Consent 5.
Regular Board of Supervisors Meeting
Board of Supervisors
- Meeting Date:
- 08/14/2012
- Title:
- Approve letter to BLM, regarding the preferred alternative in the SunZia Draft EIS
- Submitted By:
- Katie Howard, Board of Supervisors
- Department:
- Board of Supervisors
Presentation:
No A/V Presentation
Recommendation:
Document Signatures:
# of ORIGINALS
Submitted for Signature:
Submitted for Signature:
NAME
of PRESENTER:
of PRESENTER:
n/a
TITLE
of PRESENTER:
of PRESENTER:
n/a
Mandated Function?:
Source of Mandate
or Basis for Support?:
or Basis for Support?:
Information
Agenda Item Text:
Approve letter to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from Cochise County as a coordinating agency, regarding the preferred alternative in the SunZia Draft Environmental Impact Statement, issued on May 25, 2012.
Background:
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has requested public participation to gather input regarding the preparation of a Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) as required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for the proposed SunZia Transmission Line Project (Project). The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) has been prepared to analyze various proposed routes to determine the potential impacts of those routes. The BLM’s final determination on the Project’s alignment has not been rendered and alternate routes are still being considered.
The Project would include two 500-kilovolt (kV) transmission lines that would be located on federal, state, and private lands between central New Mexico and central Arizona. The Project would include two new, single-circuit 500 kV transmission lines located within a 400 foot right-of-way (although right-of-way up to 1,000 feet wide would be required under certain conditions) with an estimated power transfer capacity of up to 4,500MW. A large portion of distributed power will apparently be from renewable sources. Infrastructure will include lattice steel towers approximately 135 feet in height, and based on a typical span of 1,400 feet, three to four transmission line structures per mile would be required for each of the two lines. Access to line and tower locations will attempt to make maximum use of existing roadways, but new roads, many only for construction use, will be required.
SunZia currently proposes to interconnect with up to five substations: Pinal Central (near Coolidge), Willow 500 kV (East of US 191 in Graham County), a substation in Hidalgo County, NM, SunZia South (near Deming, NM) and SunZia East (in Lincoln County, NM). Construction will likely occur in phases, with portions between substations built and energized before subsequent similar segments.
A range of alternative routes were analyzed in the DEIS, including the BLM’s “Preferred Alternative” route which is approximately 530 miles long, and alternative routes ranging from 460 to 542 miles in length. BLM’s Preferred Alternative is comprised of approximately 191 miles of federal lands, 226 miles of state lands and 113 miles of private or other lands and begins at the SunZia East Substation in Lincoln County, NM. Use of private property will be acquired through fee purchase and easements. Crossing into Cochise County, the route continues along a pipeline corridor, heads northwest within the San Simon Valley, then turns west to the proposed Willow 500 kV Substation site in Graham County, AZ. From Graham County, the route heads southwest and crosses the Sulphur Springs Valley approximately 7 miles north of Willcox, and continues along a 345 kV transmission line corridor, parallel to and north of I-10. The route crosses the San Pedro River approximately 11 miles north of Benson, turns northwest, and continues at a distance from two to six miles west of the San Pedro River through portions of Cochise County. This route was selected as the BLM Preferred Alternative because that agency believes it would maximize use of existing utility corridors and infrastructure, minimize impacts to sensitive resources, minimize impacts at river crossings, minimize impacts to residential and commercial uses and minimize impacts to military operations.
A host of stakeholders, including SunZia Southwest Transmission Project and Southwest Power Group, oppose the BLM’s Preferred Alternative. Cochise County also opposes BLM’s Preferred Alternative because of its additional and unnecessary impacts on the San Pedro River Valley and its residents, visual resources and military missions at Fort Huachuca, among others.
The Project would include two 500-kilovolt (kV) transmission lines that would be located on federal, state, and private lands between central New Mexico and central Arizona. The Project would include two new, single-circuit 500 kV transmission lines located within a 400 foot right-of-way (although right-of-way up to 1,000 feet wide would be required under certain conditions) with an estimated power transfer capacity of up to 4,500MW. A large portion of distributed power will apparently be from renewable sources. Infrastructure will include lattice steel towers approximately 135 feet in height, and based on a typical span of 1,400 feet, three to four transmission line structures per mile would be required for each of the two lines. Access to line and tower locations will attempt to make maximum use of existing roadways, but new roads, many only for construction use, will be required.
SunZia currently proposes to interconnect with up to five substations: Pinal Central (near Coolidge), Willow 500 kV (East of US 191 in Graham County), a substation in Hidalgo County, NM, SunZia South (near Deming, NM) and SunZia East (in Lincoln County, NM). Construction will likely occur in phases, with portions between substations built and energized before subsequent similar segments.
A range of alternative routes were analyzed in the DEIS, including the BLM’s “Preferred Alternative” route which is approximately 530 miles long, and alternative routes ranging from 460 to 542 miles in length. BLM’s Preferred Alternative is comprised of approximately 191 miles of federal lands, 226 miles of state lands and 113 miles of private or other lands and begins at the SunZia East Substation in Lincoln County, NM. Use of private property will be acquired through fee purchase and easements. Crossing into Cochise County, the route continues along a pipeline corridor, heads northwest within the San Simon Valley, then turns west to the proposed Willow 500 kV Substation site in Graham County, AZ. From Graham County, the route heads southwest and crosses the Sulphur Springs Valley approximately 7 miles north of Willcox, and continues along a 345 kV transmission line corridor, parallel to and north of I-10. The route crosses the San Pedro River approximately 11 miles north of Benson, turns northwest, and continues at a distance from two to six miles west of the San Pedro River through portions of Cochise County. This route was selected as the BLM Preferred Alternative because that agency believes it would maximize use of existing utility corridors and infrastructure, minimize impacts to sensitive resources, minimize impacts at river crossings, minimize impacts to residential and commercial uses and minimize impacts to military operations.
A host of stakeholders, including SunZia Southwest Transmission Project and Southwest Power Group, oppose the BLM’s Preferred Alternative. Cochise County also opposes BLM’s Preferred Alternative because of its additional and unnecessary impacts on the San Pedro River Valley and its residents, visual resources and military missions at Fort Huachuca, among others.
Department's Next Steps (if approved):
Sent signed letter to BLM
Impact of NOT Approving/Alternatives:
Cochise County will not be on record stating its preferred alternative as a coordinating agency on the Sun Zia Draft EIS.
To BOS Staff: Document Disposition/Follow-Up:
Sent signed letter to BLM