Thanks to a blog comment, I've added links for Section 368 of the Federal Energy Policy Act of 2005.
This act went through a public scoping comment period (pdf document). Federal agencies, including Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Energy and Interior, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the States and Tribes came up with designated corridors (Powerpoint presentation) on public lands in 11 western states for the purpose of enhancing the national power grid.
The instructive quotes from the Energy Dept. news report:
"Energy transport corridors are agency-preferred locations where pipelines and transmission lines may be sited and built in the future. Having a network of corridors that could accommodate transportation systems for multiple energy types potentially minimizes the proliferation of energy utility rights-of-way on the Federal landscape. Eighty-two percent of the corridors analyzed in the Final PEIS are located on BLM-managed lands, while 16 percent are on USDA Forest Service lands. The remaining proposed corridor segments are on lands managed by Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation and National Park Service, or by the Department of Defense.
" . . . The Agencies worked closely with local Federal land managers as well as local government agencies to ensure that the proposed corridors were consistent with local land management responsibilities and resource constraints. "
"Energy Corridor Designation in the West"
In other words, the ENTIRETY of the proposed corridors are on federal lands.
We are hoping to persuade the siting committee at Idaho Power to revisit these documents and revise their current corridor over mostly privately owned land to Federal lands designated for this purpose, and ensure that corridors are consistent with local land management responsibilities.
