EPG has been retained as the third-party environmental contractor by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for the SunZia Southwest Transmission Project.

The proposed SunZia project is a 460-mile, 500kV interstate transmission line from central New Mexico to south-central Arizona. Up to two 500kV transmission lines using alternating current (AC) and/or direct current (DC) will be constructed within a right-of-way of up to 1,000 feet on BLM, state, and private lands. The project will provide 3,000–4,500 megawatt of added capacity to the southwest electrical grid, and provide access to renewable energy resources in remote areas of Arizona and New Mexico.

As part of the EIS project, EPG has identified approximately 1,200 miles of proposed and alternative corridors within the study area for initial consideration. Specialists in land use, GIS, visual/aesthetics resources, biology, and cultural resources are conducting studies for opportunities and constraints; thus refining alternatives for detailed environmental and feasibility studies, including impact assessment and mitigation planning.

EPG is conducting extensive outreach to the public, cooperating agencies, potentially affected federal, state, and local public agencies, and public and private landowners during the EIS scoping, draft, and final document phases.