Major Amendment No. 3 to CESA ITP No. 2081-2019-020-04 for the Pacific Gas and Electric Company ID-78/ID-650G-1/R-1918/V-849/Span 24, L-300 (Project)
5 Documents in Project
Summary
SCH Number
2021070445
Public Agency
California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Central Region 4
(CDFW)
Document Title
Major Amendment No. 3 to CESA ITP No. 2081-2019-020-04 for the Pacific Gas and Electric Company ID-78/ID-650G-1/R-1918/V-849/Span 24, L-300 (Project)
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
7/2/2025
Document Description
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has issued a CESA (Fish & G. Code, § 2050 et seq.) ITP, Minor Amendment No. 1, Minor Amendment No. 2, and this Major Amendment No. 3 to authorize Pacific Gas and Electric Company to incidentally take giant kangaroo rat (Dipodomys ingens), which is listed as an endangered species under CESA (Fish & G. Code, § 2050 et seq.) (See Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, § 670.5, subd. (a)(6)(C)), and San Joaquin kit fox (Vulpes macrotis mutica) and San Joaquin antelope squirrel (Ammospermophilus nelsoni), which are both listed as threatened species under CESA (Fish & G. Code, § 2050 et seq.) (See Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, § 670.5, subd. (b)(6)(E) and (b)(6)(B)).
The Project as described in the original ITP includes maintenance and repair activities associated with an investigative dig and associated sniff holes on Gas Line 300B where a potential internal anomaly was identified, recoating at pipeline spans where corrosion of exposed pipeline occurred in two locations on both Gas Line 300A and Gas Line 300B, and cross compression.
Major Amendment No. 3 includes modifying the Project Location and Project Description sections of the ITP to remove Span 27 from the Project and add the following three new activities for the natural gas pipeline, Line 300B: one investigative dig (ID-650G-1); one pipeline replacement (R-1918); and one installation of a main line valve station and blowdown stack (V-849). Cross compression will be required during the activities to temporarily transfer gas from Line 300B to Line 300A and will occur at the Mile Point (MP) 410.87 valve lot. Major Amendment No. 3 also includes extending the expiration date of the ITP from July 1, 2026, to July 1, 2031, to allow for completion of all activities and restoration of the sites. The new activities cumulatively add 2.35 acres of new temporary impacts and 0.02 acres of new permanent impacts.
Contact Information
Name
Stephanie Manzo
Agency Name
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Job Title
Environmental Scientist
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Name
Craig Geldard
Agency Name
Pacific Gas and Electric Company
Job Title
Senior Manager
Contact Types
Parties Undertaking Project
Phone
Email
Location
Counties
San Benito
Regions
Southern California
Other Location Info
The Project is located within portions of the Panoche Valley and Tumey Hills in San Benito County.
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Statutory Exemption
Type, Section or Code
California Code of Regulations, title 14, section 15282, subdivision (k); Public Resources Code, section 21080.21
Reasons for Exemption
Approval of this Project is statutorily exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA, Pub. Resources Code, § 21000 et seq.) because the Project is subject to California Code of Regulations, title 14, section 15282, subdivision (k), “The installation of new pipeline or maintenance, repair, restoration, removal, or demolition of an existing pipeline as set forth in section 21080.21 of the Public Resources Code, as long as the project does not exceed one mile in length.” Public Resources Code, section 21080.21 states, “This division does not apply to any project of less than one mile in length within a public street or highway or any other public right-of-way for the installation of a new pipeline or the maintenance, repair, restoration, reconditioning, relocation, replacement, removal, or demolition of an existing pipeline. For the purposes of this section, ‘pipeline’ includes subsurface facilities but does not include any surface facility related to the operation of the underground facility.” (Pub. Resources Code, § 21080.21.).
Approval of this Project is statutorily exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA, Pub. Resources Code, § 21000 et seq.) because the Project is subject to California Code of Regulations, title 14, section 15282, subdivision (k), “The installation of new pipeline or maintenance, repair, restoration, removal, or demolition of an existing pipeline as set forth in section 21080.21 of the Public Resources Code, as long as the project does not exceed one mile in length.” Public Resources Code, section 21080.21 states, “This division does not apply to any project of less than one mile in length within a public street or highway or any other public right-of-way for the installation of a new pipeline or the maintenance, repair, restoration, reconditioning, relocation, replacement, removal, or demolition of an existing pipeline. For the purposes of this section, ‘pipeline’ includes subsurface facilities but does not include any surface facility related to the operation of the underground facility.” (Pub. Resources Code, § 21080.21.).
The Project as described in the original ITP includes maintenance and repair activities associated with an investigative dig and associated sniff holes on Gas Line 300B where a potential internal anomaly was identified, recoating at pipeline spans where corrosion of exposed pipeline occurred in two locations on both Gas Line 300A and Gas Line 300B, and cross compression.
On December 20, 2024, CDFW received an application and corresponding fee payment from the Permittee for a major amendment (Major Amendment No. 3) to the ITP, as amended, to modify the Project Location and Project Description sections of the ITP to remove Span 27 from the Project and add the following three new activities for the natural gas pipeline, Line 300B: one investigative dig (ID-650G-1); one pipeline replacement (R-1918); and one installation of a main line valve station and blowdown stack (V-849). Cross compression will be required during the activities to temporarily transfer gas from Line 300B to Line 300A and will occur at the Mile Point (MP) 410.87 valve lot. Major Amendment No. 3 also includes extending the expiration date of the ITP from July 1, 2026, to July 1, 2031, to allow for completion of all activities and restoration of the sites. The new activities cumulatively add 2.35 acres of new temporary impacts and 0.02 acres of new permanent impacts.
CDFW has determined that issuance of Major Amendment No. 3 will increase the amount of take of the Covered Species compared to the Project as originally approved; however, by implementing Conditions of Approval that require plans to reduce mortality and relocate Covered Species, restore temporary impacts, monitoring by a Designated Biologist, and permanent protection of Habitat Management Lands, it is not expected that Major Amendment No. 3 will increase Project impacts on the ITP’s Covered Species (i.e., “impacts of taking” as used in Fish and Game Code Section 2081, subd. (b)(2)). Issuance of Major Amendment No. 3 does not affect CDFW’s previous determination that issuance of the ITP meets and is otherwise consistent with the permitting criteria set forth in Fish and Game Code section 2081, subdivisions (b) and (c).
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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