Dear Transmission Working Group members,

As discussed on the last call, SEIA will be submitting comments to BLM in support of the SunZia transmission project in AZ/NM. As an FYI, an article in E&E Daily today stated that enviro groups were denied a 60-day extension period to submit comments to the draft Environmental Impact Study (EIS); groups requesting the extension include NRDC, the Sierra Club, The Wilderness Society, and others. The enviro groups wrote in a letter to BLM that 90 days was not enough time to properly evaluate the proposed transmission routes and the ecological resources the lines might affect- particularly the San Pedro River Valley in southern Arizona. BLM noted that the SunZia project has already been opened for a total of 255 days of public comment. Furthermore, Sec. Salazar previously commented in October 2011 that he would accelerate the federal permitting process for the SunZia project.

Thanks,

Heather