By Peter Day
Senior Reporter
Local watchdog groups are celebrating last Thursday's announcement that the application for the Coolwater-Lugo Transmission Project was denied by the California Public Utilities Commission.
"It is not often that I get to be the bearer of such great news," Lorrie L. Steely, founder of the Mojave Communities Conservation Collaborative began an email to group members. "I would say we have grounds for celebration!"
Later that night at the monthly meeting of the Lucerne Valley-Johnson Valley Municipal Advisory Council, chairman Richard Selby thanked Bill Lembright, chairman of an ad hoc committee to stay apprised of the Coolwater-Lugo proposal. As a result of the CPUC decision, the MAC decided to disband the committee.
"The work is done," Selby said.
Proposed by Southern California Edison, the nearly $1 billion project would include about 65 miles of new high-voltage transmission lines. The project would have included the new Desert View power substation — that eventually would have been built out to about 160 acres — in the foothills off of Milpas Road, south of Highway in Apple Valley.
“The Coolwater-Lugo project would relieve transmission capacity bottlenecks, ensure system reliability by responding to increased electrical demand and support development of large-scale renewable generation,” Charles Adamson, SCE’s major projects manager, said previously.
The CPUC agreed with those opposed to the project that it would have adverse affects on visual resources, water resources, climate, biological resources and more.
Officials for SCE said the utility may submit another application in the future.
"The commission’s dismissal is without prejudice, which means that SCE may refile the application if future studies of the transmission system show the project to be needed," SCE officials said in a written statement Thursday.
Though the MAC ad hoc committee was disbanded, Selby said it would continue to monitor the project in its land use committee, which Lembright is expected to join.
Daily Press renewable energy reporter Gary Brodeur contributed to this story.