News
Giffords, Grijalva oppose SunZia project location
Thelma Grimes/San Pedro Valley News-Sun
Cascabel residents aren't the only ones saying that building an energy-efficient transmission line would be counter productive if built across an environmental treasure like the San Pedro Valley.
U.S. Congress members Gabrielle Giffords, D-District 8, and Raul Grijalva, D-District 7, have also weighed in on the issue.
In a statement, Giffords said, "The proposed SunZia power line project will provide critically needed transmission capacity thro-ugh New Mexico and Arizona. I strongly support such enhanced transmission as an essential component of a comprehensive strategy to develop the abundant renewable energy resources of the Southwest, like wind and solar. Renewable energy will strengthen our economy, our national security, and our environment.
"However, while transmission is both essential and beneficial, it would be counterproductive to select a route that in any way disturbs a pristine natural environment. For this reason, I strongly oppose locating the new lines along the San Pedro River, one of the most biologically diverse riparian habitats in the desert Southwest."
SunZia Transmission LLC submitted a right-of-way application to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to build two parallel 500-kilovolt, high-capacity transmission lines to be constructed in south-central New Mexico, to south-central Arizona around Eloy.
The lines will be 460 miles long, crossing public, state and private properties.
The BLM is in the process of preparing an environmental impact study that will analyze potential environmental concerns for the various routes being proposed for construction.
The route drawing the most opposition will run the transmission lines through the San Pedro River Valley, where residents and members of the Cascabel Working Group (CWG) said the environmental treasure would be damaged by the proposed line.
Some of the specific concerns are that the line would require up to 300 16-story towers running the length of the San Pedro Valley. Maintenance roads would cause serious erosion and encourage off-road vehicle incursions. The requested 1,000-foot easement would entail property rights access issues, the power corridor would create a visual scar and all environmental organizations have voiced opposition to the route being proposed.
In a letter to Ken Salazar, the Secretary for the U.S. Department of the Interior, Congressman Grijalva said, the lower San Pedro River watershed remains ecologically intact, with pristine landscape in the growing region.
"The proposed transmission lines would damage the delicate San Pedro Valley from the inevitable development that would follow the corridor," he said. "Additional roads and infrastructure will fragment core habitat areas for several threatened and endangered species in the San Pedro River, its watershed and its major tributaries, including Hot Springs Canyon.
Several properties in the watershed are used by state and federal agencies for mitigation projects for several bird and fish species. Water quality could deteriorate due to erosion of upland soils caused by new or expanded access roads for the SunZia Project."
Grijalva, a member of the House Committee on Natural Resources, argued that the BLM holds a conservation easement on several properties in the area to protect ecological and cultural values, and running a 1,000-foot utility corridor through the area is inconsistent with the federal agency's own conservation goals.
The routes being considered that involve the San Pedro River include a route between the Benson narrows and Dudlyville, crossing the river near Redington, San Manuel, Mammoth or Aravaipa Canyon.
Another proposed route transverses the Steward District north of Willcox in upper Aravaipa, and crosses near San Manuel and Mammoth.
While the BLM is no longer accepting public comment regarding the matter, CWG urges residents to continue getting involved, by sending comments to NMSunZiaProject@blm.gov.
Cascabel residents aren't the only ones saying that building an energy-efficient transmission line would be counter productive if built across an environmental treasure like the San Pedro Valley.
U.S. Congress members Gabrielle Giffords, D-District 8, and Raul Grijalva, D-District 7, have also weighed in on the issue.
In a statement, Giffords said, "The proposed SunZia power line project will provide critically needed transmission capacity thro-ugh New Mexico and Arizona. I strongly support such enhanced transmission as an essential component of a comprehensive strategy to develop the abundant renewable energy resources of the Southwest, like wind and solar. Renewable energy will strengthen our economy, our national security, and our environment.
"However, while transmission is both essential and beneficial, it would be counterproductive to select a route that in any way disturbs a pristine natural environment. For this reason, I strongly oppose locating the new lines along the San Pedro River, one of the most biologically diverse riparian habitats in the desert Southwest."
SunZia Transmission LLC submitted a right-of-way application to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to build two parallel 500-kilovolt, high-capacity transmission lines to be constructed in south-central New Mexico, to south-central Arizona around Eloy.
The lines will be 460 miles long, crossing public, state and private properties.
The BLM is in the process of preparing an environmental impact study that will analyze potential environmental concerns for the various routes being proposed for construction.
The route drawing the most opposition will run the transmission lines through the San Pedro River Valley, where residents and members of the Cascabel Working Group (CWG) said the environmental treasure would be damaged by the proposed line.
Some of the specific concerns are that the line would require up to 300 16-story towers running the length of the San Pedro Valley. Maintenance roads would cause serious erosion and encourage off-road vehicle incursions. The requested 1,000-foot easement would entail property rights access issues, the power corridor would create a visual scar and all environmental organizations have voiced opposition to the route being proposed.
In a letter to Ken Salazar, the Secretary for the U.S. Department of the Interior, Congressman Grijalva said, the lower San Pedro River watershed remains ecologically intact, with pristine landscape in the growing region.
"The proposed transmission lines would damage the delicate San Pedro Valley from the inevitable development that would follow the corridor," he said. "Additional roads and infrastructure will fragment core habitat areas for several threatened and endangered species in the San Pedro River, its watershed and its major tributaries, including Hot Springs Canyon.
Several properties in the watershed are used by state and federal agencies for mitigation projects for several bird and fish species. Water quality could deteriorate due to erosion of upland soils caused by new or expanded access roads for the SunZia Project."
Grijalva, a member of the House Committee on Natural Resources, argued that the BLM holds a conservation easement on several properties in the area to protect ecological and cultural values, and running a 1,000-foot utility corridor through the area is inconsistent with the federal agency's own conservation goals.
The routes being considered that involve the San Pedro River include a route between the Benson narrows and Dudlyville, crossing the river near Redington, San Manuel, Mammoth or Aravaipa Canyon.
Another proposed route transverses the Steward District north of Willcox in upper Aravaipa, and crosses near San Manuel and Mammoth.
While the BLM is no longer accepting public comment regarding the matter, CWG urges residents to continue getting involved, by sending comments to NMSunZiaProject@blm.gov.
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