The California Public Utilities Commission has agreed to hear local residents' opinions on a 3.5-mile power line project slated to run through the Tierra Rejada Valley.

Southern California Edison's Presidential Substation project— so named because of its proximity to the Reagan Library in Simi Valley—is now under review by the CPUC.

The commission is the state regulatory agency that sets electricity rates and issues permits for the construction of certain electric facilities.

A public participation hearing is set for Thurs.,June 25 at 3 p.m. The meeting will be at the Palm Garden Hotel, Palm II Room, 495 N. Ventu Park Road, Newbury Park. A prehearing conference focusing on procedural matters will take place before the meeting at 1:30 p.m. Members of the public who only want to offer public comment do not need to attend the prehearing conference.

Edison's project calls for the construction of a new substation and 66-kilovolt subtransmission line, which the power company says is needed to meet the increasing demand for electrical service in Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks and adjacent unincorporated areas.

The substation would be on the south side of Olsen Road in Thousand Oaks, and the power lines would travel down Read and Sunset Valley roads.

Edison filed an application with the CPUC in December for a permit to construct, but the commission determined in February that the project must undergo a full environmental impact report.

A draft EIR is scheduled to be issued in October, and the public will have a chance to comment on that document once it is released.

For months now, residents and city officials have raised concerns over the project and have filed letters of protest with the state commission. Of primary concern are health and safety issues, the impact on wildlife and the environment, and aesthetics. Some have also questioned the need for the proposed project.

In addition, a group of citizens, most of whom live in the Tierra Rejada greenbelt, have banded together to fight the project.

The Substation and Transmission Towers Opposition Project, or sTTop, formed earlier this year and has now set up a hotline for residents to hear about the project and voice their opinion.

Residents can call (888) 7016154 to indicate their support or disapproval of the project.

For more information on the project, visit www.sce.com /presidential or www.cpuc.ca.gov /Environment/info/esa/ presidentialsubstation/index.html.