Summary Comparison of the Proposed Project
and Alternatives

CEQA does not provide specific direction regarding the methodology of alternatives comparison. Each project must be evaluated for the issues and impacts that are most important and this will vary depending on the project type and environmental setting. The comparison presented in the EIR is designed to satisfy the requirements of CEQA Guidelines Section 15126.6[d]. If the environmentally superior alternative had been the No-Project Alternative, the EIR then must identify an environmentally superior alternative (ESA) among the other alternatives.

With the exception of visual impacts caused by the Proposed Project, there were no significant and unmitigable (Class I) environmental impacts identified that would result from the Proposed Project. With one exception, there were no significant and unmitigable (Class I) impacts identified that would result from the alternatives. The South Bay Power Plant to Sweetwater River Overhead Design Alternative is inconsistent with the MOU between SDG&E and Chula Vista concerning the undergrounding of facilities in Segment #4 and therefore would conflict with the applicable land use plans and policies of the Chula Vista Bayfront.. The amended OMPPA Transmission Project proposes undergrounding in Segment #4 to avoid that conflict. However, the conflict can only be mitigated to less than significant by the proposed undergrounding and without that mitigation would result in a Class I significant impact.