by Larry Meyer
http://www.argusobserver.com/articles/2011/05/15/news/doc4dcf60c114e3e408792491.txt
ONTARIO — The Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service are preparing to work on a draft of an environmental impact statement to evaluate the Boardman to Hemingway 500-kilovolt transmission line project, and has released a report on the issues which will be discussed in the EIS, including purpose and need, transmission line route alternatives and resource inventory, impacts and mitigation.
Idaho Power Company is proposing to build the line between the existing Hemingway Substation, situated in Owyhee County near Melba, Idaho, and planned substation near Boardman, Ore., in Morrow County. The line would be about 300 miles long and would cross private, federal and state lands in six counties in Oregon and Idaho, with about 93 miles of the land the line will cross administered by federal agencies. Idaho Power’s right-of-way application to the BLM and USES initiated a EIS process.
This initial report, which is available online at www.boardmantohemingway.com, reviews the siting process up to now and the public comments garnered from a number of public meetings, referred to as public scoping.
The Environmental Impact Statement will explain the purpose and need to which the BLM, the lead agency, is responding, including the proposed action and what objectives are to be achieved by the action.
Under project description, the EIS will discuss such issues as the physical requirements for transmission line construction, maintenance and operation, plus technical feasibility and constructability of the project and alternative technologies.
The draft EIS will include a study and review of alternative routes. The route issue brought the original scoping process to a halt, while Idaho Power set up a community advisory process which proposed a revised route.
A resource inventory will address impacts on such issues as sage grouse, migratory birds, listed species, habitat fragmentation, farmland, cultural resources, aesthetics and economics.
Issues which will not be addressed, raised by the comments during the scoping period include the following:
— If energy conservation plans were implemented, this project would not be needed.
— Electrical power should be decentralized.
— Suspicion that more transmission lines will be placed in the right-of-way than stated.
Other issues not to be addressed include opposition or support for the project, use of solar energy, development of a wide-range sage-grouse conservation plan and who is going to bear the expense of the project.
The draft environmental impact statement is expected to be released in spring of 2012, followed by a 90-day public comment period, which will include public meetings.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
B2H Project Revised Scoping Report Available
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) have published the revised scoping report for the Boardman to Hemingway 500kV Transmission Line Project (B2H Project). View the report.
The revised scoping report provides a summary of potential issues, impacts and alternatives received during the scoping process and the extent to which those issues and impacts will be analyzed in the B2H Project Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Scoping also helps ensure a range of reasonable alternatives will be evaluated in the EIS.
The report adds over 300 comments received during the 2010 scoping period to those received in 2008, as well as more than 900 comments submitted through Idaho Power’s Community Advisory Process. Comments were provided by the public, Tribes, and local, state, and federal agencies.
Next Steps
BLM and USFS will use the revised scoping report to prepare the draft EIS to evaluate the B2H Project and a range of reasonable alternatives for potential impacts to environmental, social and economic resources.
The next opportunity for formal public comment will be the 90-day comment period following the release of the draft EIS, expected in the spring of 2012. BLM will also hold public meetings during the draft EIS comment period.
The public can stay involved prior to the draft EIS release in the following ways:
To learn more about the project, help find document viewing locations, view landowner maps, and learn about future public meeting dates and formal comment periods, visit www.boardmantohemingway.com.
The revised scoping report provides a summary of potential issues, impacts and alternatives received during the scoping process and the extent to which those issues and impacts will be analyzed in the B2H Project Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Scoping also helps ensure a range of reasonable alternatives will be evaluated in the EIS.
The report adds over 300 comments received during the 2010 scoping period to those received in 2008, as well as more than 900 comments submitted through Idaho Power’s Community Advisory Process. Comments were provided by the public, Tribes, and local, state, and federal agencies.
Next Steps
BLM and USFS will use the revised scoping report to prepare the draft EIS to evaluate the B2H Project and a range of reasonable alternatives for potential impacts to environmental, social and economic resources.
The next opportunity for formal public comment will be the 90-day comment period following the release of the draft EIS, expected in the spring of 2012. BLM will also hold public meetings during the draft EIS comment period.
The public can stay involved prior to the draft EIS release in the following ways:
- Reviewing project documents and maps via the project website atwww.boardmantohemingway.com.
- Sending questions to the federal agencies via:
Email: comment@boardmantohemingway.com
U.S. mail:
Boardman to Hemingway Transmission Line Project
P.O. Box 655
Vale, OR 97918
Fax: 888-251-3129
To learn more about the project, help find document viewing locations, view landowner maps, and learn about future public meeting dates and formal comment periods, visit www.boardmantohemingway.com.
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