The Arizona Corporation Commission voted 5-0                                 to approve Electric / Substation Santa CruzCounty will have reliable electric! The Arizona Corporation Commission voted 5-0 to approve a 138 kV line from a new connection at the Vail Substation on south Rita Rd to the Valencia Substation in NogalesArizona. The Commissioners also voted 5-0 on Kennedy Amendment #1 to add the condition of a voluntary Citizens Advisory Council to include the public in regional and neighborhood transmission planning related to this project. UNS Electric has the legal right to appeal. The Vail/Corona de Tucson/Rita Ranch area is slated to have 17 projects stemming from the Vail Substation in the next 25 years. The Rosemont Electric Project and the Trico-SWTC substation planned in New Tucson add to the cumulative impacts in Southern and Southeastern Pima County. Thanks for all of the public comment and support. It makes a huge difference! If you have any questions about this information you can email Elizabeth Webb at vailaz@hotmail.com .  And be sure and thank her (Elizabeth) and Marshal Magruder  mmagruder@earthlink.net for all there personal hours and money working on this project for Southern Arizona

Rosemont 138kV Transmission Line Project  TEP is in the preliminary stages of planning for the construction and operation of new electrical transmission facilities to serve the proposed Rosemont Copper mine in the Santa Rita Mountains southeast of Tucson. The transmission line and related facilities, including a new substation at Rosemont's site, are expected to be in-service by mid-2011.                     http://tep.com/Company/News/Rosemont/index.asp ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------                   Group of residents against proposed power lines   A group of Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative customers are against a proposed power line in their area.  The company says the line is needed to improve service in the Mountain Empire Communities.   Beth Scheid lives in Elgin, about four miles from where the power company wants to build the proposed power line.                       http://www.kvoa.com/global/story.asp?s=10945290 _______________________________________________________________________________________________ 7/24/09 Email Sent to AZHighway83.com From:XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Sent: Friday, July 24, 2009 11:15 AM To: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Subject: SURVEY-Sonoita, Vail, Corona, Green Valley, Tucson etc. Read Now! Rosemont Copper Electric Project- TAKE SURVEY AT TEP ONLINE! Huge power lines Hello ALL  (including Trico and Sulpher customers)   Online survey:   http://www.epgaz.com/SelectSurveyNET/TakeSurvey.aspx?SurveyID=72KJ6l2   Attached is the preliminary map proposed links and routes sent in digital format from Chief Whitehouse in Corona de Tucson. It is from the 2nd Stakeholders' meeting for the Rosemont Copper Electrical plan. The links are different sections that can be combined to make complete routes. Unfortunately, Corona de Tucson has not been asked to be a part of the Stakeholders' group even though the community is nearly adjacent to one of the alternatives. . There are two more stakeholder meetings and two more rounds of public open houses.   I know we all have so many things going on right now but my suggestion is to go to TEP's website and request a hearing type meeting after Labor Day in the Vail/Corona/Sonoita area with a transcriber. Currently the next planned "Open House" is on August 27th 2009 in Sahuarita. It is the only one planned for the 2nd Open House series. While Sahuarita (included in Stakeholder group) and Sahuarita Heights (another community not included in the Stakeholder group) would be impacted, one meeting in the second round of open houses/hearings is not adequate   The stakeholder group IS NOT a decision making body-it is to provide prelimary information to the environmental planning group and TEP so the two can make decisions on the preferred links and routes it will ultimately chose and present at the two remaining Open Houses. Most of the stakeholder group consists of governmental agencies and a couple business interests. There are two members of the public at large- myself and XXXXXXXXXXXX. I cannot speak for the entire Vail/Corona/Sonoita/Rita Ranch area.    It is important that everyone comment to try and have more than meeting after Labor Day in a hearing style format.   Public Comment Form: (ONLINE SURVEY!)   http://www.epgaz.com/SelectSurveyNET/TakeSurvey.aspx?SurveyID=72KJ6l2   Please remember to keep the focus on the Electrical Plan and its potential impacts on your or your community- not whether or not you want the mine.   Some points that will be considered are:   Impacts to homeowners, recreational users, tourists along scenic routes in the vicinity of the proposed electrical routes to include view shed Cultural and historic sites in the vicinity of the proposed electrical routes. Ecological and biological resources that might be impacted in the vicinity proposed electrical routes Proposed development plans in the vicinity of the project Existing electrical or other infrastructure corridors-virginal land vs. existing established right of ways that could be upgraded or expanded. Permitting by other agencies Need for the electrical project Cost associated with the project Noise from the transmission lines Radio frequency interference   If you have suggested alternative links or complete routes, be sure to include them in the comments section. Making comments now will not affect  your ability to make comments about the project in front of the Arizona Power Plant and Line Siting Committee.   Complete information with display boards etc. can be found here:   http://www.tep.com/Company/News/Rosemont/index.asp   Here are the questions you will encounter in the survey. When you make comment, be sure to add your name and the DATE at the end of them. The comment information will be provided in the final application. Be sure to ask any questions you might have about the project as well.   Are you a resident in the Project Study Area? The full boundary has not been attached, but the old project study area is on the TEP wesbite. It has been shrunk from the orignal now. If you are unsure, put unsure or ask them to contact you. Do you have comments on the purpose and need of the project? Some of my husband's comments: The Rosemont project is not permitted and may never be permitted by all of the public agencies involved. It is premature to say the need for this project will exist. Please send me factual data on how need and purpose will be presented to the Committee. I would like it digitally and in hard copy.  Do you have comments on the project study area boundary? Some comments: Do you have any other comments about this project? Some  comments:  . I want to see factual data to corroborate comments are made by TEP or EPG. I want to see a clear explanation and factual data on the collaboration of all of the public agencies involved. I want to see dated newsletters, correspondence and presentations want to see dated newsletters, correspondence and presentations. I want to see a resource guide or bibliography to show where the data were acquired. I want to see maps with precise geographical and landmark information on them. More contact information should be available for the public. IE an email address along with a 1-800 number on TEP’s website. There has to be better public outreach. Sonoita, Corona De Tucson and Vail should have a hearing style meeting or workgroups instead of the Open House format. There should be a separate meeting in Tucson. The surrounding National Forest area to be impacted is a public recreation site. If the Open House format is used there should be short presentations to the public every half during the presentation. I cannot make comments on issues for which I do not enough data. The meetings should be planned during appropriate times and locations. I commute. 5:30pm is too early and a meeting in Sahuarita is too far away after I drive home from XXXXXXXXXXXXX. If there is only one Open House in the second series, Corona de Tucson would be the appropriate place to hold the 2nd Open House/Hearing. It is located in the center of the project area and has a new school with facilities. One open house for the second series is not adequate given the different impacts and locations associated with this proposed project. The people of Sonoita should have a separate Open House/Hearing/work group. The access road for Sonotia Residents is State Route 83. It can be dangerous in the evening and some people will not drive the road at night. There should be a Saturday meeting in addition to the evening meeting. An open house or hearing schedule on August 27, 2009 is not suitable. The second series of meetings should be held after Labor Day. It looks like TEP is continuing to be deceptive in its public outreach practices if it holds only holds one meeting in a non-central location in the second series of public meetings. As I stated previously, I commute. Most others in this area do too. There should be coffee provided as well as non-sugared food as many people will go to the meetings straight from work. Regardless, the meetings are held during dinner time. Thank you. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX, July 24th 2009  Our neighborhood should be included in the study area. It will suffer the highest number of impacts in an area that previously has not had any transmission lines in its view of the Santa Rita Mountains. The Hilton Ranch Rd. neighborhood and others east of SR 83 have now been excluded. If I-19 and Green Valley are within the project boundary, we should be too. SR 83, Patagonia-Sonoita Highway is a State Designated Scenic Route. It is traveled by recreationalists, residents, tourists and bicyclists who would be impacted by view shed issues.

Rosemont 138-kV Transmission Line Project

TEP is in the preliminary stages of planning for the construction and operation of new electrical transmission facilities to serve the proposed Rosemont Copper mine in the Santa Rita Mountains southeast of Tucson. The transmission line and related facilities, including a new substation at Rosemont's site, are expected to be in-service by mid-2010.

Follow the links below to learn more about the project.

http://tep.com/Company/News/Rosemont/index.asp

Latest Information

Project Newsletter (PDF)  (click link)

Vail Area 138kV System Project

In order to bolster system reliability in the rapidly growing Vail, Arizona area, TEP is planning to construct approximately 9 miles of 138-kilovolt (kV) transmission line and two 138kV substations southeast of Vail.

To learn about the need for the Vail Area 138kV System Project, activities, phases, and timelines, view or download the latest information.

Latest Information
Certificate of Environmental Compatibility (Phase I) (PDF)
Continuation of Line Siting Committee Hearing – May 12 & 13 (PDF)
Continuation of Line Siting Committee Hearing – April 9 & 10
Continuation of Line Siting Committee Hearing – March 4 & 5
Project Fact Sheet #2 (PDF)
Project Fact Sheet #1 (PDF)
Legal Notice of Line Siting Committee Hearings (PDF)
Excerpt of Line Siting Application (PDF)
Map pertaining to the proposed project (PDF)

Special Open Meeting Transcripts
August 18
July 30

Line Siting Committee Hearing Transcripts
June 3 (PDF)
May 13 (PDF)
May 12 (PDF)
April 10 (PDF)
April 9 (PDF
March 5 (PDF)
March 4 (PDF)
February 20 (PDF)
February 19 (PDF)

Contact Information
If you have any questions regarding this project please send an e-mail to info@transconusa.com.

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