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Utility Corridor Planning Utility corridors are areas designated by federal, state, and/or local planning agencies as appropriate or suitable for existing and future utility infrastructure. Currently APS, and other utilities that serve the State of Arizona, operate hundreds of miles of facilities that cross federally-managed land to serve customers throughout the state. As growth in Arizona continues and the need for reliable utility and infrastructure resources increases, the identification of new utility corridors and infrastructure on federal land will be an important element in allowing APS, and others, to continue to economically and reliably serve customers. There are currently several initiatives underway by federal agencies which will directly impact the potential for designating existing and future utility corridors throughout Arizona and the Southwest. APS is committed to actively participating in these efforts to ensure that we are representing the interests of the company, its customers, and the future members of our community who will benefit from a reliable supply of electricity generated from traditional and renewable resources throughout the state. This Web site has been established to allow you to track various federal planning efforts related to the designation of utility corridors, as well any comments or supporting materials provided by APS. We will continuously update this site as new developments occur and/or new initiatives are undertaken in which APS participates. National Interest Electrical Corridors and Congestion Study (Note - APS has monitored this initiative but has not provided any formal comments to the DOE. The study has been referenced here for informational purposes.) The National Interest Electrical Corridors and Congestion Study is an ongoing effort managed by the United States Department of Energy (DOE). Information regarding the study can be found at the following link: http://nietc.anl.gov/
West-wide Energy Corridor Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement The United States Department of Energy, the United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management, the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, and United States Department of Defense (the Agencies) have developed a Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement designating corridors for utility infrastructure in 11 contiguous Western States. Information regarding the study can be found at the following link: http://corridoreis.anl.gov/index.cfm APS has provided formal comments on three occasions to the Department of Energy as part of this initiative. You may click on each file below to view the APS comments.
Forest Plan Revisions All six federally-managed National Forests in Arizona (Apache-Sitgreaves, Coconino, Coronado, Kaibab, Prescott, and Tonto) are in varying stages of the Forest Plan Revision process for their respective forest. This process will identify forest planning and management objectives, including the potential need, designation, location, and management of existing and future utility corridors. In order to reinforce the need to include the analysis and identification of utility corridors in the Forest Plan Revision process, APS has provided official comment letters to each forest. You can review the letters submitted by clicking on the individual files below. More information about the specific Forest Plan Revision processes can be found at http://www.fs.fed.us/ and then selecting the specific forest you are interested in from the drop-down menu near the top of the page.
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