Heinrich Applauds Approval of SunZia Southwest Transmission Line

Category: Non-Local News Releases Non-Local News Releases
Published: 24 January 2015 24 January 2015

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (Jan. 24, 2015) - Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) joined U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, U.S. Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment Katherine Hammack, U.S. Congressman Ben Ray Luján, and senior Bureau of Land Management officials to announce the approval of the SunZia Southwest Transmission Line in New Mexico. The $2 billion infrastructure project will connect and deliver electricity generated in New Mexico and Arizona to population centers across the southwest.

"The SunZia transmission line will finally unlock New Mexico's stranded wind and solar resources and move that energy to market. This infrastructure investment will not only spur many permanent clean energy jobs in generation, but it will also put thousands of people to work on the construction of this line," said Sen. Heinrich. "I commend Secretary Jewell for her leadership and the tremendous work that all of the agencies involved in the review of SunZia have done to responsibly site this line and reach common ground along the way. But this isn't just about SunZia. This is about New Mexico diversifying its economy and building a prosperous clean energy future."

Senator Heinrich has long supported the SunZia transmission project. Last May, he welcomed the resolution between the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and U.S. Department of Interior to allow for the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) preferred route for the transmission line. The resolution reached between DoD and BLM to allow for the project to move forward required that five miles of the route be buried to eliminate conflicts with training and weapons testing in the Northern Extension Area of White Sands Missile Range.

In November 2013, Senator Heinrich announced that the DoD agreed to commission a study by M.I.T. Lincoln Laboratory to look at concerns raised by White Sands Missile Range and examine potential changes to test protocols that would allow the DoD to continue its missions in the presence of the new transmission line. That study, which was completed last March, helped provide the scientific data necessary reach to this resolution. Senator Heinrich has encouraged DoD to make the unclassified results of this study available to the public.

The SunZia Southwest Transmission Project is planned to be approximately 515 miles of two single-circuit 500 kV transmission lines and associated substations that interconnect SunZia with numerous 345 kV lines in New Mexico and Arizona.

For more information about today's announcement, including the Record of Decision, Mitigation Proposal EA and associated documents, visit the U.S. Department of the Interior's website: http://www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/interior-department-greenlights-transmission-line-to-modernize-grid-unlock-renewable-energy-sources-in-southwest.cfm

Content on the Beat

WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.

Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.

NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.

Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders. 

New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.

Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.

Submitting to the Beat

Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.

Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.

Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.

Editor's Notes

It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!

Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com

Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat.  The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!  

Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.