What is the California City Subtransmission Project?

Southern California Edison (SCE) has submitted an application to construct, operate and maintain two new subtransmission lines across public, state and federal lands within San Bernardino and Kern Counties. The total linear Project length is approximately 70 miles. 

Southern California Edison's purpose is to add capacity to serve current and long term forecasted electrical demand in portions of the City of California City and improve system reliability to the Edwards Air Force Base facilities. 

Line #1: This line would begin at the Kramer Substation, located at the junction of State Highways (SH) 58 and 395. The line heads north along the west side of SH-395 then turns heading southwest diagonally along Twenty Mule Team Road, terminating at the California City substation.

Line #2: This line would travel west from the Holgate substation then turning north on California City Road, terminating at the California City substation.  A tap line from this 115-kilovolt line would head south onto the Edwards Air Force Base Substation.  

Where can I find more detailed information on the California City Project?

Southern California Edison’s draft Plan of Development is available in the documents section of this ePlanning website. The Plan of Development provides details on the proposed design, construction, and operation of the California City Project including measures to mitigate potential impacts to the human environment and comply with applicable land use management plans, policies, laws, and regulations.

Who are the Project participants?

Lead Agency: The Bureau of Land Management is the lead Federal agency for conducting the National Environmental Policy Act analysis for the California City Project. The California Desert District Office will manage the analysis effort and will rely on expertise from the affected Bureau of Land Management field offices - Ridgecrest and Barstow.

Proponent: The proponent, Southern California Edison, is a public utility that provides electric service to a population of approximately 15 million people within a 50,000-square-mile service area that encompasses 180 cities throughout Southern California.

California Environmental Quality Act Lead: The California Public Utilities Commission is the lead agency for conducting the California Environmental Quality Act analysis for the Project. The Bureau of Land Management is working in a parallel manner with the California Public Utilities Commission throughout the process, though both entities will conduct their own analysis. For additional information on the California Environmental Quality Act and environmental impact report processes for the California City Project visit the California Public Utilities Commission’s website at: CPUC Cal City Project

Cooperating Agencies: The Council of Environmental Quality regulations provide that federal, state, and local agencies, and tribal governments, may serve as Cooperating Agencies, with agreement of the lead agency, during the National Environmental Policy Act process if they have either jurisdiction by law or special expertise (40 Code of Federal Regulations 1508.5). Cooperating Agencies provide information, comments, and technical expertise to the Bureau of Land Management. The following agencies have accepted Cooperating Agency status for the Project:

· Federal: Edwards Air Force Base, Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ventura Office.

Native American Tribes: Native American Tribes participate in consultation throughout the Project to address tribal concerns, including the presence of properties of traditional, religious, and cultural significance in the planning area. The Bureau of Land Management has offered government-to-government consultation to six federally recognized and five non-federally recognized Native American Tribes pursuant to Executive Order 13175 and other policies. Consultation and coordination with the tribes is ongoing.

Third Party Contractors: An environmental contracting team, composed of Copperhead Consulting, and the Galileo Project are assisting the Bureau of Land Management with preparation of an environmental assessment (EA).

What is an Environmental Assessment?

Under the National Environmental Policy Act, an environmental assessment is prepared to ensure agencies consider the environmental impacts of their actions in decision making. It will provide full and fair discussion of environmental impacts and will inform decision makers and the public of reasonable alternatives that would avoid or minimize adverse impacts or enhance the quality of the human environment. The environmental assessment is a public document, and the public is encouraged to provide input throughout the development of the environmental assessment. An environmental assessment informs Federal agency decision making and the public. See “A Citizen’s Guide to NEPA, Having Your Voice Heard,” at https://ceq.doe.gov/docs/get-involved/citizens-guide-to-nepa-2021.pdf for more information on the environmental assessment process.

What resources may potentially be affected?

Key issues will be identified during the scoping process and discussed and disclosed in the environmental assessment analysis and decision document. However, based on internal scoping, the following may be key issues:

·       Endangered and Special Status Wildlife 

·       Visual resources

·       Cultural resources

·       Recreation

·      ·       Botanicals and Sensitive Plant Species

1. How can I stay informed about the Project:
   

·       Visit the Project’s ePlanning website:  California City 115 kV Project 

·       E-mail a request to be added to the contact list for future updates and 

         notifications: BLM_CA_CD [email protected]          

           How do I submit comments on the Project?

Please submit your comments in one of the following ways:

·       E-mail Comments to:  [email protected]

·       Fax to: (760) 384-5499

·       Mail or Hand Deliver Comments to:

Attn: California City Project EA

Bureau of Land Management

Ridgecrest Field Office

300 S. Richmond Road

Ridgecrest, CA 92555

How to Comment Effectively

Your participation is an important part of the decision-making process. We need your feedback to identify issues that may occur if the Project moves forward. The most effective comments are those that provide useful information to the agencies. To make the best use of your input, here are some points to consider when making a comment about the Project:

1. ·       Identify potentially affected resources, applicable laws, policies and regulations, or reasonably foreseeable actions relevant to the project.
2. ·       Highlight information, data, and/or analysis the BLM might use when developing alternatives and considering the impact of the proposed project or alternatives.
3. ·       Identify – based on factual evidence – potential deficiencies in the scope of analysis or methodology or assumptions proposed for use in the environmental analysis
4. ·       Avoid comments that state, “I am in favor of this Project,” or “I am opposed to this Project.”
5. ·       Remember that the more clear, concise, and relevant to the Project your comments are, the more effective and useful they will be in improving the environmental impact statement and affecting the Bureau of Land Management’s decision.
6. ·       Make sure you submit your comments within the timeframe announced. This ensures the Bureau of Land Management will have all concerns documented for use in the environmental impact statement.