Compromise with SunZia shields White Sands Missile Range

SunZia, which plans to deliver renewable energy to markets in Arizona and California, had proposed stretching power lines over part of the northern extension call-up area of WSMR. But, that option could have reduced testing capacity at the range by 30 percent, according to WSMR commander Maj. Gen. Gwen Bingham. Last week, a compromise was announced by the Department of Defense and the Bureau of Land Management that will require SunZia to bury the cable over five miles of the call-up area. "To mitigate mission impacts ... I have determined that a total of five miles of the power line needs to be buried, in up to three separate segments, so that some low-altitude flight operations can occur," Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel wrote in a letter to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell. The new requirements will significantly increase the time and expense for SunZia, according to a report by the Cascabel Working Group — a public policy group in Arizona that has opposed the proposed route for the transmission line. The cable itself will have to be custom made, explained Norm Meader. And, doing the project in three segments will require much more cable than just the five miles worth. Those are economic considerations the company will have to make based on what is best for the bottom line. And the initial response from SunZia spokesman Ian Caulkins was that it supported the compromise...more