About the Project
Energia Sierra Juarez U.S. Transmission, LLC (ESJ-U.S.), a subsidiary of Sempra Generation, has applied to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for a Presidential permit to construct, operate, maintain, and connect a 1.7-mile transmission line (0.65 miles in the U.S.) across the international border between the U.S. and Mexico, near the town of Jacumba, California. A DOE Presidential permit is required before anyone can construct, operate, maintain, and connect an electric transmission line across the U.S. border. DOE must decide whether to issue a Presidential permit for the project.
DOE published a Federal Register “Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Assessment and to Conduct Public Scoping Meetings; Baja Wind U.S. Transmission, LLC” on August 4, 2008 (73 FR 45218), held public scoping meetings in Jacumba, California, on August 28, 2008, and solicited written and electronic comments on the scope of the Environmental Assessment. Based on the comments received, DOE determined that an EIS would be the appropriate NEPA document for the proposed Presidential permit. Accordingly, on February 25, 2009, DOE issued in the Federal Register a “Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement; Energia Sierra Juarez U.S. Transmission, LLC” (74 FR 8517), but did not open an additional scoping period; however, it did indicate that any additional comments received would be considered to the extent practicable.
On September 17, 2010, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency published the Notice of Availability of the Draft EIS in the Federal Register. Simultaneously, DOE published its Notice of Availability and Public Hearings (75 FR 57005). The Federal Register notice is available in the Document Library section of this website.
The Draft EIS addresses the environmental impacts of the proposed transmission line and the range of reasonable alternatives. Five alternatives were identified in this Draft EIS, three of which were carried forward for detailed analysis (the No Action Alternative, a Double-Circuit 230-kilovolt (kV) Transmission Line and a Single-Circuit 500-kV Transmission Line). DOE will use the EIS to ensure that it has the information it needs for informed decision-making. DOE invited comments on this Draft EIS during the 45-day comment period that began September 17, 2010 and ended November 1, 2010. Copies of the Draft EIS are available for public review at the Jacumba and Campo-Moreno Village Branch libraries or may be obtained from Dr. Jerry Pell. The Draft EIS is also available via this website at the DEIS page. During the 45-day comment period, public hearings were held in Jacumba, California (October 5, 2010, from 7:00 to 9:00 PM); Boulevard, California (October 6, 2010, from 7:00 to 9:00 PM); and San Diego, California (October 7, 2010, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM). The public hearing schedule and locations are available on the Schedule page.