Michel Peter Florio is the assigned Commissioner and Maryam Ebke is the assigned Administrative Law Judge in this proceeding.
1. The proposed project includes:
_ Leatherneck Substation: Construction of a new, customer-dedicated, 115/33kV substation, located within the Combat Center and encompassing an inside-the fence area of approximately 0.9 acres. Including the access driveway and drainage and slope improvements outside the fence, the new Leatherneck Substation will cover a total area of approximately 1.9 acres. The Leatherneck Substation will be connected to both the existing Hi Desert Substation and the existing Carodean Substation, as described in the following paragraphs.
_ Hi Desert-Leatherneck Subtransmission Line: The subtransmission connection to the new Leatherneck Substation from Hi Desert Substation will consist partly of new line and partly of reconfigured existing line.
_ Carodean-Leatherneck Subtransmission Line: Construction of a new 115kV subtransmission line from the existing Carodean Substation to the new Leatherneck Substation, a distance of approximately 9 miles, by overbuilding existing 33kV circuit and existing 12kV circuit along that route
_ Carodean-Hi Desert Subtransmission Line: A new 115 kV line segment will be overbuilt along the existing 33kV route from Hi Desert Substation to Sunnyslope Drive, a distance of approximately 1 mile which will connect at Sunnyslope Drive to the existing 115 kV line to Carodean Substation, together forming the new Carodean-Hi Desert 115 kV line.
_ Upgrades to and expansion of the existing Hi Desert Substation: Electrical reconfiguration of the Hi Desert Substation, including expansion of the overall substation site approximately 28 feet to the north (an expansion area of approximately 0.2 acres) on SCE-owned property.
_ Upgrades to additional existing SCE substations: Electrical reconfiguration of the Carodean Substation, including construction of a new mechanical electrical equipment room, but not involving any expansion of the overall substation site; and electrical equipment upgrades at the Yucca and Devers substations, also not involving any expansion of the substation sites.
_ Telecommunications Equipment: Installation of new telecommunications equipment and new overhead fiber optic lines at the new Leatherneck Substation as well as at the existing substations.
2. No protests were filed to the Application.
3. The Final EA identified no significant environmental impacts from the project.
4. The Commission has reviewed and considered the information contained in the EA.
5. The EA reflects the Commission's independent judgment and analysis.
6. The Leatherneck Substation project will enable SCE to accommodate the projected increase in long-term electricity demand at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center located at Twentynine Palms, California, and will enhance the reliability of the power supply to the Combat Center by adding a redundant connection to the electrical grid.
7. The proposed project incorporates no-cost and low-cost measures to reduce potential EMF impacts by placing its major substation electrical equipment (such as transformers, switchracks, buses and underground duct banks) away from the substation property lines, and arranging the conductors of the proposed transmission line segments for magnetic field reduction along adjacent transmission corridors.
Conclusions of Law
1. The EA was completed in compliance with CEQA.
2. The proposed project design is consistent with the Commission's EMF policy for implementing no-cost and low-cost measures to reduce potential EMF impacts.
3. SCE should be granted a permit to construct the Leatherneck Substation project.
4. The final EA should be marked for identification and received into the evidentiary record as Exhibit 1.
5. This proceeding should be closed.
6. This order should be effective immediately.
ORDER
IT IS ORDERED that:
1. Southern California Edison Company is granted a Permit to Construct the Leatherneck Substation project, which includes:
· Construction of one new Leatherneck 115/33 kilovolt (kV) 56 megavolt-ampere (MVA) customer-dedicated substation for the United States Marine Corps Combat Center (Combat Center) in Twentynine Palms, San Bernardino County, California.
· Work at the existing Carodean and Hi Desert Substations will include converting and/or reconfiguring the operating and transfer buses, expanding the substation footprint at Hi Desert Substation, addition of bank positions, new Mechanical Electrical Equipment Room (MEER) building at Carodean Substation and expanding the MEER at Hi Desert Substation.
· Construction of two new 115 kV subtransmission lines to serve the Leatherneck Substation; Hi Desert-Leatherneck 115 kV and Carodean-Leatherneck 115 kV.
· Related subtransmission line upgrades and electrical upgrades at several existing substations in the Twentynine Palms area.
2. Southern California Edison Company shall have in place, prior to commencing construction, all of the necessary easements rights, or other legal authority, to the Leatherneck Substation project sites.
3. Sothern California Edison Company shall comply with all special conservation measures set forth in the final Environmental Assessment issued pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (Exhibit 1 to this proceeding) and shall provide to the Commission's Energy Division proof of compliance with special conservation measures as they are completed.
4. Upon receipt of proof of compliance with the special conservation measures from Southern California Edison Company SCE), the Energy Division shall issue a notice(s) to proceed to SCE as is applicable during various phases of the project. The Commission project manager (Energy Division, Environmental Projects Unit) shall have the authority to issue a Stop Work Order on the entire project, or portions thereof, for the purpose of ensuring compliance with the special conservation measures described in the Environmental Assessment.
5. Construction of the Leatherneck Substation may not resume without a Notice to Proceed issued by the Energy Division.
6. The final Environmental Assessment issued pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act shall be marked for identification and received into the
evidentiary record as Exhibit 1.
7. Application 11-05-029 is closed.
This order is effective today.
Dated September 22, 2011, at San Francisco, California.
MICHAEL R. PEEVEY
President
TIMOTHY ALAN SIMON
MICHEL PETER FLORIO
CATHERINE J.K. SANDOVAL
MARK J. FERRON
Commissioners