The Phase 2 Draft of the Energize Eastside’s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was released this month and is currently open for public comment.

Energize Eastside is a PSE proposal to construct 18 miles of new 230 kilovolt (kV) electrical transmission lines and from Redmond to Renton, passing through Kirkland, Bellevue and Newcastle. The project will supply future electrical capacity and improve electrical grid reliability for the Eastside communities. The 230 kV lines will replace the already existing 115 kV lines that start from the substation in Redmond and ends in the Talbot Hill substation in Renton.

The reason for the project stems from the projected growth of the Eastside population, which is expected to grow at a rate of approximately 1.2 percent annually over the next decade, according to the EIS. Employment is expected to grow at an annual rate of approximately 2.1 percent. Given these projections, PSE estimates the peak electrical demand will grow at an annual rate of 2.4 percent.

In 2015, the environmental coordinator of Bellevue published a Notice of Determination of Significance, indicating the proposal could have an adverse impact on the environment and required preparation of an EIS, one of the many sets of information used by permitting agencies to decide whether the project should be approved and which necessary permits should be issued.

The Phase 2 Draft considers potential impacts on the natural environment and the built environment, including land use and housing, aesthetic environment, waster resources, plant and animals, greenhouse gases, recreation, historic and cultural resources, environmental health and economics.

The proposed transmission line is divided into six segments — Redmond, Bellevue North, Bellevue Central, Bellevue South, Newcastle, and Renton. The Renton segment includes 4.5 miles of Renton and a small portion of unincorporated King County.

Currently, the draft is in the 45-day public comment period, which ends June 21. The final EIS will be issued in fall of 2017.

The first draft of the EIS was issued in Jan. 28, 2016, which evaluated the alternative methods to achieve the project’s objective. After the final EIS is issued, Renton will require separate land use entitlements, including conditional use permit, a shoreline conditional use permit and a shoreline substantial development permit (required to cross over the Cedar River). The city will also need construction and building permits.

Jennifer Henning, a planning director of city of Renton, presented key highlights at a May 15 Committee of the Whole meeting.

Council members did not have any major concerns, but did express they did not want to be overlooked.

“Just because we don’t make that much noise, I don’t think we should be ignored,” said council member Ruth Perez, referring to the previous complaints in other cities have raised.

Comment period for the Phase 2 draft is from May 8 through June 21. To submit comments as part of the EIS and public record, visit http://energizeeastsideeis.org. The next available public hearing will be held 2 to 4:30 p.m., June 3 at Rose Hill Elementary School in Redmond.