I 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 124 

To provide an environmentally sound process for the expeditious consideration 

and approval of a high-voltage electricity transmission line right-of-way 

through the Trabuco Ranger District of the Cleveland National Forest 

in the State of California and adjacent lands under the jurisdiction 

of the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 4, 2005 

Mr. ISSA introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Resources 

A BILL 

To provide an environmentally sound process for the expeditious consideration and approval of a high-voltage electricity transmission line right-of-way through the 

Trabuco Ranger District of the Cleveland National Forest in the State of California and adjacent lands under 

the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management and 

the Forest Service. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Cleveland National 

5 Forest Responsible Electricity Transmission Act’’. 
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1 SEC. 2. ELECTRICITY TRANSMISSION LINE RIGHT-OF-WAY, 

2 CLEVELAND NATIONAL FOREST AND ADJA3 CENT PUBLIC LANDS, CALIFORNIA. 

4 (a) ISSUANCE.—Subject to subsection (c), the Sec5 retary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture 

6 shall issue all necessary grants, easements, permits, plan 

7 amendments, and other approvals to allow for the siting 

8 and construction of a high-voltage electricity transmission 

9 line right-of-way running approximately north to south 

10 through the Trabuco Ranger District of the Cleveland Na11 tional Forest in the State of California and adjacent lands 

12 under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management 

13 and the Forest Service. The right-of-way approvals shall 

14 provide all necessary Federal authorization from the Sec15 retary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture for 

16 the routing, construction, operation, and maintenance of 

17 a 500 KV transmission line capable of meeting the long18 term electricity transmission needs of the region between 

19 the existing Valley-Serrano transmission line to the north 

20 and the Telega-Escondido transmission line to the south, 

21 and for connecting to future generating capacity that may 

22 be developed in the region. 

23 (b) PROTECTION OF WILDERNESS AREAS.—The Sec24 retary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture 

25 shall not allow any portion of a transmission line right26 of-way corridor identified in subsection (a) to enter any 
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1 identified wilderness area in existence as of the date of 

2 the enactment of this Act. 

3 (c) ENVIRONMENTAL AND ADMINSTRATIVE RE4 VIEW.— 

5 (1) DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR OR LOCAL

6 AGENCY.—The Secretary of the Interior, acting 

7 through the Bureau of Land Management, shall be 

8 the lead Federal agency with overall responsibility to 

9 ensure completion of required environmental and 

10 other reviews of the approvals to be issued under 

11 subsection (a). 

12 (2) NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM LAND.—For the 

13 portions of the corridor on National Forest System 

14 land, the Secretary of Agriculture shall complete all 

15 required environmental reviews and administrative 

16 actions, in coordination with the Secretary of the In17 terior. 

18 (3) EXPEDITOUS COMPLETION.—The reviews 

19 required for issuance of the approvals under sub20 section (a) shall be completed not later than one 

21 year after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

22 (d) TIME FOR ISSUANCE.—The necessary grants, 

23 easements, permits, plan amendments, and other approv24 als for the transmission line right-of-way shall be issued 
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1 within 60 days after the completion of the environmental 

2 review under subsection (c). 

3 (e) OTHER TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—The trans4 mission line right-of-way shall be subject to such terms 

5 and conditions as the Secretary of the Interior and the 

6 Secretary of Agriculture consider necessary, as a result 

7 of the environmental review under subsection (c), to pro8 tect the value of historic, cultural, and natural resources 

9 under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior 

10 or the Department of Agriculture. 

11 (f) PREFERENCE AMONG PROPOSALS.—The Sec12 retary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture 

13 shall give a preference to any application or preapplication 

14 proposal for a transmission line right-of-way, as described 

15 in subsection (a), that was submitted before December 31, 

16 2002, over all other applications and proposals for the 

17 same or similar right-of-way submitted on or after that 

18 date. 

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