Bureau of Land Management invites public input on proposed transmission line improvements in southern California

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Bureau of Land Management

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PALM SPRINGS, Calif. – The Bureau of Land Management is seeking public input and holding virtual public scoping meetings on the Ivanpah-Control transmission line project, a proposal to upgrade existing transmission lines in portions of Inyo, Kern, and San Bernardino counties.

The proposed project would support approximately 500 construction jobs and would rebuild components of the existing transmission system to ensure reliability and delivery of clean energy to more than 100,000 people in the surrounding communities.

“This project ensures the safety and reliability of existing transmission lines and will improve energy transmission generation on public land,” said Shelly Lynch, BLM California Desert District Manager.

The Ivanpah-Control line is entirely in California. The northern/western terminus is the Control Substation, approximately five miles west of Bishop in Inyo County; and the eastern terminus is at Ivanpah Substation in California, approximately six miles southwest of Primm, Nevada.

The applicant, Southern California Edison, proposes to replace existing structures to increase ground clearance on seven existing 115 kilovolt transmission lines along approximately 360 miles of the Ivanpah-Control line. The upgrades will meet transmission line safety and reliability requirements and bring the lines into compliance with current California Public Utility Commission standards.

The Notice of Intent in the Federal Register opens a 45-day scoping period, during which the public can identify issues, suggest alternatives, or provide information for potential consideration in the Environmental Impact Statement. The comment period will end on January 3, 2023, or no sooner than fifteen days after the last public meeting.

As part of the scoping process, the Bureau of Land Management will hold virtual public meetings on the following dates:

Public comments can be submitted in the following ways:

  • Email comments to:  BLM_CA_CD_TLRR_IvanpahControl@blm.gov
  • Mail or hand deliver comments in an envelope labeled “Ivanpah-Control Project EIS”, Bureau of Land Management California Desert District Office, 1201 Bird Center Drive, Palm Springs CA 92262.
  • Fax: 760-833-7199

For more information contact Joan Patrovsky, Bureau of Land Management Project Manager, (760) 252-6032, jpatrovs@blm.gov; or see the Ivanpah-Control Project Bureau of Land Management ePlanning site at https://bit.ly/3knv8cm.

Road in the desert with power lines.
Ivanpah Control Project. Image courtesy of Southern California Edison.

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.