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NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 1, 2007 Contact: Sandy Bahr (602) 253-8633 LINE SITING OKAYS TRANSMISSION LINE TO CALIFORNIA DESPITE SIGNIFICANT ENVIRONMENTAL HARM AND LACK OF BENEFITS TO ARIZONA (Phoenix) Late Tuesday evening, the Arizona Power Plant and Line Siting Committee recommended approval of a transmission line that will cut through 106 miles of primarily public lands in Arizona, including the KOFA National Wildlife Refuge. The Committee voted 8-3 to issue a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility to Southern California Edison to construct the Devers-Palo Verde No. 2 Transmission Line Project (DPV2), a 500 kV line that will run 230 miles between the Harquahala Generating Substation in Arizona and the Devers Substation in California. The law requires the Power Plant and Line Siting Committee to consider several factors in deciding whether or not to issue the Certificate of Environmental Compatibility. They include consideration of the fish, wildlife and plant life; availability of the site for public recreation; costs of the facilities; and more. Special consideration is required for protection of areas unique because of biological wealth or because they are habitats for rare and endangered species. The Arizona Corporation Commission can vote to confirm, deny or modify it and must ". . . balance, in the broad public interest, the need for an adequate, economical and reliable supply of electric power with the desire to minimize the effect thereof on the environment and ecology of this state. "We are disappointed that the Line Siting Committee did not recognize how special and unique the KOFA National Wildlife Refuge is or the significant damage this transmission line will cause to plant and animal resources in and around the Refuge," said Sandy Bahr, Conservation Outreach Director for the Sierra Club's Grand Canyon Chapter. "They should have also given stronger consideration to the fact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service considers this line incompatible with the mission of the Refuge." The KOFA is one of only nine wildlife refuges in Arizona and the third largest wildlife refuge in the continental United States. This area is significant and critical to protection of wildlife and wildlife habitat including desert bighorn sheep and desert tortoises. The Refuge was established initially as the KOFA Game Range back in 1939 via an executive order. It was subsequently made a refuge in 1976 and in 1990, 516,200 acres of wilderness was designated within its boundaries under the Arizona Desert Wilderness Act. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, this Refuge provides habitat for nearly 200 species of birds, 49 species of mammals, and 41 species of reptiles and amphibians. The mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System is: "To administer a national network of lands and waters for the conservation, management and where appropriate, restoration of the fish, wildlife and plant resources and their habitats within the United States for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans." While there is currently a power line that crosses the refuge, the visual impacts as well as recreational impacts on the KOFA would be significant and could not be mitigated. Adding additional industrial features to the landscape is a significant adverse visual change. The project would change the character of the KOFA and significantly diminish its recreational value. The Final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (page D.5-22) for the project states: "Overall, development and operation of the project would change the character of the Kofa NWR and significantly diminish its recreational value. Impacts to the Kofa NWR would be significant and unmitigable (Class I)." In addition to the environmental harm, the benefits of this transmission line to Arizonans appear to be negligible. It is clear from the background information provided by Southern California Edison, the information in the Environmental Impact Statement, and from the presentations before the Power Plant and Line Siting Committee that the primary benefits of this project will be realized by California and the company and not by Arizonans or Arizona rate payers. The Sierra Club was represented before the Power Plant and Line Siting Committee by Tim Hogan of the Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest. The Sierra Club plans to urge the Arizona Corporation Commission to review and deny this Certificate of Environmental Compatibility based on its significant negative environmental impacts and the lack of benefits for Arizona. The Sierra Club is America's oldest, largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization. Inspired by nature, the Sierra Club's 750,000 members, including more than 13,000 members in Arizona, work together to protect our communities and the planet. The Arizona Center for the Law in the Public Interest is a private, non-profit public interest law firm dedicated to representing the people of Arizona on issues that affect us all, including clean air and water, school finance reform, open government, consumer rights, campaign finance reform, and the protection of our public lands and natural resources. Since 1974, the Center has fought for individuals and groups who lack the power or money to take on big business and big government. ### |