South Coast Air Quality Management District

Appropriate Funds from Undesignated Fund Balance for the AQMD to Prepare the CEQA Documentation for Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Valley Generating Station Repowering Project

SYNOPSIS: 

LA DWP requested the AQMD prepare CEQA documentation for its Valley Generating Station repowering project. The AQMD and LA DWP have determined ENSR is the most qualified consultant to perform the work within the timeframe because of ENSR’s previous experience preparing an EIR for LA DWP’s power plant projects. AQMD’s existing contract with ENSR has insufficient funds to perform this task. Staff is requesting the Board amend FY 2000-01 Budget by appropriating $150,000 from the Undesignated Fund Balance to the Planning, Rule Development and Area Sources Professional and Special Services account for CEQA consultant assistance. Further, staff is requesting to add $150,000 to the existing ENSR contract. LA DWP will reimburse AQMD for the actual cost of preparing the CEQA documentation.

COMMITTEE: 

Administrative, April 13, 2001, Recommended for Approval

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

1. Amend the FY 2000-01 Budget by appropriating $150,000 from the Undesignated Fund Balance to the Planning, Rule Development and Area Sources’ Professional and Special Services account for CEQA consultant services.
   
   
2. Authorize the Executive Officer to amend the existing ENSR contract by adding $150,000.

Barry R. Wallerstein, D.Env.
Executive Officer

Background

On January 18, 2000, the Board approved four contracts, including one to ENSR for $50,000, for CEQA consultant assistance for a two year duration. Since that time an additional $320,000 has been added to the contract to perform technical assistance to the AQMD in preparing the Environmental Assessment for the fleet rules. In addition, LA DWP requested that AQMD serve as the lead agency to prepare an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for a number of power plant projects LA DWP is undertaking to comply with an Order of Abatement.

LA DWP has once again asked the AQMD to serve as the lead agency and prepare the appropriate CEQA documents for the repowering of LA DWP’s Valley Generating Station. It is essential that this project be completed in an expedited manner to comply with the Order of Abatement and assist in providing electricity to the state during the energy crisis while complying with future RECLAIM annual allocations. ENSR is uniquely qualified to prepare the environmental documentation for this power project within the necessary short time frame because of its familiarity and vast experience gained in preparing the previous LA DWP EIR. It is anticipated that information obtained while preparing the previous LA DWP EIR can also be used for the current project, which is expected to substantially lower the cost of preparing the EIR for the current Valley Generation Station repowering project. The existing funding in ENSR’s contract is insufficient to perform this work because this project was not anticipated during the budget preparation cycle and the previously contracted monies have been used to prepare the environmental documents for the fleet rules and LA DWP’s previous EIR.

Proposal

Staff proposes the Board amend the FY2000-01 Budget by appropriating $150,000 from the Undesignated Fund Balance and allocate it to the Planning, Rule Development and Area Sources’ Professional and Special Services account for the CEQA contracts, to provide for support for preparing the EIR for LA DWP’s project as lead agency under CEQA. Staff proposes that the Executive Officer amend ENSR’s existing contract by adding $150,000. The following is a summary of funding activity on the existing ENSR contract for the Board's information.
 

Resource Impact

As with other similar projects where the AQMD is the lead agency, LA DWP will repay the AQMD for the costs incurred in preparing the EIR. These funds are paid to the AQMD’s general fund at the completion of the project.

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