Federal permit approved on SunZia transmission line

Jewell told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that New Mexico is blessed with sunshine and wind, but those resources will remain stranded unless investments are made in transmission infrastructure. SunZia represents a win for the environment and for the economy, Jewell said. "This is a sustainable industry that will create jobs," she said. "It's an opportunity really for the state to make an investment in a future that is not tied to commodity prices, the vagaries of oil and gas prices and the boom-and-bust cycle that is so prevalent in that industry." U.S. Rep Steve Pearce, a Republican whose congressional district includes the area where the transmission line would be, said the project will permanently damage national security. "Green-lighting the completion of SunZia along the chosen route is a reckless rush to judgment without thorough examination," Pearce said in a statement. The federal Bureau of Land Management also granted a key federal permit for the project Saturday. SunZia received a "Record of Decision," which marks the end of an effort that started in May 2009. SunZia is one of seven pilot projects the Obama administration put on a fast track in hopes of boosting renewable energy development mainly across the West. The projects cover a dozen states and span thousands of miles, from Wyoming to Oregon and south to Nevada, and from central New Mexico to southern Arizona...more