NEW PROJECTS

Vulture Mountain Recreation Area Master Plan – EPG was selected by Maricopa County Parks and Recreation Department as the prime consultant to develop the Vulture Mountain Recreation Area Master Plan. Joining EPG for this project will be David Evans and Associates and Randy Gimblett, PhD (University of Arizona School of Natural Resources and the Environment).

Located south of Wickenburg, Arizona, the Vulture Mountains area has been used historically for dispersed recreation, both motorized and non-motorized, and for traditional uses including mining, grazing, and hunting. Recently, the area has begun to experience increased visitation due to exponential population growth from the Phoenix Metropolitan area. The master plan will determine the recreational uses and needs of the area and identify the specific planning areas on which to provide enhanced recreation and resource management, protection, and development within the Bureau of Land Management’s 40,000-acre Vulture Mountain Cooperative Recreation Management Area.

Energy Gateway South Project EIS - EPG was selected as a third-party contractor to assist the BLM in the environmental studies and analysis needed for preparing an Environmental Impact Statement for a proposed 500kV transmission line from south-central Wyoming to southern Nevada, a distance of approximately 750 miles. Rocky Mountain Power is the project proponent, and an in-service date for the project is anticipated in 2014.

Camp Williams to 90th South 345kV Line Project – EPG was retained by Rocky Mountain Power to permit 11 miles of new, double-circuit 345kV transmission line in the southern portion of the Salt Lake Valley. EPG coordinated with the cities of Herriman, Bluffdale, Draper, Sandy, South Jordan, and West Jordan, as well as federal and state agencies to obtain the permits necessary to move forward with construction. The project is currently beginning final design and is scheduled to begin construction in the Fall of 2009, with an in-service date in 2010.

SunZia Southwest Transmission Project –
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.