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Overview
Basics
Basics
Undergrounding of all power lines in our small community will enhance fire safety, improve reliability of service, improve the scenic quality of the neighborhoods, and reduce insurance costs.
Homeowners will contribute to a 501.c3 with the sole environmental purpose of putting these lines underground in our small community.
Implementation
2021
2023
2026
$16,500,000
Dianne Felton (dd@glenbrookunderground.org)
12/09/2020
03/14/2024
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| Location Information | Location Notes |
|---|---|
Organizations
Organizations
| Glenbrook Homeowners Association (GHOA) | Dianne Felton - (Unknown Organization) | |||
| Glenbrook Underground, Inc (GU) | Dianne Felton - (Unknown Organization) |
EIP Details
EIP Basics
EIP Basics
Performance Measures
Expected Performance Measures
Expected Performance Measures
| Miles of Utility Lines Buried Underground | None | 5.5 | miles |
Reported Performance Measures
Reported Performance Measures
| Miles of Utility Lines Buried Underground | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Total | Units | ||
| Scenic Roadway Unit | Unit Attainment Status | |||
| Cave Rock | Attainment | 0.7 | 0.7 | miles |
| Total | 0.7 | 0.7 | miles | |
Funding
Expected Funding
Expected Funding
$16,500,000
$0
$16,500,000
($16,500,000 identified as )
| Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada Energy (NV Energy) | $4,000,000 | $0 | $4,000,000 |
| Private Property Owners (Private) | $12,500,000 | $0 | $12,500,000 |
| Grand Total | $16,500,000 | $0 | $16,500,000 |
Reported Expenditures
Reported Expenditures
| Total | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glenbrook Homeowners Association | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Grand Total | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Photos
Other Details
Watersheds
No watersheds set for this project.
Threshold Categories
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Landscape not marred by powerlines viewed from the Lake or Highway 50.
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Prevention of forest fires.
Local and Regional Plans
Related Projects
Related Projects
02.01.02.0015 - Glenbrook Underground is associated with following groups of projects.
External Links
Notes
Notes
| 03/14/2024 12:00 PM | Beth Vollmer | In 2023, converted 13 legacy homes from overhead to underground power, eliminated 20 tree attachments, and moved 3700 feet of cable underground- from Glenbrook Underground Progress Report November 2023 | ||
| 01/05/2023 9:08 AM | Beth Vollmer | Notes from Glenbrook Underground newsletter: NV Energy and Glenbrook Underground have entered into a cooperative agreement whereby NVE will contribute the costs that they would have born installing ductile iron poles in Glenbrook. This is the current industry standard for fire mitigation. Glenbrook Underground will be responsible for the trenching costs. We have completed the Civil Engineering and we should be ready to permit and bid the job in Q1. We have already exposed three contractors to our work and we have had many meetings with TRPA sand Douglas County. All agencies involved are very eager to see this project completed. |
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| 11/10/2021 12:20 PM | Dianne Felton | Please see our website www.glenbrookunderground.org for financial projections. | ||
| 11/10/2021 12:10 PM | Dianne Felton | Citation of Authority: Glenbrook Underground is charitable as defined in Treas. Reg. 1.501(c)(3)-1(d)(2) and operates exclusively to preserve the environment and lessen the burden of government in accordance with Rev. Rul. 70-186 and Rev. Rul. 85-2. Rev. Rul. 70-186 held that “the benefits derived from the organization’s activities flowed principally to the public through the maintenance and improvement of the public recreational facilities, and any private benefit derived by the lake front property owners did not lessen the public benefits flowing from the organization’s operations.” Section 1.501(c)(3)-1(d)(2) of the regulations provides that the term "charitable" is used in section 501(c)(3) in its generally accepted legal sense and includes, among other things, the erection or maintenance of public buildings, monuments, or works, and the lessening of the burdens of Government. Rev. Rul. 85-2, 1985-1 C.B. 178, sets forth the criteria for determining whether an organization's activities are lessening the burdens of government: whether the governmental unit considers the organization's activities to be its burden; and whether these activities actually lessen the burden of the governmental unit. An activity is a burden of the government if there is an objective manifestation by the governmental unit that it considers the activities of the organization to be its burden. The Nevada Legislature, by passing S.B. 326 and signed into law on May 22, 2019, by Governor Sisolak, acknowledges that it is a burden of government to prevent natural disasters by requiring electric utilities to submit and implement a natural disaster protection plan to the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada. The safety of its citizens and the protection of the natural and irreplaceable environment has always been a burden of government. Should there be a fire, firefighting and emergency services are conducted by governmental agencies. The U.S. Forrest Service is a federal agency tasked with preserving and protecting designated forests. The Bureau of Land Management is a federal agency whose mission is to “sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.” The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA), is the result of a bi-state compact created in 1969, and ratified by the U.S. Congress was the first federally certified regional environmental planning agency in the U.S. All of the above named organizations are government and share in the burden of protecting the public and the environment. Glenbrook Underground, Inc. and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA): In December of 2016, President Obama signed legislation that included the second Lake Tahoe Restoration Act, authorizing $415 million for restoration, research and aquatic invasive species and wildfire prevention at Lake Tahoe. The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) has accepted Glenbrook Underground’s proposal to underground all of the powerlines in Glenbrook as an Environmental Improvement Project (EIP). Launched in 1997, the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program (EIP) is a partnership of federal, state, and local agencies, private interests, and the Washoe Tribe, created to protect and improve the extraordinary natural and recreational resources of the Lake Tahoe Basin. Therefore, by protecting and preserving the natural environment and lessening the burden of government, the organization qualifies for exemption under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Program Administrator: Glenbrook Underground’s Officers, Board of Directors and Volunteers. Glenbrook Underground intends to expand the Board and create committees in the future. The board consists of community leaders, retired and active businesspersons and others interested in protecting the natural beauty of Lake Tahoe and the surrounding communities. Glenbrook Underground will be operating in Glenbrook, Nevada. Glenbrook Underground will spend 100% of the time on the proposed programs and activities. Glenbrook Underground’s activities will be initially funded by the Board of Directors. We will actively be seeking public contributions from individuals, private foundations, grants from governmental entities, corporate entities, and other nonprofit corporations. |
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| 11/10/2021 12:08 PM | Dianne Felton | Mission: The mission and purpose of Glenbrook Underground, Inc. is to mitigate wildfire hazards due to above ground powerlines in the community of Glenbrook, Nevada by proactively undergrounding electrical power lines. In addition, enhanced connectivity and reliability will be achieved when utility lines are buried. Background: Glenbrook is a census-designated place (CDP) on the east shore of Lake Tahoe in Douglas County, Nevada. Glenbrook is the oldest settlement on Lake Tahoe and is part of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA), the result of a bi-state compact that was created by lawmakers of California and Nevada. In 1969, the U.S. Congress ratified the agreement and created the TRPA, the first federally certified regional environmental planning agency in the U.S. The TRPA compact has been revised multiple times over the past 50 years, however the mission remains the same, to protect Lake Tahoe, the surrounding environment and the nearly five billion dollar economy the lake supports. Glenbrook is surrounded by forest on three sides and is accessible only by small roads that run through BLM and U.S. Forest Service Land. Above Ground Electrical Powerlines and Fire Risk: Recent fires, like the active Dixie Fire, caused by above ground electrical utilities have ended with catastrophic results. California’s worst wildfire seasons on record, in terms of property damage and deaths, were in 2017 and 2018. State fire investigators found sparks from Pacific Gas and Electric overhead powerlines responsible for many of the fires. That includes the state’s deadliest fire ever, the Camp Fire, a wildfire started by power lines that killed 85 people, all but wiped out the northern California town of Paradise and caused an estimated $16.5 billion in damages. Pacific Gas and Electric Company is the largest utility company in the U.S. and was bankrupted by these disasters. S.B. 329 and NRS 704.7983: The 80th session of the Nevada State Legislature ratified, with bipartisan support, Senate Bill No. 329, an act relating to the prevention of natural disasters requiring an electric utility to submit a natural disaster protection plan (NDPP) to the Public Utilities Commission setting forth the requirements for such a plan and authorizing an electric utility to recover the costs relating to the development and implementation of the plan. Governor Sisolak approved the passing of the Bill, codified as Nevada Revised Statute 704.7983 Lake Tahoe Area Electrical Utilities: Nevada Power Company, dba, NV Energy and Sierra Pacific Power Company appeared before a Special Session of the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada on September 30, 2020. The hearing offered NV Energy, the Nevada Bureau of Consumer Protection, and other stakeholders, the opportunity to present (and oppose) an overall plan mitigating the risk of fires due to electrical utility equipment in areas the power company serves. The NDPP assessment includes lists of natural disaster threats to include but not limited to wind, wildfire, storms, flooding, earthquake, avalanche, mudslides, heatwaves, blizzards, and avalanches. NV Energy also compiled an assessment consisting of Tier 1 – Elevated Risk, Tier 2, High Risk and Tier 3, Extreme fire risk zones. Glenbrook and the surrounding area are considered a Tier 3, Extreme fire risk zone. The NDPP lists several protective measures including fire mesh on poles, maintenance and removal of vegetation, inspection and in some cases removal of 36,000 wooden poles and the undergrounding of electrical lines. Undergrounding is by far the safest as it eliminates the risk of fire due to contact with vegetation, animals, wind, and lightning. Hardening (metal pole with wrapped lines) is another alternative. The initial hearing, September 30, 2020, was focused primarily on the proposed budget and method of cost recovery. NRS 704.110 provides that any expenditures made by an electric utility in developing and implementing a natural disaster protection plan are required to be recovered as a separate monthly rate charged to all customers of the electric utility. The Public Utility Commission approved NV Energy’s proposed single rate allocation. NV Energy’s estimated cost for implementation of the NDPP in Nevada and the California Tahoe region is $346 million. The final NDPP will be presented to the PUC in September of this year and then NV Energy will have 20 years to complete the work. This would all be paid for by NV Energy and then passed on to consumers through a rate adjustment as approved by the PUC. NV Energy passes on the entire cost to their customers across the entire state of Nevada. Organization’s Program and Activities: The organization’s primary activity is to raise funds to complete the engineering, trenching, and undergrounding of electrical utilities in the community of Glenbrook, Nevada. Many of the homes in Glenbrook already have undergrounded lines. In the early 1970’s the developer was required to do so. The homes that predated the development have no lines underground and are among the oldest lines in the Tahoe area. Glenbrook is a community with one way in and one way out. If a fire were to start, there it could easily bifurcate the community and there would be no way for the majority of the community escape. Fire follows canyon so the fire progression would be up to neighboring communities, U.S. Hwy 50 and beyond. The damage to the lake and forest would be devastating. Undergrounding electrical lines benefits all of the Tahoe region and citizens of Nevada and California. Glenbrook Underground enjoys the full support of Tahoe Douglas Chief Scott Lindgren for this undergrounding project. Our Goals: Community Safety: Burying powerlines greatly reduces fire hazards, accidents, and safety risks due to downed lines. Proactively undergrounding electrical lines will ensure that the Glenbrook community and the surrounding areas including BLM and National Forest land no longer have to worry about the threat. Reliability: Falling tree limbs, high winds, and heavy snows are just a few things that frequently cause utility disruptions. Burying lines eliminates weather related power outages and protects lines from environmental decay. Connectivity: Trenching utilities will allow for additional connectivity and enhanced communications capability, which is particularly important in an emergency. Glenbrook Underground is proposing to enter into a contractual agreement with NV Energy to facilitate and accelerate the undergrounding of electrical lines in Glenbrook. NV Energy has a procedure (as do all utilities) for initiating and contracting work for new developments. Developers commonly incur the cost of bringing utilities to the site. Glenbrook is already served by NV Energy, however our proposal (in alignment with the NDPP) is to hasten the undergrounding of electrical lines by underwriting the costs of engineering and grounding. We believe the risk to the residents of Glenbrook; the natural environment and the economies of Nevada and California are too great not to expedite the process. During the hearing with the Public Utilities Commission, NV Energy states that the Glenbrook-Voltaire Tap 624 Line, between the Carson Valley and Lake Tahoe is located in a Tier 3 fire risk area. NV Energy states the importance of this project is to replace existing lines from the 1940’s with safe and reliable electrical service. The existing radial 60 kV 624 line and the only transmission line to Glenbrook was constructed in 1941. Residents have experienced numerous outages associated with weather, the age, and the deteriorated condition of the line structures. |