STATE OF CALIFORNIA
PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION

Pacific Gas and Electric Company
Shepherd Substation Project


Pacific Gas and Electric Company

Application No. A.10-12-003

 

Welcome to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) website for the environmental review of Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s (PG&E’s) proposed Shepherd Substation Project (project). This proposed project includes construction and installation of a new substation within unincorporated Fresno County, California.

The objective of the proposed project is to construct and operate the Shepherd Substation. A 115 kilovolt (kV) overhead power line and three distribution circuits would also be constructed as part of the project. This project is needed to accommodate existing and future demand within the project area and to increase emergency capacity and reliability.The proposed project is subject to review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and the CPUC is the CEQA Lead Agency. A CEQA review will be performed to evaluate the potential environmental impacts associated with this project. This website provides access to public documents and information relevant to the CEQA environmental review process.

Application

PG&E’s Application and associated Proponent’s Environmental Assessment (PEA) and Supplement for the Shepherd Substation Project may be viewed here: PEA (7 MB), Supplement (3 MB)

Schedule

If approved, the project would begin construction in March 2014 and the substation would be operational in June 2015.  

Project Description

PG&E proposes to construct and operate the Shepherd Substation Project. The project is located on approximately five acres in an unincorporated area of Fresno County, California, north of the City of Clovis. The proposed substation would be located at the southwest corner of Sunnyside Avenue and Perrin Avenue. The Shepherd Substation would add to the existing power grid and accommodate future development and growth in the northeast portion of the City of Fresno and in the northwest portion of the City of Clovis. A new 1.5 mile long 115kV overhead power line will be constructed within an existing PG&E distribution line right-of-way (ROW). The new power line will connect the substation with an existing power line. Two new 21-kV distribution lines and one 12-kV distribution line would be constructed south of the substation. The new distribution circuits to the south would be primarily underground. One of these circuits would transition to overhead, tying into an approximately one-mile portion of an existing overhead 12-kV distribution line that is being reconductored and converted to 21-kV voltage.

Environmental Review

The CPUC determined that an Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND) was the appropriate CEQA document to evaluate potential environmental issues associated with this project. The Draft IS/MND may be viewed here.

Public Involvement and Comment Period

The Draft IS/MND underwent a public review period from May 23, 2012, through June 22, 2012.

Final Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration

Comments on the Draft IS/MND were submitted to the CPUC during the public review period ending on June 22, 2012. The CPUC’s responses to the comments received are presented in the Final IS/MND. The conclusions of the Draft IS/MND remain unchanged in the Final IS/MND. The proposed project would not have a significant effect on the environment.

The Final IS/MND may be viewed here.

Addendum to the Final IS/MND

PG&E submitted documentation to the CPUC in February 2013 describing a modification to the project that would involve addition of a single power pole and relocation of other power poles along the proposed 115-kV power line alignment. The CPUC has prepared an Addendum to the Final IS/MND for this project modification.

The Addendum to the Final IS/MND may be viewed here.

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

There is no comment period following issuance of the Final IS/MND. The CPUC will determine the adequacy of the Final IS/MND, and, if adequate, will adopt the document as being compliant with CEQA. If adequate, the CPUC will issue a Proposed Decision on the Application, which will be announced and published concurrent with a scheduled Commission meeting. After the Commission makes the decision on the Application, a Notice of Determination (NOD) 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.

Commission Decision

The CPUC voted on May 23, 2013 to grant PG&E a permit to construct the Shepherd Substation Project. The NOD was filed with the State Clearinghouse on May 31, 2013.

The Commission decision can be viewed here.

Mitigation Monitoring

Mitigation Monitoring, Compliance, and Reporting Program

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

The MMCRP can be viewed here (2.7 MB).

Notice to Proceed

Notices to Proceed (NTPs) will be issued by the CPUC for each construction activity. Issuance of NTPs will be contingent upon PG&E compliance with pre-construction requirements as specified by the approved mitigation measures and responsible agency permitting requirements. NTPs that have been issued to PG&E by the CPUC are noted in the table below.

    Issued Notices to Proceed 

    NTP #
    Description
    Date Request Received
    Date Approved

    1    		 Pre-construction surveys, installation of exclusion fencing, and burrow excavation 11/29/2013 12/31/2013
    2 Tree removal and trimming 1/23/2014 1/29/2014
    3 Power line construction 7/1/2014 8/6/2014
    4 Distribution line construction 10/28/2014 12/2/2014

Minor Project Modifications

The CPUC reviews PG&E’s Minor Project Modifications (MPMs) according to the process outlined in the MMCRP. PG&E’s Minor Project Modification proposals and the CPUC’s review are provided in the table below.

    Completed Minor Project Modifications

    MPM #
    Description
    Date Proposal Received
    Date Review Completed
    1 Additional power line work space and access routes to avoid seasonal wetlands. 5/13/2014 6/27/2014
    2
    Realignment of four tubular steel poles and use of a temporary shoo-fly.
    		 7/1/2014 8/6/2014
    3
    200 ft2 laydown area south of East Copper Avenue, new pull-and-tension site with gated entrance north of East Copper Avenue.
    		 9/26/2014 10/22/2014
    4 Distribution construction methods.  10/28/2014
    		 12/2/2014
    5 Additional pull and tension sites and splice box.  12/23/2014
    		 1/20/2015
    5
    (Revised)    		 Revision to replace the proposed splice box with a wood riser pole.  3/26/2015
    (Revision Requested)
    		 3/26/2015
    6 Installation of an aboveground capacitor.  5/12/2015
    		 5/13/2015

For Additional Information

The CPUC, through its Environmental Review Team, manages the environmental evaluation of the proposed Project. To request additional information or to be added to the mailing list, please contact us by email, fax, or phone, as follows:

Project email: Susanne.Heim@panoramaenv.com
Project fax number: (650) 373-1211
Project voicemail: (650) 373-1200

The CPUC's Project Manager is:

Michael Rosauer
California Public Utilities Commission
505 Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94102
Tel: (415) 703-2579
michael.rosauer@cpuc.ca.gov

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