4. Description of CEQA Project and Project Alternatives

CEQA requires the consideration of a range of reasonable alternatives to the proposed project that would feasibly attain most of the basic objectives of the project and avoid or substantially lessen any of the significant effects of the project, and evaluate the comparative merits of the alternatives including the "no project" alternative. In considering the proposed ECO Substation project, the EIR/EIS evaluated the whole of the action (see CEQA Guidelines § 15378(a)), which it determined to include the Tule Wind Project proposed by Tule Wind, LLC (a subsidiary of Iberdrola Renewables, Inc.), which would tie into the Boulevard Substation rebuild, the Energia Sierra Juarez Generator-Tie-Line (ESJ Gen-Tie) proposed by Energia Sierra Juarez U.S. Transmission, LLC, which would connect to the ECO Substation, as well as the proposed Campo, Manzanita and Jordan wind energy projects.

4.1. Proposed Project

As proposed by SDG&E, the ECO Substation Project includes the construction of a 500/230/138 kV substation in southeastern San Diego County, construction of a short loop-in of the existing SWPL transmission line to the proposed substation, construction of a 13.3-mile, 138 kV transmission line between the proposed substation and the Boulevard Substation, and the rebuild of the Boulevard Substation. The ECO Substation, SWPL loop-in, rebuilt Boulevard Substation and all but 1.5 miles of the transmission line would be located on private lands owned by SDG&E or within SDG&E easements within unincorporated San Diego County; the 1.5 mile portion of the transmission line would be located on BLM-administered land.

The proposed Tule Wind Project would include up to 128 wind turbines in the range of 1.5 megawatt (MW) to 3.0 MW, a 34.5 kV overhead and underground collector cable system linking the wind turbines to the collector substation, a five-acre collector substation site and a five-acre operations and maintenance building site, three permanent meteorological towers and one sonic detecting and ranging unit or one light detecting and ranging unit, a 138 kV overhead transmission line running south from the collector substation to interconnect with the rebuilt Boulevard Substation, and 36.76 miles of newly constructed access roads and 23.44 miles of temporarily widened and improved existing access roads. The Tule Wind Project would be primarily located in the In-Ko-Pah Mountains near the McCain Valley in southeastern San Diego County on lands administered by the BLM, the Ewiiaapaayp Indian Reservation, the Manzanita and Campo Indian Reservations, the California State Lands Commission, and private land under the jurisdiction of San Diego County.

The proposed ESJ Gen-Tie would have the capacity to import up to 1250 MW of renewable energy generated in northern Baja California, Mexico to the SWPL in southeastern San Diego County. Depending on whether it is single-circuit 500 kV or double-circuit 230 kV, the gen-tie would be constructed on either three to five 150-foot lattice towers or three to five 170-foot steel monopoles, and would interconnect with the ECO Substation and extend south for less than one mile to the U.S.-Mexico international border. As part of the gen-tie project, a new access route would be constructed approximately four miles east of the ESJ Gen-Tie site, from Old Highway 80 to an existing well site. The ESJ Gen-Tie would be located on private land primarily owned by Energia Sierra Juarez Transmission, LLC, with the remaining land owned by SDG&E.

SDG&E's proposed Campo Wind Project would include approximately 106 turbines capable of generating 160 MW, and would be located south of the Tule Wind Project and west of the Boulevard Substation on the Campo Indian Reservation. As sufficient project-level information has yet to be developed for the proposed project, project facilities (turbines, collector system and substation, operations and maintenance facility, gen-tie line, access roads and construction areas) are assumed to be similar to those proposed for the Tule Wind Project.

The proposed Manzanita Wind Project would include up to 25 wind turbines capable of generating up to 57.5 MW, and would be located on the same ridgeline as the existing Kumeyaay Wind facility and interconnect to the Boulevard Substation.

The proposed Jordan Wind Project would include 40 2.3 MW turbines capable of generating 92 MW, and would be located west of the Boulevard Substation and interconnect to it.

4.2. "No Project" Alternative 1

Under the "no project" alternative 1, the whole of the proposed project including the ECO Substation, Tule Wind, ESJ Gen-Tie, Campo, Manzanita, and Jordan wind energy projects, would not be built. All environmental impacts associated with the construction and operation of the proposed project would be eliminated and existing environmental conditions would be unaffected.

4.3. "No Project" Alternative 2

Under the "no project" alternative 2, the ECO Substation Project would not be built, and the conditions in the existing energy grid and local environment would remain. Without the ECO Substation Project, there would not be an interconnection hub that would enable renewable generation such as the ESJ Gen-Tie or Tule Wind projects to connect to the grid. Additionally, energy transmission would remain unreliable in the surrounding communities. Planned generation facilities in the project area would require additional miles of transmission line to reach an interconnection point and possibly multiple connection points on SDG&E's existing transmission system. In addition, new substations to be constructed by each generator might be required to connect the generation facilities to the grid.

4.4. ECO Substation Project Alternatives

The ECO Substation Alternative Site would be located 700 feet east of the proposed site, change the configuration of the SWPL Loop-In to require two additional structures, extend the 138 kV transmission line to 13.4 miles to require one additional pole, and shift the location of seven of the steel poles along the 138 kV transmission line. The northwest corner of the western ECO Substation pad would be removed to reduce impacts to water resources. The alternative would include an additional construction staging area with a temporary tap connecting to the existing 12 kV distribution system, located to the south of the substation pad; three additional staging areas located to the east of the substation pad; 830 feet of additional access roads; and 0.09 acres of additional permanent maintenance pads. The proposed project's two retention basins (for stormwater collection) would be joined to form a single retention basin. Finally, the access road to the ECO Substation would be located along the west and south sides of the substation site, rather than along the north side.

The ECO Partial Underground 138 kV Transmission Route Alternative would be the same as the proposed project, except that the approximately four miles of the route between the SWPL and Boulevard Substation and approximately 2.7 miles of the route along Old Highway 80 and Carrizo Gorge Road would be installed underground.

The ECO Highway 80 138 kV Transmission Route Alternative would be the same as the proposed project, except that the proposed route from approximately milepost 5.8 to milepost 13.3 would be installed along Old Highway 80 where it would follow and overbuild an existing electrical distribution line.

The ECO Highway 80 Underground 138 kV Transmission Route Alternative would be the same as the ECO Highway 80 138 kV Transmission Route Alternative, except that the relocated portion of the transmission line would be installed underground.

4.5. Tule Wind Project Alternatives

The Tule Wind Alternative 1 would be the same as the proposed project, except that the operations and maintenance and collector substation facilities would be co-located on Rough Acres Ranch approximately five miles south of the proposed site, the temporary five-acre concrete batch plant would be moved from its proposed location on BLM jurisdictional lands to Rough Acres Ranch, and the proposed overhead collector line located west of Lost Valley Rock would be relocated to east of Lost Valley Rock and constructed within the proposed Tule Wind Project 138 kV alignment that would be vacated as a result of the operations and maintenance facility and collector substation location shift.

The Tule Wind Alternative 2 would be the same as the Tule Wind Alternative 1, except that the 138 kV transmission line would run underground from the alternate collector substation approximately one mile east, then south underground along McCain Valley Road, and then west underground along Old Highway 80 until connecting to the Boulevard Substation.

The Tule Wind Alternative 3 would be the same as the Tule Wind Alternative 1, except that the 138 kV transmission line would run from the alternate collector substation approximately three miles west to Ribbonwood Road, continue south along Ribbonwood Road, and then east along Old Highway 80 until connecting to the Boulevard Substation.

The Tule Wind Alternative 4 would be the same as the Tule Wind Alternative 3, except that the 138 kV transmission line would run underground from the alternate collector substation approximately three miles west to Ribbonwood Road, continue underground south along Ribbonwood Road, and then underground east along Old Highway 80 until reaching the Boulevard Substation.

The Tule Wind Alternative 5 would be the same as the proposed project, except that it would remove six turbines adjacent to the In-Ko-Pah Mountains Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) and 57 turbines on the western side of the project site.

4.6. ESJ Gen-Tie Project Alternatives

The ESJ 230 kV Gen-Tie Underground Alternative would follow the same path as the proposed project, but would be placed underground.

The ESJ Gen-Tie Overhead Alternative Alignment would be the same as the proposed project, except that it would provide connection (under either the 230 kV or the 500 kV option) for the ECO Substation Alternative Site located 700 feet east of the proposed location.

The ESJ Gen-Tie Underground Alternative Alignment would be the same as the proposed project, except that it would not have the 500 kV option, and the 230 kV gen-tie line would be placed underground.