Tule Wind Energy Project

CACA-49698

 

 

Environmental and Construction Management
Compliance Monitoring Program

Welcome to the Environmental and Construction Compliance Monitoring Program website for the Tule Wind Project. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) issued a Record of Decision approving the project on December 19, 2011 and issued the right-of-way (ROW) grant on April 10, 2012. On March 7, 2013, an Amended Record of Decision was approved, and a subsequent Amended ROW grant was issued on June 30, 2014.  In addition, the BLM issued a Record of Decision for the Tule Wind Project - Ancillary Facilities on Public Lands Supporting the Reduced Ridgeline Component on January 17, 2014, and associated grants on June 30, 2014. The list below includes links to the grants associated with the project:

• Tule Wind Grant - CACA-049698 - Map
• Tule Wind Grant CACA-049698 Amended October 21, 2015
• Tule Wind Grant CACA-049698 Amended August 1, 2019
• Access Road Grant – CACA-054397 - Map
• Two Laydown Yards Grant - CACA-054397-01 - Map
• Overhead Collector Line Grant – CACA-054398 - Map
• Underground Collector Line Grant – CACA-054399 - Map
• Water Tank Grant - CACA-49698-02

An Environmental and Construction Compliance Monitoring Program (ECCMP) was prepared for the project. The plan addresses the requirement to develop an environmental and construction monitoring plan for the project covering construction. An Operations and Maintenance Environmental Compliance Monitoring Program (Operations and Maintenance ECMP) was prepared for the project to ensure environmental measures are implemented during all operations and maintenance activities. This site has been established to track construction, operations and maintenance, and to monitor progress and completion of the mitigation goals established in the project's Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and stipulations in the ROW grant.”

Background

Construction Information Updates

Construction Progress and Environmental and Construction Compliance Reporting

Notices to Proceed

Environmental Monitoring Reports

Variance Requests

Related Links

Background

Tule Wind LLC was issued a BLM ROW Grant for wind testing and monitoring at the proposed Tule Wind Project site in southeastern San Diego County on September 15, 2004. Tule Wind LLC submitted an amended ROW application to the BLM for the development of an energy generation facility on December 21, 2007. On April 10, 2012, the BLM issued a ROW grant to Tule Wind LLC to construct, operate, maintain, and decommission a 186 megawatts (MW) wind energy project (Tule Wind Project) and its ancillary facilities on 12,360 acres of public land. The project components to be developed on public lands include 62 wind turbines, a 34.5 kilovolt (kV) overhead and underground collector cable system, a 138 kV transmission line, a meteorological tower, and access roads. The Tule Wind Project when complete will connect to the Boulevard Substation rebuild component of San Diego Gas & Electric’s (SDG&E’s) East County (ECO) Substation Project.

Construction Information Updates

Construction information updates for users of McCain Valley Road, Lark Canyon Campground and Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) Area, and Cottonwood Campground included in the links below. These notices will be posted periodically during construction of the Tule Wind Project.

December 2, 2016
December 6, 2016
December 20, 2016
January 20, 2017
February 15, 2017
July 27, 2017
September 14, 2017
October 16, 2017


Notice of Temporary Suspension - January 20, 2017

BLM Notice to Proceed - February 1, 2017

Construction Progress and Environmental Compliance Reporting

The BLM, in conjunction with Tule Wind LLC drafted an Environmental and Construction Compliance Monitoring Plan (ECCMP) to ensure compliance with mitigation measures approved in the Final EIS, as well as with the terms and conditions associated with the BLM right-of-way grant. Although changes may be made to the document as construction progresses, a current version of the ECCMP document and attachments is found here. The regional map and project location map depict the location of the project.

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Notice to Proceeds (NTP's)

Issuance of NTPs will be contingent upon Tule Wind LLC’s compliance with pre-construction requirements as specified by the approved mitigation measures and responsible agency permitting requirements. Approved pre-compliance reports, permit applications, and other documents are available in their final form here. NTPs that have been issued to Tule Wind LLC are noted in the table below.

Notice to Proceed	Construction Activities	NTP Request Submitted	NTP Issued
1	Geotechnical Investigation	April 10, 2012	September 17, 2012
2	Preconstruction Activities	September 19, 2016	October 12, 2016
3	Water Tank Construction and Installation	November 14, 2016	November 18, 2016
4	Clearing and Grading Activities	September 23, 2016	November 18, 2016
5	Balance of Construction and Restoration Activities	January 3, 2017	February 10, 2017
6	Commercial Operations	September 20, 2017	December 22, 2017

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Environmental Monitoring Reports

A BLM Environmental Monitor (EM) will monitor construction activities to ensure that they are conducted in accordance with the approved mitigation measures and permit conditions. Monthly reports documenting construction status and compliance activities are posted here.

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Variance Requests

As defined by the ECCMP, at various times throughout project construction, the need for extra workspace or additional access roads may be identified. Similarly, changes to the project requirements (e.g., mitigation measures, specifications, etc.) may be needed to facilitate construction or provide more effective protection of resources (e.g., installation of additional erosion control outside of approved disturbance areas). The BLM Project Manager, along with the BLM EMs, will implement the variance procedures defined in the ECCMP to evaluate each proposed project variance for its potential for creating adverse environmental effects to determine whether supplemental NEPA review is required. Variance requests are posted here.

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Related Links

• BLM Tule Wind Project
• Tule Wind LLC
• BLM – SDG&E East County (ECO) Substation Project
• California Public Utilities Commission ECO Substation Project
• San Diego County

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