KRQE News 13: Permit approved for SunZia transmission line

The Obama administration is calling the $2 billion transmission line a win for the state’s economy and the environment.

“It’s the first major transmission project to be approved in the American West, and it is a huge step forward in terms of unlocking the energy potential here,” U.S. Interior Secretary Salley Jewell said.

Jewell says the SunZia transmission line will carry New Mexico’s sun and wind energy to the rest of the west. The massive line will span 515 miles through New Mexico and Arizona.

Senator Martin Heinrich and Congressman Ben Ray Lujan say it’ll bring 6,000 construction jobs to the state and will draw more businesses in the long term.

Disagreement over a portion of the route that runs through the White Sands Missile Range put the project in limbo in 2013. But with an agreement to bury part of the line now in place the project will go forward.

“This is a really big deal for the state of New Mexico. It’s a great thing for our nation and for our energy security,” said Heinrich.

Not everyone believes this is a good thing. Republican Congressman Steve Pearce claims this line will harm the nation’s security and local landmarks. Pearce says the power line will interfere with weapons testing and potentially result in lost jobs at white sands missile range.

“Basically the secretary let them get by with putting their corporate profits ahead of our national security and that’s not something I agree with,” Pearce said.

He’s also worried the line’s path will encroach on historic pueblo sites.

The SunZia transmission line is set to break ground in 2018.