NORTH TUSTIN : Dispute Erupts Over Proposed Substation

Orange County and Southern California Edison officials are involved in a showdown over who has the power to decide whether a proposed electrical substation should be built in North Tustin and if the project’s potential effect on the environment should be studied.

Edison has proposed building a permanent substation on a 3.8-acre site on 17th Street that now houses a temporary facility.

Company officials said state law gives jurisdiction over the matter to the state Public Utilities Commission rather than the county.

County officials said that Edison’s position is based upon a reluctance to participate in the environmental review process.

Regardless of who has jurisdiction, an environmental impact report must be prepared, they said.

Initially, the county did not plan to require an environmental study, but officials reversed that position after residents protested that electromagnetic fields generated by the substation would pose a potential health risk.

“There has been a history of marvelous cooperation with the Edison company in the past. What’s different about this is the national revelation of an entirely new issue,” said Supervisor Roger R. Stanton. “At this point, the county either says ‘OK, we ignore a long history of being involved in these decisions’ or we stand our ground and say ‘Wait a minute.’ ”

Stanton represents the unincorporated North Tustin area and has pushed for the inclusion of electromagnetic field readings in the environmental impact report.

A preliminary report prepared by county planning officials identified electromagnetic fields and a buried jet-fuel line adjacent to the site as possible health and safety risks.

Edison officials, who contend that the substation would not pose a health problem, said they are trying to streamline the approval process for the substation.

The firm, which filed permit applications more than a year ago, maintains that the matter is a state issue because the substation is tied into an electrical grid that is part of Edison’s regional system.

“Basically, in areas where there is overlapping jurisdiction between the county and the state, then the state takes precedence,” said Steve Sullivan, regional affairs manager for Edison.

“We think that the request that’s made for us to do an (environmental study) is based on issues that we believe the state actually has jurisdiction over,” he said. “We want this thing to be heard by the right body in the first place.”

The matter is scheduled to be considered by the county Planning Commission on Wednesday.