December 12, 2023 Update: On October 2, the City of Norco filed legal action requesting that the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) reconsider the full undergrounding alternative of the Riverside Transmission Reliability Project (RTRP). The City is awaiting a response to determine if a hearing will be scheduled or if the request has been denied and the matter is subsequently closed. Residents are still able to send letters of support to the CPUC via email (alice.reynolds@cupu.ca.gov).
On October 2, 2023, the City of Norco filed legal action requesting that the California Public Utilities Commission reconsider the full undergrounding alternative of the Riverside Transmission Reliability Project (RTRP), which will construct above-ground transmission lines in a fire-prone area along Norco’s portion of the Santa Ana River.
Since 2017, the City of Norco has communicated its concerns about the RTRP and has publicly opposed the construction of any above-ground transmission lines in and around River Trails Park along the Santa Ana River, as well as in adjacent neighborhoods outside of Norco. The RTRP was proposed to provide the City of Riverside with additional power capacity to serve existing and projected electrical demand, however the approved above-ground transmission lines present significant hazards, specifically wildfire hazards, to surrounding communities.
The City of Norco has filed a Petition for Modification because it now faces a dramatic increase in the risk of catastrophic wildfires within its city limits. This risk will be increased exponentially by the construction of an overhead, high-voltage transmission line that will pass through open space loaded with flammable vegetation in the very region that gave the notorious Santa Ana Winds their name.
“We continue to see how above-ground transmission lines lead to devastating and deadly wildfires in small, wind-prone and fire-prone communities like Norco,” stated Mayor Pro Tem Kevin Bash. “Just within the City of Norco, there were 39 wildland fire incidents from 2018 to 2022, after the approval of the RTRP. We are calling on the Commission to reconsider the proactive, full undergrounding of this project to prevent potential tragedies and protect our community for future generations.”
As part of this legal action, the City of Norco explains in detail why material factual changes have occurred and now warrant reconsideration of the underlying decision. The most notable change is the 267% increase in wildland fires within the City of Norco since 2021. In the Petition, the City of Norco urges the Commission to recognize that the recent factual changes that have heightened the wildfire risk in the fire-prone area of the overhead portion of the RTRP are not merely material changes in facts; they represent a critical change in the environment that has greatly accelerated in the last two years compared to the circumstances in place when the Commission finalized the environmental impact report and issued its decision.
The City of Norco firmly believes that the undergrounding of the RTRP is a prudent and wise investment—one that will significantly reduce the risk of wildfire damage in Norco, as well as in surrounding communities close to the RTRP route—and urges the Commission to review the risks associated with building overhead transmission lines in a notoriously dangerous area for wildfire.
“Public safety should be the main concern of this conversation,” stated Council Member Greg Newton. “The additional steps to underground this project won’t compare to the devastation that follows a preventable catastrophe. It’s never too late to do the right thing.”
To view the complete Petition, visit www.norco.ca.us/RTRP. For media inquiries, contact the Communications Division at comm@ci.norco.ca.us.
Petition Documents
Petition of the City of Norco
Certificate of Service
