Tucson Electric Power Company Sahuarita-Nogales Transmission Line Draft Environmental Impact Statement

Technical Report · Wed Aug 27 04:00:00 EDT 2003

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/823241· OSTI ID:823241

Tucson Electric Power Company (TEP) has applied to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for a Presidential Permit to construct and operate a double-circuit, 345,000-volt (345-kV) electric transmission line across the United States border with Mexico. Under Executive Order (EO) 10485 of September 3, 1953, as amended by EO 12038 of February 3, 1978, a Presidential Permit is required to construct, connect, operate, or maintain facilities at the U.S. international border for the transmission of electric energy between the United States and a foreign country. DOE has determined that the issuance of a Presidential Permit to TEP for the proposed project would constitute a major Federal action that may have a significant impact on the environment within the meaning of the ''National Environmental Policy Act of 1969'' (NEPA) 42 United States Code (U.S.C.) {section}4321 et seq. For this reason, DOE has prepared this Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate potential environmental impacts from the proposed Federal action (granting a Presidential Permit for the proposed transmission facilities) and reasonable alternatives, including the No Action Alternative. This EIS was prepared in accordance with Section 102(2)(c) of NEPA, Council of Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations (40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] 1500-1508), and DOE NEPA Implementing Procedures (10 CFR 1021). DOE is the lead Federal Agency, as defined by 40 CFR 1501.5. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service (USFS), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) of the U.S. Department of the Interior, and the U.S. Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission, U.S. and Mexico (USIBWC), are cooperating agencies. Each of these organizations will use the EIS for its own NEPA purposes, as described in the Federal Agencies' Purpose and Need and Authorizing Actions section of this summary. The 345-kV double-circuit transmission line would consist of twelve transmission line wires, or conductors, and two neutral ground wires that would provide both lightning protection and fiber optic communications, on a single set of support structures. The transmission line would originate at TEP's existing South Substation (which TEP would expand), in the vicinity of Sahuarita, Arizona, and interconnect with the Citizens Communications (Citizens) system at a Gateway Substation that TEP would construct west of Nogales, Arizona. The double-circuit transmission line would continue from the Gateway Substation south to cross the U.S.-Mexico border and extend approximately 60 miles (mi) (98 kilometers [km]) into the Sonoran region of Mexico, connecting with the Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE, the national electric utility of Mexico) at CFE's Santa Ana Substation.

• Research Organization: U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Fossil Energy (US)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of NEPA Policy and Assistance (EH-42) (US)
• OSTI ID: 823241
• Report Number(s): DOE/EIS-0336
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
AGRICULTURE
AZ
BORDER
COMMUNICATIONS
EIS
ELECTRIC POWER
ELECTRIC TRANSMISSION LINE
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
EXECUTIVE ORDERS
FIBER OPTICS
FORESTS
LIGHTNING
MEXICO
POWER TRANSMISSION LINES
REGULATIONS
TUCSON
WATER