Important Milestone Reached in Pursuit of Transmission Route on GRIC Lands
SRP’s two-year effort to pursue a route alternative on the Gila River Indian Community (GRIC) for an important new transmission project is now focused on obtaining right of way consent from more than 4,000 Allottees whose allotments are crossed by the proposed power line. Allottees are individuals with an ownership stake in the GRIC land that would be impacted.
This week, more than 4,400 letters offering to purchase right of way were mailed to the Allottees. SRP is seeking consent from the Allottees and agreement to the Grant of Right of Way across these allotments by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), GRIC leadership and residents of District 4 and the Gila River Indian Community Utility Authority (GRICUA), for a joint project to locate new electrical transmission lines across a portion of the Community.
SRP’s transmission line project is needed to address continued economic development in the Chandler area
known as the Price Road Corridor (PRC). Locating a portion of the power lines on GRIC lands would also allow GRICUA to provide improved electrical service to Community customers, support planned Community renewable energy projects and allow SRP to connect several off-reservation substations in order to improve service to neighboring communities.
SRP’s offer to purchase this right of way will be open until Dec. 1.
SRP intends to file an application for a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility (CEC) no later than Feb. 1, 2015, but could file sooner if it concludes that a GRIC alternative cannot be secured by Jan. 1, 2015. If it appears the process cannot be completed in time or it is clear that the Community will not receive the necessary approvals, SRP will move forward with a CEC for the routes on private land.
While several private land alternatives have been identified during the project’s public process, project manager Tom Novy says SRP is committed to making every reasonable effort to secure the GRIC route alternative in a timeframe that meets the area’s needs. He did note, however, “it is an extremely complex process that requires approval from multiple federal agencies as well as the individual Allottees, but we are hopeful that we will be successful.”
SRP extended the project schedule last fall to continue to pursue the GRIC alternative. So far, SRP has received approval from the Community’s District 4 Council and endorsement from the Community’s Utility Authority.
During the past year, SRP has completed land surveys and allotment appraisals for the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Appraisal Services (OAS) to review. To secure the alternative GRIC route, SRP must:
- Meet National Environmental Policy Act requirements, as determined by an environmental assessment conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA); The BIA issued the public Notice of Availability (NOA) and Finding of No Significant Impacts (FONSI) on July 18.
- Complete an agreement between SRP and the GRIC, which requires Tribal Council Approval,
- Obtain consents from at least 51 percent ownership interest in each of the allotments for a long-term transmission line right-of-way easement from the ownership of every land parcel along the GRIC route.
If the Allottee consent efforts are successful, and the project receives BIA and Tribal Council approvals, SRP will proceed with the transmission line route alternative on GRIC land.
SRP initiated the PRC transmission line project in January 2013 to site new overhead 230-kilovolt (kV) power lines and two new 230-kV substations that will provide capacity to meet the projected economic growth of the Price Road Corridor.
SRP now intends to file its CEC application to the Arizona Power Plant and Transmission Line Siting Committee no later than Feb. 1, 2015, for a permit to build the project components. If SRP receives the necessary approval for locating a portion of the project on GRIC land, SRP’s application will only include the portion of the transmission line route from the Schrader Substation to the GRIC boundary, and for the 230kV circuit from the Kyrene Substation to the Knox Substation. Without the GRIC alternative, SRP will need to pursue the private land route alternatives for the entire project.
SRP continues to work to refine the remaining private land route segments and identify the exact locations for two proposed substations before presenting them to the public in a fourth and final round of open houses planned for later this year.
The public process will culminate with a hearing before the Arizona Power Plant and Transmission Line Siting Committee. A final decision on whether to grant a CEC for the project will be decided at an open meeting of the Arizona Corporation Commission.
SRP is the third-largest public power utility in the nation, serving about 990,000 customers in Maricopa and Pinal counties.
