Southline Transmission Line comment period opens
Simulated view looking north from the NW corner of Coronado National Forest
The Southline Transmission Line Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement is available, and open to public comment. Like the SunZia Transmission Line Project, Southline will bring electricity from New Mexico to the Saguaro Substation in Pinal County, en route to California.
Unlike SunZia, which will heavily impact the San Pedro River area with new construction its entire length, and which planned to do the same in the Avra Valley until the Tohono O’odham refused to allow use of their land, Southline plans to follow Interstate 10 to Willcox.
Continuing west, they will upgrade already-existing power poles, including those on the far southwest side of the Avra Valley. The project can be viewed at www.blm.gov/nm/southline. Comments must be submitted by July 10.