2. Background
By Decision (D.) 07-01-040 as modified pursuant to D.09-11-007, the Commission granted a certificate of public convenience and necessity (CPCN) authorizing Southern California Edison Company (SCE) to construct the Devers-Palo Verde No. 2 Transmission Line Project (DPV2), which included the (unexpanded) Colorado River Substation (formerly known as Midpoint Substation). In so doing, D.07-01-040 certified the Final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (Final EIR/EIS) for the project, which was prepared jointly by the Commission pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act, as having been completed in compliance with CEQA, and adopted the mitigation monitoring plan proposed in the Final EIR/EIS as a condition of SCE accepting its CPCN.
By this application, filed on November 3, 2010, SCE seeks a permit to construct an expansion to the Colorado River Substation in order to interconnect the 1000 megawatt (MW) Blythe Solar Power Project and the 250 MW Genesis Solar Energy Project to the California Independent System Operator (CAISO)-controlled transmission grid. No protests were filed.
On February 22, 2011, the Commission's Energy Division issued a draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (SEIR) identifying new impacts or substantial changes in impacts that will result from the proposed substation expansion, and alternatives for reducing or avoiding them, and solicited written comments on it.
CAlifornians for Renewable Energy (CARE) and NextEra Energy Resources LLC (NextEra)1 respectively filed motions for party status on March 4, 2011, and March 21, 2011, and Solar Millennium LLC (Solar Millennium)2 moved for party status at the prehearing conference conducted on April 6, 2011; all three entities were granted party status at the prehearing conference conducted on April 6, 2011.3
On April 11, 2011, the assigned Commissioner issued a scoping memo and ruling which identified the issues to be determined by the Commission in resolving the proceeding and set a schedule for addressing those issues. By ruling dated May 4, 2011, the administrative law judge admitted into evidence the final SEIR4 and the parties' prepared testimony.
SCE, CARE, NextEra and Solar Millennium filed opening briefs on May 17, 2011, and reply briefs on May 24, 2011, upon which the record was submitted.
1 NextEra and its wholly-owned subsidiary Genesis Solar, LLC (Genesis Solar) own the Genesis Solar Energy Project.
2 Solar Millennium owns the Blythe Solar Power Project.
3 CARE's filed motion was denied without prejudice by ruling dated March 23, 2011. CARE offered a revised motion for party status at the prehearing conference.
4 The final SEIR was issued on April 29, 2011.
