Judge rules against underground powerlines in Chino HillsJun 12 - Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (CA)An administrative law judge has ruled against undergrounding high- voltage powerlines through a portion of Chino Hills citing the state's ratepayers should not have to pay the cost of the project. A proposed decision by Administrative Law Judge Jean Vieth has denied the city's request to place the lines below ground, saying while undergrounding is feasible and could be completed on a timely basis "the cost is prohibitive and should not be borne by ratepayers at large for the benefit of a few." However, an alternative proposed decision by state Public Utilities Commission President Michael Peevey sided with Chino Hills to underground a portion of the project and orders Southern California Edison to construct an single circuit line underground. Every proceeding is assigned a ALJ and a commissioner. Both decisions were issued Tuesday. While the ALJ's proposed decision is disappointing, we are pleased that President Peevey has issued an alternate decision that would approve undergrounding, and we recognize that the CPUC commissioners will have the final say on undergrounding the transmission lines," said Chino Hills City Manager Mike Fleager in a news release. "The process continues, the city is fully engaged, and we look forward to making our case to the full commission during the oral arguments in the case on June 26." For five years Chino Hills has insisted Edison's 5-mile right-of- way is too narrow for the 198-foot high-voltage towers, and that they cause hazards and potentially unknown health issues. City officials and a residents group - Hope for the Hills - have been advocating the lines to be built underground, while Edison officials have said undergrounding would be expensive and makes the system less reliable. The Tehachapi Renewable Transmission Project was approved in 2009 by the PUC, but it has been on hold since 2011 as the final outcome is debated by the commission. Now that the decision is out, a 30-day public comment period will begin. The earliest the ALJ's decision or Peevey's viewpoint are expected to be up for discussion or vote by the PUC is on July 11. "If they appear on the same agenda, both of them could be introduced or one or both could be ruled. And once they're ruled they would be voted on," said Christopher Chow, PUC spokesman. "And it's possible that Peevey would introduce his and move his and vote on that, and if he got a yes on that then they wouldn't vote on the ALJ's proposal. Or they could move the ALJ's proposed decision and then the alternate would not be considered." The 225-mile Tehachapi project costs $2.1 billion, and when complete is expected to bring wind-produced electricity from Kern County to the Los Angeles Basin. Estimates for undergrounding through Chino Hills would be an additional $268 million to $296 million, according to the ALJ's documentation. The strip of land being considered for undergrounding through the city is about 3.5 miles long and begins west at the end of Eucalyptus Avenue and goes between Pipeline Avenue and the 71 Freeway and then into Chino and Ontario. Six years ago in May residents first approached the City Council asking them to help fight Edison's proposed route. Hope for the Hills President Bob Goodwin was not surprised by the ALJ's decision. "She did her job and she it by the rule of the law," he said. "But with Peevey's alternate, our foot is still in the door. It's not over by any means, there is still hope." http://www.energycentral.com/functional/news/news_detail.cfm?did=28913888 |