Extension of Comment Period for The Partially Recirculated Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Grayson Repowering Project

The City of Glendale (City) in its role as Lead Agency, has completed a Partially Recirculated Draft Environmental Impact Report (PR-DEIR) for the Grayson Repowering Project described below and invites public comment on the PR-DEIR, and is extending the previously announced time for public review and comment.

PROJECT LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION: The City is proposing to repower the existing Grayson Power Plant. The Project site is located at 800 Air Way, Glendale, California 91201, northeast of the Interstate 5 Freeway and Highway 134 interchange. A majority of the equipment and facilities at the Grayson Power Plant were completed between 1941 and 1977, and are proposed to be replaced with more reliable, efficient, flexible, and cleaner units. With the exception of the 2003 simple cycle peaking plant (Unit 9), the City is proposing to replace the existing generation equipment and related facilities with a combination of new combined cycle and simple cycle gas turbine generation units. The generating capacity would increase from 267 megawatts (MW) net to 310 MW net (an increase of 43 MW net).

The Project is designed to provide reliable generating capacity, avoid electrical capacity shortages, facilitate the use of more renewable energy by freeing up transmission line capacity to bring more renewable-based electricity to the City, and to provide flexibility to operate efficiently over the wide range of electrical loads placed on the City’s electric system. The Project will allow the City to maintain reliable service, keep electrical rates affordable and facilitate compliance with state regulations regarding renewable energy supplies mandated through the Renewable Portfolio Standards without the need for new transmission lines. The Project will also allow the City to meet its existing and future electrical demands even if the City is separated from existing interconnections with the electric grid, it will minimize the City’s reliance on importing power from remote generation locations across a congested transmission grid, and it will support water conservation efforts by eliminating the use of potable water for generation purposes.

ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW FINDINGS: The PR-DEIR has been prepared pursuant to the requirements of the State Guidelines for the implementation of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

The PR-DEIR examined impacts of two additional clean energy Project alternatives, updates the Cultural Resources and Paleontological Resources Section, and provides analysis required in recently added Wildfire and Energy environmental impact categories.

The PR-DEIR found that there would be less than significant impacts to Energy and Wildfire. The Project would result in a significant and unavoidable impact to cultural resources due to the demolition of the Boiler Building, which the City has elected to consider a discretionary historic resource. Demolition of the Boiler Building would also be required for Alternatives 2 (Energy Storage Project Alternative), 4 (150 MW Project Alternative), 5 (200 MW Project Alternative), 7 (Tesla/Wartsila Repowering Project Alternative), and 8 (Unit 8 Refurbishment Project Alternative). Alternatives 1 (No Project) and 3 (Alternative Energy Project Alternative) do not involve re-development at Grayson Power Plant and the Boiler Building would not be demolished. Therefore, only Alternatives 1 (No Project) and 3 (Alternative Energy Project Alternative) would avoid the significant and unavoidable cultural resources impact associated with the proposed Project and five other alternatives evaluated. A statement of overriding considerations will be required should the City elect to certify the EIR.

DOCUMENT AVAILABILITY: The PR-DEIR was made available for review on August 9, 2021, and will remain available for public review for a period of 98 days, through and until the close of the public review period on November 15, 2021. The PR-DEIR can be viewed on the Grayson Repowering website at: http://graysonrepowering.com/#pr-draft-eir or visit: http://graysonrepowering.com/ and at the Glendale Central Library located at 222 E. Harvard Street, Glendale California 91205. Copies of the PR-DEIR will also be available for public review at the Community Development Department of the City of Glendale, 633 East Broadway, Room 103, Glendale, California 91026-4386, on an appointment basis.

HOW TO REVIEW DOCUMENT AND COMMENT: Please provide written comments to Erik Krause, Deputy Director of Community Development, City of Glendale, Community Development Department, 633 East Broadway, Room 103, Glendale, California 91026-4386; fax (818) 240-0392 or email ekrause@glendaleca.gov.

Per CEQA Guidelines section 15088.5(f)(2)&(3), reviewers’ comments to be submitted are limited to the recirculated portion of the Environmental Impact Report set forth in the PR-DEIR. Comments on the portions of the EIR that are not recirculated in the PR-DEIR will not be considered.

Comments must be received prior to the close of the public review period at 5:00 p.m. on November 15,