	PG&E Response and Status
Data Needs #1 (June 9, 2016)	Response #1 (July 8, 2016) Table of Responses #1 Summary of Project Emissions: Air Quality, Greenhouse Gas Helicopter Emissions Calculations: Air Quality, Greenhouse Gas SF6-Insulated Breaker Emissions: Greenhouse Gas Construction Equipment List
Data Needs #2 (September 12, 2016)	Response #1 (October 12, 2016) Table of Responses #1 Attachment: Control Building Draft Sketch Attachment: Preliminary Construction Plan for PS-6 Attachment: Calculations and CalEEMod Files (TRC 2016) Attachment: Maps from Addendum #2 to Biological Resources Technical Report (TRC 2016) Attachment: Special-Status Plant Survey Memo (GANDA 2016) Attachment: FAA Expired Determinations Attachment: Updates to the Revised Wetland Delineation Report (TRC 2016) Attachment: PG&E Windsor Substation Project Location Map Response #2 (October 17, 2016) Attachment: GIS data for project elements, biological resources, and wetland and water resources (Confidential)
Data Needs #3 (October 31, 2016)	Response #1 (December 2, 2016) Table of Responses #1 Response #2 (December 23, 2016) Attachment: Updated GIS data (Confidential) Response #3 (January 13, 2017) Attachment: Addendum #3 to the Biological Resources Technical Report (TRC 2016)
Data Needs #4 (March 23, 2017)	Response #1 (April 6, 2017) Table of Responses #1 Response #2 (April 11, 2017) Attachment: Additional Cultural Resources Survey Report (Confidential) Response #3 (May 30, 2017) Attachment: GIS data for project elements, biological resources, cultural resources, and wetland and water resources (Confidential) Response #4 (May 31, 2017) Attachment: Biological Reconnaissance Survey for Work Areas (TRC 2017) Attachment: Memo regarding SW3 at Pole 62 (TRC 2017) Attachment: Memo regarding Aquatic Resources Assessment (GANDA 2017)

Public Meetings

An informational meeting for the public was held on August 24, 2016 to describe PG&E’s proposed project and the CEQA process. The presentation slides from the meeting can be viewed here.

For Additional Information

Additional information will be posted at this site as it becomes publicly available.

To request additional information, ask a question, or be added to the project mailing list, please contact:

Email	fulton2fitch@panoramaenv.com
Fax	(650) 373 - 1211
CPUC Project Manager Mailing Address	Lisa Orsaba California Public Utilities Commission 505 Van Ness Ave, 4th Floor San Francisco CA, 94102
Formal Comment Mailing Address	California Public Utilities Commission Attn: Fulton-Fitch Mountain c/o Panorama Environmental, Inc. 1 Embarcadero Center, Suite 740 San Francisco, CA, 94111