California Endangered Species Act Incidental Take Permit No. 2081-2025-040-04 for the Line 7039 Mile Post 14.12-1 Leak Repair Project

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife issued Incidental Take Permit No. 2081-2025-040-04 on August 6, 2025, authorizing the Southern California Gas Company to incidentally take the threatened San Joaquin kit fox. This authorization supports an emergency project to replace a leaking valve and pipeline segments on the Line 7039 natural gas transmission pipeline at milepost 14.12 near Bakersfield, California. The project is classified as an emergency action under CEQA to prevent safety hazards and ensure the continuity of the natural gas supply, involving excavation, pipe replacement, recoating, and backfilling. The work is expected to temporarily disturb 0.81 acre of protected habitat, with a requirement to restore the workspace to pre-project conditions through natural revegetation. The project must adhere to 49 CFR Part 192 and CPUC General Order 112-F standards, with critical operations such as welding and tie-ins scheduled to proceed continuously over a 72-hour period. Mandatory mitigation measures include the establishment of avoidance zones, worker education on species protection, species relocation, and the submission of monthly compliance reports to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Project management is led by Christian Sicam for the Southern California Gas Company, with regulatory oversight provided by Sarah Bahm and Julie A. Vance of the Department of Fish and Wildlife. This action is a regulatory permit for emergency infrastructure repair rather than a traditional procurement contract, and as such, it does not contain standard federal acquisition clauses or competitive bidding evaluation factors.