Energy Firms Seek Fed Transmission Corridor

Energy companies asked the federal government to designate thousands of miles of existing transmission lines and pipeline rights-of-way in California as federal energy corridors. They hope the designation will ease permitting and environmental review for new facilities. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 calls for designating energy corridors across federal lands in 11 Western states. It envisions streamlined rights-of-way for electric transmission lines and pipelines that move natural gas, oil, gasoline, and eventually hydrogen. "We want to ensure that energy corridors can provide energy where it?s needed, said Terry O'Brian, California Energy Commission deputy director for systems assessment and facility siting. "But at the same time, we want to avoid impacts to the environment and the public?s health and safety." The CEC aired the federal process during two days of workshops, one in Ontario on February 8 and the other in Sacramento the following day. Energy companies asked for corridors as wide as five miles to ensure that multiple projects can be built along the rights-of-way, federal agencies said in a preliminary report released last month. Federal agencies working on the corridor designation program include the Departments of the Interior, Energy, Agriculture, and Defense, which manage much of the land in the West. In addition, many have asked that the draft environmental impact statement be considered sufficient to allow actual facilities to be built with brief environmental assessments instead of full environmental impact statements. Energy companies also want the corridors to cross Native American lands and military bases. Sempra suggests that a corridor be designated jointly with Mexico. James Bartridge, CEC transmission evaluation project manager, pledged that the corridors will be analyzed under the California Environmental Quality Act. The CEC is working to identify transmission corridors in California to meet renewable energy and grid reliability objectives. ?The CEC is going to outline black areas where we don?t think the corridors should go,? he added. Many tribal nations, private landowners, local governments, and some state agencies are just learning about the process and voicing concerns about the federal designations. ?We had a concern that many interested agencies and groups were not aware of the process,? said the CEC?s O?Brian. The commission has worked to stimulate more involvement. California organizations filed only 34 comment letters with the federal government?largely written by energy companies. The comment period closed late last year after public hearings in Sacramento. However, CEC officials said they?ll make sure the federal government hears the views of Californians who did not comment by the deadline. Federal energy corridor designation will be "critical to the economy," said Brent Arnold, Kern River senior environmental specialist. Kern River Gas Transmission transports much of the gas burned in California. In comments filed with the federal government, Sempra Energy said that the federal designation process is needed for California utilities to meet the state?s renewables portfolio standard, as well as to maintain the reliability of the grid. Sempra outlined its plans to build new transmission facilities to bring power in from Imperial County. The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) called for new transmission corridors across Southern California?s desert regions to move wind power into the region?s heavily populated coastal areas. State agencies and tribal interests expressed objections to some of the corridor plans. The California Department of Parks and Recreation, for instance, opposes energy corridors crossing or near state parks. "It is contrary to our mission," said Dave Lawhead, environmental coordinator for the California State Parks' Colorado Desert District. He urged dropping AWEA?s proposed corridor across the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, which stretches from southern Riverside County down through eastern San Diego County almost to the Mexican border. The Energy Commission plans to meet with the federal energy officials in March to convey state and local concerns. It also is participating in a state-federal interagency working group on energy corridor designation. The federal draft environmental impact statement is expected sometime in the fall of 2006. August 11, 2007, is the congressional deadline for a final environmental impact statement.

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Energy Firms Seek Fed Transmission Corridor

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