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ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW COMMITTEE MEMO
APPLICATION NUMBER: LUA18-000055, CUP-H, SME
APPLICANT: Brad Strauch, PSE
PROJECT NAME: Energize Eastside
DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSAL: The applicant is requesting Hearing Examiner Conditional Use
Permit approval and a Shoreline Exemption for the upgrade of 4 miles of two existing 115 kV
transmission lines with two 230 kV transmission lines beginning at the City’s northern boundary with
Newcastle and ending at the existing Talbot Hill substation. The upgrade is located entirely within
PSE’s existing 100-ft electrical transmission utility corridor. The project site is located within multiple
zoning designations, including: Commercial Arterial (CA), Commercial Office Residential (COR),
Center Village (CV), Light Industrial (IL), Residential-1 (R-1), Residential-10 (R-10), Residential-14 (R-
14), Residential-4 (R-4), Residential-6 (R-6), Residential-8 (R-8), Resource Conservation (RC), and
Residential Multi-Family (RM-F). The proposed upgrade would require the replacement of
approximately 144 existing wood and steel poles (H-frame designs) with approximately 41 steel
monopoles of either single-circuit or double-circuit design. The height of the proposed poles would
vary by location, but are estimated at an average height of between 85 and 95 feet. Within the
Talbot Hill substation, additional breakers and associated controls will be added to accommodate
the new lines. The Project’s southern extent is PSE’s Talbot Hill substation located at 2400 S. Puget
Drive. From the substation, the Project continues north along the existing PSE transmission line
corridor to the northern city limits, between I-405 and the eastern city limits. Multiple critical areas
are mapped along the project corridor including wetlands, streams, steep slopes, landslide hazards,
coal mine hazards, and wellhead protection areas. The project would include the replacement of
aerial wire across the Cedar River, which is classified as a Shoreline of the State. The project proposes
the replacement of poles outside of the 200-foot shoreline jurisdiction and the aerial wire crossing
would not require any disturbances within the shoreline jurisdiction.
To date, three environmental review documents under the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA)
have been prepared for the Energize Eastside Project , all of which can be found online at
www.energizeeastsideeis.org:
Energize Eastside Phase I Draft Environmental Impact Statement (January 2016);
Energize Eastside Phase II Draft Environmental Impact Statement (May 2017);
Energize Eastside Final Environmental Impact Statement (March 2018).
In order to ensure that the submitted Conditional Use Permit application materials are consistent
with the existing environmental documents prepared for the Energize Eastside project, the City
contracted with EA Engineering, Science, and Technology, Inc., PBC to prepare an Environmental
Consistency Analysis. The following elements of the environment have been addressed in the
Environmental Consistency Analysis: Earth, Water Resources, Plants & Animals, Greenhouse Gases,
Environmental Health: EMF, Environmental Health: Pipeline Safety, Land Use & Housing, Scenic
Views & Aesthetics, Historic & Cultural Resources, Recreation, and Economics. The Environmental
City of Renton Department of Community & Economic Development Environmental Review Committee Memo
Energize Eastside LUA18-000055, CU-H, SME
November 25, 2019 Page 2 of 2
Consistency Analysis determined that the impacts of development under the proposed Conditional
Use Permit application materials are within the impacts analyzed under the EIS altern atives in the
past SEPA review. No new mitigation measures are required beyond those identified in the 2018
FEIS, and there are no significant unavoidable impacts that cannot be mitigated.
Exhibits
Exhibit 1: ERC Memo
Exhibit 2: Environmental Consistency Analysis, November 2019