Stop Idaho Power

Hoku solar plant in Idaho may have power shut off

2012-01-01T08:19:00.000-07:00

http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/136444588.html?id=136444588

BOISE, Idaho Idaho Power Co. told a struggling southeastern Idaho solar-industry manufacturer that the utility could shut off its power by Jan. 3 if it doesn't pay its $1.9 million electricity bill from November.

Honolulu-based polysilicon maker Hoku Corp., which has survived so far with help from Chinese financiers, lodged a formal protest with Idaho Public Utilities Commission regulators after getting a termination of service notice on Dec. 22.

The company's Hoku Materials unit told Idaho Power that it can't pay its November power bill until January due to cash flow problems.Hoku says losing electricity would delay its Pocatello plant's commissioning and expose infrastructure to freezing just as winter sets in, causing "material harm." Southeastern Idaho's hopes that Hoku's $390 million plant will eventually add hundreds of green-energy jobs to the local economy have been replaced by uncertainty over whether the project will survive. . .

Hoku announced it had hooked up to Idaho Power's substation only in November, the same month it couldn't pay its power bill."With the addition of permanent power, we are able to start-up the plant," Hoku Chief Executive Officer Scott Paul said on Nov. 21.Now, it wants Idaho Power to use some of the $4 million Hoku had previously deposited with the utility as security for its power bills to cover the November charges, according to its filing. . .

. . . The plant was originally supposed to be operational in 2008, but it struggled to raise funds to complete the facility as the economy soured.In March, Hoku received the second installment of a $50 million loan from majority owner Tianwei New Energy Holdings Co. of China that has helped keep the company afloat.As the company's share price has plunged to well below $1, from a 52-week high of $3.24, the company's management has been in turmoil, too.. .

(Note: Supplying electricity to the Hoku plant in Pocatello was one of the rationales for the Boardman to Hemingway line.)

Obama's power line team to visit B2H project

2011-12-01T07:52:00.001-07:00

By JAYSON JACOBYNov. 30, 2011
http://www.bakercityherald.com/Local-News/Obama-s-power-line-team-to-visit-B2H-project

A team of federal officials that President Obama tasked with speeding up the permitting process for seven proposed power lines will conduct a site visit next week for an Idaho Power Company line that’s slated to bisect Baker County.

The president’s “Rapid Response Team for Transmission” will be in Boise on Dec. 6, and in Ontario on Dec. 7.

The team is not scheduled to travel to Baker County.

Mark Bennett, the county’s planning director, said he will attend some of the meetings.Bennett said Fred Warner Jr., chairman of the county’s three-member Board of Commissioners, might accompany him.

Obama announced in early October that he wants to expedite permitting for seven power transmission lines, including Idaho Power’s Boardman-to-Hemingway project that was unveiled several years ago.Idaho Power has suggested several routes for the 300-mile, 500-kilovolt line, some of which — including one that would have run through Baker Valley between Baker City and the Elkhorn Mountains — were discarded.

The company’s current preferred route would run about one mile east of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center near Baker City.That proposal has provoked opposition among some local residents, who formed a group called Move Idaho Power.Their chief complaint is that the 150-foot towers would mar the views from the Interpretive Center.

In response, Idaho Power has proposed an alternative route that would move the power line a few miles to the east.But that location creates conflicts with breeding sites for the sage grouse, a bird that is a candidate for the federal endangered species list.

The route issue remains unresolved.Idaho Power’s current timeline calls for the company to acquire rights-of-way from mid-2012 through mid-2014, with constructed scheduled from 2014 through mid-2016.In the meantime, the president announced his intention to accelerate permitting for Boardman-to-Hemingway (B2H) and six other projects.

“The president wants to get America working again,” Nancy Sutley, chair of the Council on Environmental Quality, said in a press release in October. “Building a smarter electric grid will create thousands of American jobs and accelerate the growth of domestic clean energy industries translating into more energy choices and cost savings for American consumers.”

The purpose of the Dec. 6-7 site visit, according to the email invitation Bennett received last week, is to help the president’s Rapid Response Team “better understand the B2H project as the (team) works to expedite and improve the federal government’s evaluation of transmission applications.”

Members of the Rapid Response Team who are slated to attend include Bill Falsey, deputy chief of staff for the BLM; Laura Morton, renewable energy senior advisor at the U.S. Department of Energy; and Lucas Lucero, BLM’s rights-of-way branch chief.

According to the schedule, the portion of the meeting set aside for local government representatives — including Baker County officials — will start at noon PST on Dec. 7. The agenda doesn’t include a public comment period.

The Rapid Reponse Team wants to discuss a variety of topics, according to the invitation, including:
• The history and current status of project review, including approach to public engagement
• The list of permits required and the schedule and timelines for processing permit applications
• The roles and authorities of each agency involved in the project review
• The amount of non-federal land that the proposed project would affect and views and roles of non-federal land owners
• Tribal consultation and interaction with State Historical Preservation Officers
• Project need, including how and by whom it was identified, and whether the asserted need for the project is controversial
• The established processes for data collection, data use, and record keeping
• Reasonable and feasible alternative routes (including the use of previously designated corridors), particularly sensitive environmental resources, and potential mitigation measures (if presently known)
• Whether approving the line would be inconsistent with any federal, state or local plans, and the processes by which those plans can be amended
• Any potential “show stoppers” or fatal flaws
• Strengths that have assisted you in making progress in the review process
• Challenges and obstacles that you currently face, or expect to experience
• Recommendations (including the means) to realize efficiencies in project review
• Any assistance you may need dealing with obstacles and challenges that cannot be directly addressed on-site
• Recommendations and lessons learned that may be applicable to other projects
• Issues or concerns the RRTT can help address

Idaho Power Newsletter and Updated Maps

2011-11-15T10:21:00.001-07:00

Dear B2H Project Stakeholders,

Thank you for your continued interest and participation in the Boardman to Hemingway (B2H) Transmission Line Project. Idaho Power is working hard to enhance reliability throughout the region and move energy from where it’s generated to where it’s used in homes, farms and communities.
A lot has happened on the project since we last met with area stakeholders in summer 2010, so we wanted to provide a brief update about project activities.
Please view the B2H Connection recently mailed to project stakeholders or visit the project website using the links below to learn more about:

Routing changes in the Boardman, Baker City, Brogan and Owyhee Dam areas as suggested by stakeholders following community and landowner meetings in summer 2010.
Field surveys conducted or underway.
The latest project schedule outlining Idaho Power’s in-service date change from June 2015 to June 2016 to ensure adequate time for construction.
Micrositing as part of Idaho Power’s commitment to refine project routing where possible to lessen impacts to communities and landowners.

As you’ll see, a lot of work has been accomplished over the last year, and there’s a lot more work to do. We are working with the Bureau of Land Management, Oregon Department of Energy, U.S. Forest Service and many other stakeholders to build this 300-mile line. We encourage you to stay involved in the project by attending future public meetings and visiting the website for the latest project updates.

Thanks,
Keith Georgeson, Project Manager

Fed Plan to Consolidate Power Over Nation's Power Highway Has States Nervous

2011-10-01T15:55:00.002-06:00

by Judson Berger
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/10/01/fed-plan-to-consolidate-power-over-nations-power-highway-has-states-nervous/

The Obama administration is looking to consolidate control over the nation's power highway, pushing a proposal that would put one federal agency in the driver's seat when it comes to reviewing and approving power-line projects across the country.

The proposal has triggered a rush of complaints, pitting power companies and the federal government against concerned citizens and local lawmakers.

As the Energy Department reviews the immense feedback in the weeks ahead, the ordeal could help determine how and where the nation's power supply is routed.

At the heart of Washington's proposal is a desire to guide and speed up a process that can be slowed by local bureaucratic hurdles. The need for more transmission lines is apparent -- in the vast states where wind and other forms of renewable energy are produced, the energy is often hundreds of miles from where it would be consumed.

But new power lines are not exactly welcome guests.

"Siting transmission is extremely difficult, because no one wants it on their land," said Gene Fadness, with the Idaho Public Utilities Commission.

Still, he said, "We don't think (the process) takes so long that it's not workable."

The states, which along with local governments have long had authority over whether and where power lines get built, derided the plan as a move that would make it harder for local residents to weigh in.

"It turns the whole process on its head," said Robert Thormeyer, spokesman with the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners. He said the federal government would be "more inclined to build" than the states, if for no other reason than they probably wouldn't have as much interaction with citizens. A bureaucrat in Washington might not hear the not-in-my-backyard pleas as frequently as a bureaucrat in, say, Boise.

The proposed change has drawn the skepticism of at least one senator. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., who helped write a 2005 law that initially expanded federal power over power lines, complained about the plan in a letter to Energy Secretary Steven Chu.

The chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee said it appears the commission is trying to "rewrite" the language in the law. He said that's a decision for Congress, not the commission, to make.

The move, he wrote, "would pave the way for the commission to use the newly consolidated powers in ways never intended by Congress. . . "

Routing the power around Adrian

2011-07-26T13:44:00.001-06:00

http://argusobserver.com/articles/2011/07/20/news/doc4e27188840940671856922.txt

By Larry Meyer Wednesday, July 20, 2011

ONTARIO — The Bureau of Land Management is working on the draft Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Boardman to Hemingway 500-Kilovolt transmission line and some environmental issues have been raised along proposed route and as part of the EIS process the BLM will be looking for possible alternative to mitigate those concerns or bypass them completely.

According to a letter from Idaho Power to Jon Beal and Bill Lawrence, Malheur County Planning Department, the company is planning to ask the BLM to remove the proposed route from near the Idaho-Oregon border, to a point north of U.S. Highway 20 and Vines Hill.

While most of the alternate routes to be explored are still on federal land, one alternate would move the line closer to Adrian, putting in four miles away, instead of the estimated 12 miles away for the current proposed route. This alternative would follow the Vale District utility corridor for some distance and would cross some private land south of U.S. 20 and southwest of Vale.

“There are four major landowners,” Keith Georgeson, Idaho Power project leader, said. Company officials were in the process of contacting them, he said Tuesday and whether the company would file that alternative as the new proposed route depends on the response of the land owners.

The reason for offering route alternatives is that the proposed route crosses through a “Sensitive Resource Area,” and an “area of critical environmental concern.” A sensitive resource area is one with wilderness characteristics that could be aside as wild-lands in the future.

A second alternative, which has a more southern route is more buildable, but is a little longer and has other challenges, the Idaho Power letter said.

Renee Straub, BLM leader on the Natural Resource Agency review, confirmed the route does go through environmentally sensitive areas, managed under the Resource Management Plan, and under the National Environmental Policy Act, the possible impacts must be considered and reasonable alternatives proposed.

B2H line to be evaluated by BLM and others

2011-05-15T08:55:00.001-06:00

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.

B2H Project Revised Scoping Report Available‏

2011-05-10T08:21:00.000-06:00

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:

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

Stay Informed
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.

Various agencies reviewing public comments about transmission line

2011-03-26T08:11:00.000-06:00

http://www.argusobserver.com/articles/2011/03/17/news/doc4d8249a7790cb350683010.txt
By Larry Meyer Thursday, March 17, 2011

ONTARIO — State and federal agencies are continuing to move ahead with their review of Idaho Power Company’s plans to build a transmission line from Boardman to Hemingway — northeast Oregon to southwest Idaho — and are in the process of reviewing public comment during the public scoping period completed last summer.

In the latest project newsletter issued by the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Services and Oregon Department of Energy, the ODOE will soon issue a project order outlining the issues and regulations Idaho Power must address in its application for site certificate. ODOE is the state agency that must approve the proposed route through Oregon. Agency officials anticipate that Idaho Power will submit its preliminary application later this year to begin the next phase of the state review process.

The project order includes issues and concerns raised during last year’s public comment period.

After Idaho Power submits its preliminary application for site certificate to ODOE and its Energy Facility Siting Council, the application will be reviewed by state and local agencies to determine if the company addressed the requirements in the project order. When deemed completed, the application will be released for public comment, and another round of informational meetings will be held.

The federal agencies, with the BLM in the lead role, are drafting a revised scoping report summarizing public comments.

The report is expected to be made public in May, and, during the next year, the agencies will evaluate the project for potential impacts on environmental, social and economic resources to be included in the draft Environmental Impact Statement.

For its part, Idaho Power reports that its engineers and surveyors will conduct reviews of the topography and land features along the proposed route, assess corridor rights of way, as well as identify where access roads and landowner permission may be needed. Archaeologists will also be available for possible archaeological or historical sites or other cultural resources in the proposed corridor.

B2H March 2011 Newswire

2011-03-16T13:43:00.001-06:00

B2H Newswire

Issue 2 - Winter 2011

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE) have published the second issue of the Boardman to Hemingway Transmission Line Project newsletter – the B2H Newswire.

In this Edition:

Recap of summer 2010 scoping period
Idaho Power submits revised routes
ODOE to issue Project Order
BLM and USFS draft Revised Scoping Report

Recap of summer 2010 scoping period

BLM, USFS and ODOE reopened the public scoping comment period and hosted public meetings in summer 2010. The agencies received over 300 public comments.

Your comments are helping the state and federal agencies develop their separate review documents. Thank you for your participation in this early comment period!

Idaho Power submits revised routes

Based on public and landowner feedback, Idaho Power made changes to its proposed route and alternatives. The changes were officially submitted to BLM and USFS in March 2011. View the revised routes.

This spring fieldwork operations are set to continue along Idaho Power’s proposed routes and alternatives. Learn more about Idaho Power’s fieldwork.

ODOE to issue Project Order

ODOE will soon issue a Project Order outlining the issues and regulations Idaho Power must address in its Application for Site Certificate (ASC). ODOE anticipates Idaho Power will submit its preliminary ASC later this year, initiating the next step in the state review process. Learn more about the state review process.

BLM and USFS draft Revised Scoping Report

BLM and USFS are drafting a Revised Scoping Report summarizing the 2008 and 2010 public scoping comments, as well as the comments submitted during the Idaho Powercommunity advisory process. The agencies expect the report will be publically available in May. Over the next year, the agencies will evaluate the project for potential impacts to environmental, social and economic resources, which will be documented in the draft Environmental Impact Statement.Learn more about the federal review process.

Stay informed, visit www.boardmantohemingway.com.

LNG Fast-Track Bills Threaten Landowners, Salmon, and the Climate

2011-02-08T17:24:00.001-07:00

Feb 2, 2011 by Nick Engelfried http://www.blueoregon.com/2011/02/lng-fast-track-bills-threaten-landowners-salmon-and-climate/

With the legislative session kicking off this week, Oregon lawmakers should protect private land and our state’s natural resources from an egregious case of big energy corporations trying to overrule the needs of communities. Allies of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry are looking to introduce legislation to re-define the word “applicant” for wetland removal and fill permits, so they can more easily move forward on unpopular pipeline projects that threaten rural economies. . .

2011 has seen the emergence of not one but two versions of the LNG fast-track bill—a legislative concept which companies like Bradwood LNG and Oregon LNG have been pushing for years. In 2009 and 2010 other versions of the fast-track bill were defeated in the legislature, and rightly so. Though the exact language differs from one bill to another, each is designed to make it easier for energy speculators to apply for and receive permits for pipeline construction on private land—without prior permission from landowners.

This is perhaps first and foremost a land rights issue. Though clearly designed to accommodate the LNG industry, the fast-track bill would change the permitting process for every project on private land that requires a wetlands fill permit. Supporters argue it wouldn’t allow companies to set foot on private land without property owners’ consent, but the entire purpose of the fast-track bill is to streamline permitting to allow property rights to be overruled more quickly in the future. . .

Two versions of the LNG fast-track bill have reared their heads this session. House Bill 2589 and Senate Bill 265 would delete the current definition of “applicant” for wetland removal and fill permits, allowing private companies to apply for permits without the permission or knowledge of landowners. The other version, House Bill 2206/Senate Bill 261, would expand the definition of applicant with the same convenient implications for LNG. So far none of these bills have been assigned to a committee, but we’ll how long that lasts.

If Oregon lawmakers want another drawn-out fight over LNG this year, I’m confident the public will give it to them. But I hope legislators concerned about public interest will take the initiative early on, and speak out against any and all forms of an LNG fast-track bill. Lawmakers will have to make many tough decisions this session—but this shouldn’t have to be one of them.

Whose land is it?

2011-02-01T09:51:00.003-07:00

Oregon State Senator Larry George, Republican District 13, has introduced SB 473:

Summary: Allows energy facilities and hydroelectric facilities as outright permitted uses in exclusive farm use zones, mixed farm and forest zones and forest zones.

The pdf can be found here: http://www.leg.state.or.us/11reg/measpdf/sb0400.dir/sb0473.intro.pdf

SB 473 as currently drafted would allow outright most of the major energy generating and transmission facilities on EFU zoned lands. No public process, no land use criteria.

Please contact your local representatives and Senator George and encourage them not to sell out EFU land use laws that we have had to live under all these years, leaving productive farm land the preferred route for utility companies not wanting to battle environmentalists in uninhabited public lands.

Capitol Phone: 503-986-1713
Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, S-307, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: sen.larrygeorge@state.or.us
Website: http://www.leg.state.or.us/georgel

Fast Track Bills Introduced – Contact your legislator

2011-01-31T09:52:00.002-07:00

http://weagreenolng.org/2011/01/18/fast-track-bills-introduced-contact-your-legislator/

The LNG fast-track bill has re-emerged in the Oregon legislature for the 2011 session. In the past two sessions, the LNG industry has pushed fast-track legislation that would allow private LNG speculators to seek and obtain permits on private lands without the landowners’ permission. We’ve defeated this bill twice, thanks to strong opposition from property rights advocates and LNG opponents.

If passed, the bill will:

Allow companies to apply for permits on your land without your knowledge or consent
Fast-track the permitting process for LNG-related pipelines in Oregon
Harm landowners and devalue property rights in our state

There are two versions of the bill:

In one version (HB 2589 in the House and SB 265 in the Senate), the bill would delete the definition of “applicant” for obtaining wetland removal/fill permits on private land. In essence, this version of the bill would allow any private company to obtain wetland removal/fill permits on private farm and forest lands without the landowner’s permission or knowledge.

In the second version of the fast-track bill (HB 2206 and SB 261), the legislation would “expand” the definition of an applicant to allow private companies proposing “linear projects” to apply for and receive permits on private lands without the landowner’s permission. This version of the bill contains provisions for landowner notification and appeals, but it also makes it easier for LNG companies to obtain permits for unneeded pipelines.

In essence, both versions of the bill are a give-away to the LNG industry. The bills could easily be amended to exempt LNG-related pipelines. As written, the bills would facilitate continued LNG speculation by Oregon LNG, Williams & PG&E (Pacific Connector Pipeline), and NW Natural gas.

Make Your Voice Heard Today! In southern Oregon join the Rally against the legislation and pipeline (learn more here). Learn how to contact your representative, and what to say, by reading more.

To obtain contact information for your state Senator and Representative, go to:
http://www.leg.state.or.us/findlegsltr/

Tell Your Elected Leader:

You oppose SB 265 & HB 2589.
You also oppose SB 261 & HB 2206.

These bills undercut private property rights, allowing private companies to push unneeded projects at the expense of Oregon families and businesses.

These bills make it easier for LNG companies to continue to push forward speculative pipeline projects. These bills disrupt farms, forestry operations, and nurseries – all bedrock economic drivers of Oregon’s rural economy. The bills were originally proposed in 2008 by Bradwood LNG, a now bankrupt company that owed public agencies hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Oregon does not need LNG, and our legislature should not make it easier for unneeded LNG projects to disrupt the lives and businesses of hard-working Oregonians.
We will keep you posted when we find out if these bills are assigned to Committees.

For now, be sure to get on the record with your legislators that you oppose these controversial re-treads of bad, LNG & pipeline-friendly, legislation.

You can download a pdf of the bill here: http://amywheelerharwood.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/sb0265-intro.pdf
Contact us for more information:
In northern Oregon: Dan Serres – (503) 890-2441
In southern Oregon: Monica Vaughan (541) 521-1832

John Kitzhaber praises Oregon's farmers, announces Katy Coba will keep her job

2011-01-08T10:03:00.000-07:00

Good news for the farmers out there. . .

http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2011/01/kitzhaber_praises_oregons_farm.html

Governor-elect John Kitzhaber said Katy Coba will retain her job as director of the state Department of Agriculture when he takes office, prompting a burst of applause from farmers and industry representatives gathered for a meeting Friday.

Kitzhaber made the impromptu announcement during a talk at an annual agriculture and natural resource conference put on by the Portland law firm Dunn Carney. The governor-elect, who will be sworn in Monday, said in response to an audience question that he is "pretty comfortable" with the leadership of the state's natural resource departments.

Coba, who was among the panelists at the conference, said she was surprised and pleased by the announcement. Coba grew up on a Pendleton wheat ranch and was appointed agriculture department director by Gov. Ted Kulongoski in 2003.

In his prepared remarks, Kitzhaber said the economic impact of Oregon's nearly $5 billion annual agricultural production is often overlooked. Agricultural products -- ranging from Christmas trees and grass seed to wheat and blueberries -- are the state's second-leading traded sector after high-tech products. But 85 percent of the state's production is eaten or used elsewhere, and a majority of Oregonians have lost touch with farming, he said.

The state's "well-earned" reputation for producing safe, wholesome, high-quality farm products is an advantage Oregon can capitalize on in the national and international marketplace, Kitzhaber said. "There are few places like Oregon left on the planet," he said.

On other topics, Kitzhaber acknowledged that water quality and quantity, land-use pressure, environmental regulations and livestock damage from wolves, cougars and coyotes are all issues facing farmers. He and said he's open to discussion on those topics.

Topics at the conference, attended by about 120 people, included food safety, proposed water quality regulations and using alternative energy projects to generate income and cut farm costs.

$2B in transmission lines planned in Oregon

2010-12-28T16:33:00.001-07:00

http://djcoregon.com/news/2010/12/28/2b-in-transmission-lines-planned-in-oregon/

More than $2 billion worth of transmission lines are planned throughout Oregon in the next decade, according to the state’s major utilities - PacifiCorp, Portland General Electric and Idaho Power. They say their systems cannot handle increased demand and new wind, geothermal and biomass projects coming online.

After Oregon’s hydropower dams were constructed in the 1930s, aluminum smelters looked to tap into cheap power along the Columbia River. That led to construction of the transmission network the state uses today, according to Mike Mikolaitis, director of transmission projects for Portland General Electric. Today, however, those lines are increasingly congested.

“Transmission lines are like the freeway of our electrical system,” Mikolaitis said. “At rush hour, there’s a limit to what can go on the freeway without causing a backup. Our electrical transmission system in Oregon is congested and inadequate to deliver most of the renewable energy being built in the eastern part of the state.”

PGE’s proposed solution is Cascade Crossing, a 500-kilovolt, 187-mile-long transmission line that would cut across a national forest, tribal lands and private parcels between Boardman and Salem. The $823 million project is the largest of its kind to be proposed in the last 30 years, according to Deb Schallert, head of permitting for Cascade Crossing.

“In my lifetime, I’ve never permitted a major transmission line like this,” Schallert said. “Public-land stakeholders want to know what habitat impacts are at stake. Private landowners want to know why we need to use land they own. The Warm Springs Tribe is a sovereign nation and has its own process to comment on the route. The challenge we’ve faced consistently is educating people about why we need new transmission.”

PGE predicts a 45 percent increase in electricity demand over the next 20 years, according to its Integrated Resource Plan. PacifiCorp says transmission line development over the next 20 to 25 years is essential for grid reliability to be maintained. Since 2007, PacifiCorp has planned its own major transmission project, Energy Gateway, a $6 billion, 2,000-mile-long transmission line project that will snake through Utah, Wyoming, Idaho and Oregon.

John Cupparo, PacifiCorp’s vice president of transmission, said for the last three years he has stayed up late at night thinking about how to implement such a gigantic project. Energy Gateway will pass through federal lands, requiring years of studies of cultural and environmental issues along the proposed route. The timing of those federal processes, Cupparo said, will determine whether the project is delivered on time and within the budget.

“There are so many different stakeholders and differing perspectives on what the right answer is,” Cupparo said. “These are not cheap projects; we just brought in the first segment of Energy Gateway for $830 million. As the Bureau of Land Management and others work through all of the environmental, cultural and other issues, it takes time. And we need certainty that we can get the capacity installed on time.”

The Bonneville Power Administration has approximately $900 million of transmission line projects in environmental review, according to company spokesman Doug Johnson, mostly because of transmission service requests for wind projects in Oregon and Washington. The BPA, a federal entity, can condemn property or use eminent domain, but the agency has been trying to avoid doing so, Johnson said.

“We only use eminent domain as a last resort,” Johnson said. “You want to meet electrical needs, but you also need to respond to concerns from communities along the way. That’s why public process is so important.”

Mikolaitis added that not building transmission lines is not an option. As more entities connect to Oregon’s grid, the possibility of popping circuits becomes more likely.

“We’ve already seen reliability issues with our transmission during wind and ice storms,” Mikolaitis said. “You have to remember: The entire western U.S. shares a grid. If there’s a problem on the transmission level in Oregon, it could result in a blackout over a number of states. There’s a reason utilities are doing this collectively, not just individually.”

Oregon EQC Approves Boardman 2020 Plan

2010-12-21T17:58:00.001-07:00

http://www.energyprospects.com/cgi-bin/package_display.pl?packageID=3406

The Oregon Environmental Quality Commission on Dec. 9 unanimously approved Portland General Electric's plan to retrofit the Boardman coal-fired power plant with new emissions controls and stop burning coal by 2020.

Earlier this month, staff of the Department of Environmental Quality recommended approving the plan.

The ruling repeals the 2009 BART rules for Boardman, and implements new control requirements that are consistent with the regional haze rules (see "Oregon DEQ Staff Recommends Boardman 2020 Plan," Dec. 7, 2010).

PGE will now proceed with acquisition and installation of the necessary controls, beginning with low-NOx burners and mercury controls in July 2011.

The new controls are expected to reduce NOx emissions by about 50 percent and permitted levels of SO2 emissions by 75 percent. A separate set of rules also requires the addition of controls to reduce the plant's mercury emissions by 90 percent. All coal-related emissions from the Boardman facility will be reduced to zero with the end of coal-fired operations in 2020.

The combined capital cost of the required controls is currently estimated at about $60 million.

PGE owns 65 percent of the Boardman plant. Co-owners include Bank of America Leasing LLC, with 15 percent; Idaho Power, with 10 percent; and Power Resources Cooperative, with 10 percent.

Salazar, Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Announce Completion of Sage-Grouse Habitat Map in the West

2010-12-08T08:17:00.002-07:00

http://www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/Salazar-Western-Association-of-Fish-and-Wildlife-Agencies-Announce-Completion-of-Sage-Grouse-Habitat-Map-in-the-West.cfm

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the completion of a breeding bird density map for the greater sage-grouse by the Bureau of Land Management in coordination with the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

The map identifies important range-wide focal areas having high density occurrences of greater sage-grouse, a ground-dwelling bird that inhabits much of the West. These focal areas were determined by estimating the male’s attendance on leks, the communal breeding grounds of the bird. The BLM will work with the state fish and wildlife agencies to further refine the map by incorporating more specific state-level data.

“This map and initiative will help advance our collaborative efforts with states and stakeholders to develop smart policy to enhance the sustainability of our sage-grouse populations,” Salazar said. “The final map will give Interior a strong foundation to identify land uses that do not compromise areas that are so critical to the greater sage-grouse.”

“As the federal land manager of more sage-grouse habitat than any other entity, the BLM takes very seriously our commitment to working with others to manage America’s natural resources,” said BLM Director Bob Abbey. “This mapping effort will help other federal and state agencies and the BLM as it carries out its multiple-use mandate. We are confident that all activities can be managed to be compatible with conservation of the sage-grouse and its habitat.”

Abbey provided an overview of the mapping effort last March, when Secretary Salazar announced the Fish and Wildlife Service’s finding that the greater sage-grouse warranted protection under the Endangered Species Act, but that listing the species at this time is precluded by the need to address higher priority species first.

The Fish and Wildlife Service provided technical expertise in the development of the map. The NRCS will utilize the map in implementing their Sage-Grouse Initiative. WAFWA agencies are also ready to begin using the valuable management tool.

“We are pleased with this collaborative, state/federal effort, and look forward to continuing the important work of conserving this iconic species of the American West,” said Ken Mayer, Director of the Nevada Department of Wildlife and the WAFWA lead for sage-grouse conservation.

"USDA is honored to collaborate with state and federal partners in targeting NRCS's new Sage-Grouse Initiative to deliver the right conservation practices in the right places," said NRCS Chief Dave White. "New breeding density maps are critical to SGI's targeted approach to ensure the largest biological return on our conservation investment."

“The greater sage-grouse has historically inhabited millions of acres in the West, making it imperative that we work across political and administrative boundaries at a landscape scale to protect and restore sagebrush habitat,” said Acting Service Director Rowan Gould. “This map provides vital information that will enable us to work together to prevent further habitat fragmentation and undertake other conservation work to ensure the species’ long term survival.”

Greater sage-grouse are found in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, eastern California, Nevada, Utah, western Colorado, South Dakota and Wyoming and the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. They currently occupy approximately 56 percent of their historical range.

View the sage-grouse breeding bird density map at http://blm.gov/kb5c

The Great Transmission Heist

2010-11-09T17:36:00.002-07:00

The Wall Street Journal (subscription needed to read the entire article)

The latest scheme to subsidize solar and wind power to the detriment of rate payers.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304772804575558400606672006.html

How would you like to pay higher utility bills to finance expensive electricity from solar and wind power, which you would never use? That's the issue now before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and it deserves more public and political scrutiny before it becomes a reality.

FERC has a draft rule that could effectively socialize the costs of paying for multi-billion dollar transmission lines to connect remote wind and solar projects to the nation's electric power grid. If FERC rules in favor of Big Wind and Big Solar, the new policy would add billions of dollars onto the utility . . .

Idaho Power seeks permission from property owners to survey land

2010-10-23T19:42:00.001-06:00

http://www.bakercityherald.com/Local-News/Idaho-Power-seeks-permission-from-property-owners-to-survey-land

By JAYSON JACOBY Baker City Herald

Idaho Power Company is mailing letters to more than 300 people who own land along the proposed route for a major tranmission line, asking for permission to enter their property to do surveys.

The first batch of letters, including 64 to Baker County property owners, went out earlier this month.

All letters should be mailed by Nov. 1, said Keith Georgeson, manager for Idaho Power’s Boardman-to-Hemingway project.

Idaho Power wants to build a 500-kilovolt line between Boardman, Ore., and Hemingway, Idaho, possibly starting in 2013.

The Boise company’s preferred route would bisect Baker County, running near Huntington and Durkee and passing about one mile east of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center.

That route, and in particular its proximity to the Interpretive Center, has angered some local residents.

Idaho Power would prefer to put the line about a mile farther east, but that might not be possible due to the need to protect sage grouse breeding areas, said Michael Ybarguen, a community relations specialist for the company.

The letters mailed this month ask property owners to sign a form allowing Idaho Power employees or contractors to enter the owner’s property.

The company’s goal is to design the best route for the transmission line.

The proposed corridor is about 4,000 feet wide — three-quarters of a mile.

But the easement Idaho Power needs to accommodate the line will be just 250 feet wide.

By surveying the entire corridor, the company hopes to learn about possible conflicts — a center-pivot irrigation system, for instance — that can be avoided when the final 250-foot easement is plotted, Georgeson said.

He emphasized that landowners who allow Idaho Power workers to enter their property are not as a result committed to selling the company a permanent easement for the transmission line.

The easement process is separate.

Also, the line, if built, will not cross every parcel for which the company mailed a letter, Georgeson said.

Some landowners who receive a letter don’t own property within the proposed corridor; rather, Idaho Power would need an easement across their property to access the corridor for construction and maintenance, he said.

Georgeson said Idaho Power officials understand that not every landowner who receives a letter will sign the consent form.

The company needs a sufficiently large sample size, though, to satisfy the requirements of the BLM, Forest Service and Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council.

Georgeson said one landowner who received a letter replied, in essence, that he wouldn’t sign the consent form because he didn’t intend to negotiate with the company for a permanent easement.

Nonetheless, Ybarguen contends that cooperation between landowners and the company benefits both parties.

He said Idaho Power officials want to know early in the process what sorts of obstacles it faces.

And because the company actually needs just 250 feet of the 4,000-foot study corridor, it has considerable flexibility in deciding where the towers (which would range in height from 110 feet to 190 feet) and the lines are built, he said.

“We would much rather work with people now than have a fight later,” Ybarguen said.

Idaho Power does have the legal authority to use eminent domain, also known as condemnation, to force landowners to sell easements to the company.

However, Ybarguen said Idaho Power hasn’t exercised its eminent domain authority for at least 20 years.

That is an “option of last resort,” said Lynette Berriochoa, an information specialist for the Boardman-to-Hemingway project.

Brogan residents petition court over power line

2010-09-30T17:14:00.000-06:00

By Larry Meyer Thursday, September 30, 2010

http://argusobserver.com/articles/2010/09/30/news/doc4ca4bdc30b446649703937.txt

VALE — While not opposed to the proposed Idaho Power 500-kilovolt transmission line, some residents in the Brogan area are seeking support to have the route of the line moved a little farther away from the community, and a spokesman for those residents appeared before the Malheur County Court, Wednesday, to request its support.

Rick Simmons, Brogan, told the court he represented property owners in Brogan and others around the community who would like to see the transmission line routed about two miles farther west so it, and the towers supporting it, would be in the background. As proposed, Simmons estimated the line would come within about a mile of Brogan and residents would like it at least three miles away. A petition has been drawn up, and Simmons is still obtaining signatures, he said.

The petition says residents did not think one mile was far enough away and were concerned about wind noise through the high tension lines and girders, a “greatly increased security risk” for the small community and because the view from Brogan would be overpowered by the tall towers situated so close.

“Our proposed solution is for Idaho Power to agree to give the Brogan community a three-mile exclusion zone for high tension power lines now and in the future. Build the power line three miles out from Brogan in all directions,” the petition said.

“We understand the need (for the line),” Simmons said, adding residents understand the decision to move the route out their way. “The towers are much too close to where they live. We’re asking for a visual impact study.”

Because the proposed routing near their community did not come about until earlier this year, Simmons said the community was coming late into the siting process but did get their comments into the Oregon Energy Facility Citing Council and the Bureau of Land Management before Monday’s deadline. Simmons, though, said he wanted the court’s backing of the request. The Energy Facility Citing Council is handling the state review and public comment process on Idaho Power’s proposal, and the BLM is conducting the environmental review process for the portions of the route on public land.

Jon Beal, county planner, noted the route of the transmission line between Boardman and southwest Idaho has not been finalized, and there will be additional opportunities for public comment. The court did not make a decision.

California’s Quest for Renewable Energy and What It Could Mean for the Northwest

2010-09-09T13:21:00.003-06:00

http://www.nwcouncil.org/blog/?p=22

Three Pacific Northwest states have adopted renewable portfolio standards, but it may be that our neighbor to the south, California, will end up having the biggest impact on the region. California’s renewable energy policies are some of the most aggressive in the nation, and the state has worked for many years to develop its own renewable resources. It’s now reached the point where California utilities have to look outside the state to satisfy their renewable portfolio goals.

Renewable energy credits (RECs) enable utilities to purchase the environmental benefits of renewable energy wherever it’s generated. Most of California’s utilities would like to use RECs as much as possible because it expands their market and could also eliminate some of the transmission costs to deliver the power from outside the state.

“We’re already seeing ‘the California effect,’” says Jeff King, senior resource analyst at the Council. “Roughly 50 percent of the wind power that was developed in 2008 and 2009 in the Northwest was either owned by California utilities or is contracted to them, and credits in excess of Northwest needs are being sold to California utilities from projects owned by, or contracted to, Northwest utilities.”

It’s a trend that’s expected to continue into the future, says King, where we’ll see California taking an increasing proportion of the Northwest’s renewable resource generation to meet it’s own RPS targets. But what happens to the electricity if it doesn’t go with the REC? There’s concern that it could end up in the Northwest power market, depressing power prices.

“In almost every one of these issues,” says King, “there’s a positive side and a negative side.” Low power prices help Northwest utilities that need to purchase energy, but the same low prices reduces revenue for utilities with a good supply of resources to sell.

An increase in renewable energy development in the region is a good thing from the perspective of renewable resource developers, and for landowners who lease their land to wind power developers. It also benefits counties, usually in rural areas where a lot of wind farms are sited, by expanding their property tax base and increasing their property tax revenue.

On the other hand, notes King, we’re already seeing controversies arise from the aesthetic and environmental impacts from expanded resource and transmission development in the region.

For the consumer, a lot will depend on the business practices and philosophy of the consumer’s utility. Northwest utilities that are fairly aggressive in developing renewables on their own and selling RECs to California are able to generate revenue that may reduce electricity costs. It also puts them in a good position when it comes time to meet their own targets. For utilities that wait until they have to purchase renewable energy, they may find themselves in a situation where competition from California for those resources has driven up prices. . .

For the complete 12-page pdf report: http://www.nwcouncil.org/library/cq/2010spring.pdf

Idaho Power Files IRP With PUC

2010-08-16T16:02:00.001-06:00

http://www.nawindpower.com/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.6380

Monday 16 August 2010

Idaho Power Co. has filed its integrated resource plan (IRP) with the Idaho Public Utilities Commission (PUC). The company plans to add about 3,000 MW of capacity over the next 20 years to meet anticipated load growth, according to the IRP.

The plan also spells out how the company plans to reduce summer peak load by 323 MW by 2012, due largely to demand-reduction programs aimed at commercial, industrial and irrigation customers. Energy efficiency programs are forecast to reduce load by 127 average MW by 2029, a 53% increase over measures included in Idaho Power's 2006 IRP.

Idaho Power's southern Idaho and eastern Oregon territory serves about 486,000 customers, but those numbers are expected to increase to 680,000 at the end of the 20-year plan in 2029. Idaho Power anticipates that summertime peak-load hours will increase by 53 MW over the next 20 years and average load will increase by 13 MW during the same time frame.

To accommodate the load growth over the next 10 years, Idaho Power continues to rely on expanding its demand-reduction programs. It also plans to add 540 MW of new generation, including the 300 MW Langley Gulch natural-gas plant, which is now under construction near New Plymouth.

The company also plans to add 150 MW of wind generation and 40 MW of geothermal generation. Completion of a proposed major 500-kv transmission line from the Boardman Substation near Boardman, Ore., to the Hemingway Substation near Melba will make available another 425 MW of capacity to Idaho Power's customers. An upgrade of the Shoshone Falls hydroelectric facility will make another 20 MW available by 2015.

Looking beyond 10 years, the company plans another 1,400 MW of generation from natural gas plants and 500 MW from wind. The additional wind assumes that the Gateway West Transmission Project, a joint transmission project proposed by Idaho Power and Rocky Mountain Power that would pass through southern Wyoming and southern Idaho, will be completed.

SOURCE: Idaho Public Utilities Commission

Idaho Power begins new B2H process

2010-08-12T07:51:00.003-06:00

Transmission line would stretch nearly 300 miles

By Larry Meyer, August 11, 2010

http://argusobserver.com/articles/2010/08/11/news/doc4c62d907cf7b6170538819.txt

ONTARIO — Oregon Department of Energy and Bureau of Land Management officials have restarted their decision-making processes regarding Idaho Power’s proposed 500 kilo-volt transmission line which, if approved-will cross five eastern Oregon counties, including Malheur, and into Owyhee County in Idaho, holding the sixth public meeting in Ontario Tuesday at the Four Rivers Cultural Center.

The proposed transmission would stretch 299.8 miles from a sub station near Boardman to the newly constructed Hemingway substation south of the Snake River, near Melba. Idaho Power says the new line is needed to increase its capacity. Two more joint scoping meetings will follow in Boardman today and Burns on Thursday.

An earlier process was halted after Idaho Power withdrew its initial proposed routing of the line, facing stiff opposition from residents in Idaho and Oregon because it would have taken the line through an abundance of farmland.

Working with project advisory teams, Idaho Power came up with a new route and because it is a new proposal, a new process leading to a decision was required by both agencies. The new route in Idaho and Malheur County skirts most of the farmland, staying mainly on public land.

In Malheur County, the line would cross about 23 miles of private land and about 46 miles of BLM land, crossing a total of about 70 miles through the county.

According to Sue Oliver, energy facility analyst for DOE, Idaho Power will be applying for site certification with the review process conducted by Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council. . .

While the analysis for EIS will include the private land, as well as public land, the EIS (Environmental Impact Statement) and decision will only be on public land, John Styduhar, federal project manager, said. In their review following the scoping, federal agencies will develop a range of alternatives for analysis, Styduhar said. Those alternatives could include structure design or some mitigation of impacts which can’t be avoided. . .

The deadline for sending comments to both agencies is Sept. 27 and can be made via the comment sites on the project Web page, e-mail, regular mail or fax.

http://boardmantohemingway.com/

BLM, USFS and ODOE Scoping Meetings

2010-08-06T09:09:00.003-06:00

Remember that scoping (informational and comment) meetings for the BLM, US Forest Service and the Oregon Department of Energy are ongoing.

Marsing's scoping meeting will be held at the American Legion Hall from 3:30 - 8: p.m. on Monday, August 9th.

Ontario's scoping meeting will be held at the Four Rivers Cultural Center from 3:30 - 8 p.m. on Tuesday, August 10th.

Make sure you leave comments at these meetings or online. For more information, maps, comment links, brochure and flowcharts, go to http://www.boardmantohemingway.com/scoping2010.aspx

BLM announces schedule change for release of D-EIS on Gateway West Transmission Line

2010-07-29T10:03:00.002-06:00

July 28 2010 http://www.littlechicagoreview.com/pages/full_story/full_story?content_instance_id=8916902

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced today that the draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for the proposed Gateway West Transmission Line Project will be released during the last quarter of this year.

The draftEISwas originally scheduled to be released in the summer of 2010.BLMdelayed release of the document in order to address comments received during the internal administrative review process as well as to clarify management objectives related to sage grouse, visual and other public resources.

Walt George, BLMProject Manager, stated “We continue to work to ensure that the draftEISaddresses the key issues throughout the project area and want to ensure adequate time to prepare this important document.” George continued, “Once the draftEISis released, theBLMwill host a 90-day comment period and public hearings to formally gather comments. The BLM encourages the public’s continued participation in this project.”

The BLM is the lead federal agency for the National Environmental Policy Act process for this project, and is working with cooperating agencies including theUSDAForest Service; National Park Service; US Fish and Wildlife Service; US Army Corps of Engineers; Bureau of Indian Affairs; States of Idaho and Wyoming; Cassia, Power, and Twin Falls counties in Idaho; Carbon, Lincoln, and Sweetwater counties in Wyoming; the Saratoga, Encampment, Riverside and Medicine Bow Conservation Districts in Wyoming; and the City of Kuna, Idaho.

This project is jointly proposed by Idaho Power and Rocky Mountain Power, and would result in construction of nearly 1,150 miles of high voltage transmission lines across southern Wyoming and southern Idaho. The project proponents have applied to theBLMandUSFSfor right of way grants to construct, operate and maintain transmission lines from the proposed Windstar substation near Glenrock, Wyoming to the proposed Hemingway substation near Melba, Idaho, approximately 20 miles southwest of Boise.

To view the proposed and alternate routes that are being analyzed in the draftEIS, visit the interactive map on the BLM’s website detailing these routes: www.wy.blm. gov/nepa/cfodocs/gateway_west.

BLM, USFS and ODOE Joint Scoping and Public Information Meetings

2010-07-16T15:30:00.002-06:00

ODOE, BLM and USFS have reopened the public comment period for the Boardman to Hemingway Transmission Line Project. These agencies will host additional public scoping and information meetings on Idaho Power’s new routes and related documents in August 2010.

08/02/10	3:30 - 8 p.m.	Blue Mountain Conference Center 404 Twelfth St. La Grande, OR map location
08/03/10	3:30 - 8 p.m.	Best Western Sunridge Inn and Conference Center 1 Sunridge Ln, Baker City, OR map location
08/04/10	3:30 - 8 p.m.	Pendleton Convention Center 1601 Westgate Pendleton, OR map location
08/05/10	3:30 - 8 p.m.	Mt. Vernon Community Hall 640 Ingle St. Mt. Vernon, OR map location
08/09/10	3:30 - 8 p.m.	American Legion Hall 126 N. Bruneau Hwy. Marsing, ID map location
08/10/10	3:30 - 8 p.m.	Four Rivers Cultural Center 676 S.W. 5th Ave. Ontario, OR map location
08/11/10	3:30 - 8 p.m.	Port of Morrow Convention Center 2 Marine Dr. Boardman, OR map location
08/12/10	3:30 - 8 p.m.	Harney County Community Services Center 17 S. Alder Ave Burns, OR map location

During each meeting the state and federal agencies will give presentations about their respective review processes. In addition, Idaho Power has been invited to give a brief presentation about the project. Following the presentations, the agencies will hold a question-and-answer session.

The open house meetings will provide the opportunity for attendees to learn more about the project, review maps, provide written comments and discuss the project with agency staff and consultants, as well as Idaho Power representatives.

For more meeting information, go to http://boardmantohemingway.com/scoping2010.aspx

Final B2H Route Community Advisory Meetings

2010-06-29T13:23:00.006-06:00

Click picture for larger image

Last week, Idaho Power submitted its proposed route in its revised SF-299 application to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The submission of this application will restart the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. Idaho Power anticipates the BLM will begin holding scoping meetings later this summer. The Oregon Department of Energy-Energy Facility Siting Council will also take public input and conduct a review process for the state of Oregon.

In two weeks, Idaho Power will host a series of Community Advisory Process public meetings throughout the project area. (Note: these meetings are NOT the planned scoping meetings for the BLM-NEPA process, which will be held in Aug-Sept.)

We hope you will take the time to attend one of these open houses to review the proposed route that has been submitted for federal review, and learn more about how and why this route was chosen. Idaho Power representatives will be available at the open houses to discuss the project and answer questions. The Community Advisory Process public open houses will be held:

July 13, 2010
Brogan, Oregon
4 – 7 p.m.
Brogan Community Event Center
5621 Clark St.
Brogan, OR 97903

July 14, 2010
La Grande, Oregon
4 – 7 p.m.
Blue Mountain Conference Center
404 Twelfth St.
La Grande, OR 97850

July 15, 2010
Marsing, Idaho
4 – 7 p.m.
American Legion Hall
126 N. Bruneau Hwy.
Marsing, ID 83639

July 20, 2010
Baker City, Oregon
4 – 7 p.m.
Baker Community Event Center
2600 East St.
Baker City, OR 97814

July 21, 2010
Pilot Rock, Oregon
4 – 7 p.m.
Pilot Rock Community Center
285 NW Cedar Pl.
Pilot Rock, OR 97868

July 22, 2010
Boardman, Oregon
4 – 7 p.m.
Port of Morrow Convention Center
2 Marine Dr.
Boardman, OR 97818

Throughout the NEPA process there will be multiple opportunities for you to continue to give input. Idaho Power is committed to working with the communities throughout the NEPA process and will continue to communicate with you and inform you of ways to stay involved.

Citizens for Responsible Transmission Line Siting

2010-06-16T07:36:00.002-06:00

We have been asked to lend our support to an organization which represents a number of groups like ours across the West. This is a coalition of citizens who are in different stages of dealing with the consequences of electrical utilities attempting to route high-voltage lines across private property. Those starting out, as we did in October of 2007, will find support, encouragement, and vast amounts of helpful information here.

Please go to

http://move-transmission-line.ning.com/

and find out more about this organization. Signing up will keep you informed of the efforts of other citizens' groups, and the political clout of an umbrella group like this can be considerable.

Any support, even just registering with the website, will be of help. Thank you!

Public Lines on Public Land

2010-06-03T07:59:00.006-06:00

The rallying cry that got Idaho Power to reconsider

Roger Findley stands on a hill above the site that was proposed for Idaho Power's 500 kv lines. The power line would have been just to the east of the Malheur Siphon (the big pipe along the valley floor). You can see about 10 miles of it here.

by Sadie Babits, May 26, 2010

http://www.boiseweekly.com/boise/public-lines-on-public-land/Content?oid=1616920

Roger Findley remembers that fall day two years ago like it was yesterday. He was going through his mail when he found a letter from the Department of Energy and the Bureau of Land Management. The Ontario, Ore., resident almost chucked it.

"I started reading this [with my wife]," he recalled. "Our eyes got as big as silver dollars."

The letter outlined a proposed 299-mile transmission line that Idaho Power wanted to build from the Hemingway substation near Melba to Boardman, Ore. Findley recalls seeing the proposed route and thinking the line would come close to his farm, which is about 10 miles southwest of Ontario.

"My dad moved here when he was 17 with my grandparents. They were dust bowl victims coming from Colorado," said Findley. "I farm part of the original land."

Putting 12-story power lines over prime land used to raise cattle and grow everything from wheat to sugar beets didn't make sense to him.

"This is where we make our livelihoods," said Findley, "There are health concerns, logistical concerns with working around the lines, and concerns over electro-magnetic fields."

Findley's wife, a retired BLM botanist, had an idea about where to put the 550-kilovolt line and get it off private land and onto public. The trouble was convincing Idaho Power. So the Findleys did what Oregonians have a reputation for. They got organized and formed the nonprofit Stop Idaho Power.

Two hundred people packed the Grange Hall in Ontario for the first town hall meeting organized by the Findleys.

"We only prepared 50 handouts," recalled Findley, chuckling. "We went home after that first meeting and I said, 'Now I know how an arsonist feels.' I think we started something big, and we volunteered to lead it."

The Findleys did start something big. Communities throughout Eastern Oregon united to reroute Idaho Power's Boardman to Hemingway Project--or B2H. This grass-roots activism spread like a wildfire through tweets, blogs and phone calls. Stop signs showed up on private fences declaring private property off limits to Idaho's largest utility. It worked. Last year, Idaho Power halted the application and permitting process for the largest power line the Northwest has seen in 20 years.

Kent McCarthy plans transmission and distribution systems for Idaho Power and he's been involved in the Boardman to Hemingway Project. He said the company believed people living in places like Melba and Baker City, Ore., would be happy to have the line. Such projects have historically meant economic development and the guarantee of reliable energy.

So Idaho Power was surprised with the groundswell of grass-roots activism. "We knew that people would be vocal," said McCarthy. "But they were more vocal and more involved than we thought they would be."

Stop Idaho Power launched a blog detailing the B2H project. E-mails and documents from Idaho Power went up on the site. "Twenty years ago, we would not have been nearly as successful as today," said Findley. "We could instantly keep people informed and get people to write letters through our website."

From the beginning, the group, which sometimes attracted 400 people to its meetings, involved Idaho Power.

"We took Idaho Power company officials on a tour to show them where the land was that they wanted to put the line, and then we showed them where it should go," said Findley.

The goal, he said, wasn't to stop the line but to get it off private land and onto public BLM land in Malheur County. There's less red tape putting power lines on private property. Putting a power line across public land triggers the National Environmental Policy Act, which means lengthy and exhaustive environmental reviews and public involvement.

Findley said Stop Idaho Power took the approach of "let's get a cup of coffee and talk." That tactic didn't work. So the nonprofit collected $20,000 in donations and hired a lawyer.

"We had groups like Stop Idaho Power, Move Idaho Power and Protect Parma and Protect Canyon County," said McCarthy. "They convinced us that there was a lot of opposition and the community needed to be heard better than the scoping process."

That opposition largely came from Eastern Oregon from people angry at the thought of seeing swooping lines on giant towers cutting across wide open valleys like in the Baker City area. People worried the B2H would disrupt irrigation, make prime farmland useless, destroy the scenery and lower employment and tax revenues.

In Malheur County, Stop Idaho Power argued that county planners had purposefully preserved farmland rather than paving the way for development. In group documents, they noted that residents there "should not bear the burden of huge towers because Idaho thinks Malheur County is 'not developed.' Idaho still has much undeveloped and public land to site transmission lines."

Idahoans launched their own effort to reroute the line off farmland. But that level of involvement seemed quiet compared to Oregon's outcry.

Todd Lakey, an attorney and former Canyon County commissioner, is the spokesman for the group Protect Canyon County.

"Our message all along from the beginning has been this is a public utility and a public utility should be located on public land," Lakey said.

People were surprised by the line and felt they didn't have a say, he said. Idahoans, like Oregonians, understand the need for power but they also questioned the benefits the line would have for communities. "It's been more asking that question but recognizing the need to have power infrastructure and locate it appropriately," said Lakey.

McCarthy noticed the differing levels of involvement between the Oregon and Idaho groups, but he said Idahoans did make an impact as well. He speculated that the high level of activism in Oregon arose because the B2H is mainly in Oregon. Findley noted that at least one Idaho group opposed to the B2H got in touch with him to get advice on how to launch a successful campaign against Idaho Power.

Idaho Power responded to this opposition across the Idaho-Oregon border by starting a community advisory process. The utility organized groups from Eastern Oregon down to Southwest Idaho to come up with alternative routes. Last year, these teams, representing three geographic areas, developed and submitted 47 alternatives. From those, the groups, along with Idaho Power, picked three plans.

McCarthy said he values having such public involvement.

"It's been really painful at times, but it's always been good information. We're the engineers, but they're the people who really know the geography and the issues. We need their input so we don't go the wrong direction," he said.

Findley said he's happy with the alternate route through Malheur County, which now puts most of the line on public land. The proposed route also skirts private land in Canyon County. Lakey remains "cautiously optimistic" that it will stay that way.

"Idaho Power has done a good job of listening to the citizens and the political leaders," he said.

Residents in Baker City, though, aren't happy. The original transmission line would have gone over the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center and up through the valley. Now the line goes behind the center. Residents argue if the line gets built there, it will destroy a historic view--one that pioneers first saw coming through the valley.

The Boardman to Hemingway project isn't a done deal. Idaho Power must clear a number of hurdles before construction can begin. Oregon's Energy Facility Siting Council is expected to make a decision by mid-August. Meanwhile, Idaho Power has started the process again with the BLM. Ultimately, the company will have to make the case for why the B2H is needed.

Construction could begin in 2013 with the line active two years later.

Energy Gateway Section Energized; BPA Reconsiders B2H Line

2010-06-01T08:59:00.001-06:00

by Steve Ernst, May 20, 2010 http://www.energyprospects.com/cgi-bin/package_display.pl?packageID=3226 (registration required)

PacifiCorp has energized a 46-mile section of its Energy Gateway Transmission Expansion project, the utility announced last week.

The new section stretches from the Ben Lomond substation, in Box Elder County, Utah, to the Terminal substation, located near the Salt Lake City International Airport, and is part of the Gateway Central section of the project. The process to energize this section began March 19 and was completed March 30, the company said.

PacifiCorp says the northern section of the segment should be energized by the end of this year. The section will extend an additional 90 miles north to the Populus substation near Downey, Idaho, and would complete the first full segment of the Energy Gateway Transmission Project.

"It has been two decades since any major additions were made to the main transmission grid in the West," said Richard Walje, president of Rocky Mountain Power, in a prepared statement. "When completed, this and other transmission additions will ensure customers in the states we serve have access to electricity at reasonable prices."

In other transmission news, BPA has informed Idaho Power that the agency will not participate in the Boardman to Hemingway transmission project.

BPA spokesman Doug Johnson said that on May 10, the agency gave its "preliminary recommendation that we not participate in the Boardman to Hemingway project."

"Our analysis indicates that financially participating in the Boardman to Hemingway project would cost about three to five times as much a year as continuing the arrangements under which we currently serve our southern Idaho customers," Johnson said via email.

Currently, BPA pays Idaho Power to wheel power through its service area to BPA customers in southern and eastern Idaho and Wyoming.

But BPA is accepting informal customer and stakeholder feedback on the recommendation through the end of this month, Johnson said.

The B2H project, which would run from the Boardman substation near Boardman, Ore., to the Hemingway substation near Melba, Idaho, has drawn the ire of locals who petitioned the Oregon PUC to open a contested case hearing in Idaho Power's integrated resource plan case to determine if the project is needed.

Move Idaho Power and Idaho (?) resident Nancy Peyron asked for the hearing, arguing that Oregon EFSC is required to conduct energy siting proceedings as contested cases, but those cases do not question whether or not a facility is needed.

Move Idaho Power and Ms. Peyron argued that EFSC's facility siting proceedings are contested cases that rely on the OPUC-acknowledged IRP, so the OPUC should hold a contested hearing on whether or not the B2H line is needed.

On May 17, ALJ Sarah Wallace ruled that the OPUC did not have to hold a contested case in the Idaho Power IRP because the commission generally does not address the need for a specific resource, but determines whether or not the utility has proposed a portfolio with the "best combination of cost and risk."

"The Legislature delegated the authority to determine the need for a proposed transmission line to the EFSC, not to this commission," Judge Wallace said in her order. "The Commission would be exceeding its legislatively delegated authority if it attempted to determine whether the EFSC's need standard has been met."

Federal transmission policy faces several roadblocks

2010-06-01T08:42:00.004-06:00

by Jeff Siegel, North American Wind Power, May 2010 http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2010/05/31/federal-transmission-policy-faces-several-roadblocks/

More transmission is needed in order to reach the “20% wind energy by 2030″ target that the U.S. Department of Energy says is possible. However, passing a federal bill is another matter.

Talk about the challenges facing the wind business, and several issues come to mind, including siting, the debate over a federal renewable electricity standard (RES), and financing a project in the throes of the worst recession in 40 years.

So, where does transmission – as important to wind as any financing or regulatory issue – fit into all of this? The issue tends to be put on the back burner because building transmission – not to mention enacting a federal standard – is so complex and requires the approval of many stakeholders. In fact, analysts and industry officials say that transmission is much more complicated than other issues that wind power faces.

Solving transmission constraints means working with state regulators, independent system operators (ISO), regional transmission operators, utilities and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) – almost all of which have different agendas.

“It’s not just one of the main challenges facing the wind industry;’ says Georgina Benedetti, an energy and power systems analyst at Frost & Sullivan. “In my opinion, it’s as serious an issue as the extension of any of the incentives.”

More complicated still is that not everyone in the same group always wants the same thing. Utilities are split between those that want to add capacity and those that do not because they fear lower prices from increased supply, according to Michael Goggin, manager of transmission policy at the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).

Defining the agenda

The one thing almost everyone agrees on is that the U.S. power grid needs upgrading – especially if it is going to handle the amount of wind necessary to reach the U.S. Department of Energy’s “20% wind energy by 2030″ goal. Mason Willrich, a senior advisor to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Energy Innovation Project, notes it takes 10 to 12 years to build transmission in California, but takes only three to five years to build a wind farm.

Furthermore, there is a general consensus that some wind projects, especially in less windy areas, are already being held up because there is not transmission available to take the electricity to market. . .

Smart grid or bigger grid? Does the U.S. need more capacity, or does it just need to better manage the capacity it has by taking advantage of new technology? On the one hand, says Ed Krapels, CEO of Anbaric Transmission, it does not look as though the country will need all of the extra capacity that was forecast just a couple of years ago, thanks to the recession and increased conservation. This is where smart transmission could help.

On the other hand, says Goggin, relying solely on a smart grid will not provide additional capacity to bring wind-generated electricity from places such as Wyoming and North Dakota to market. . .

Cost allocation. This decision may be the biggest obstacle, says Willrich. State regulators are reluctant to pass costs on to ratepayers for transmission that is not solely contained in their jurisdiction. This limits the options for building regional transmission. Meanwhile, public utilities prefer public financing, as opposed to investor-owned utilities, which prefer to build privately.

FERC’s role. Few can agree what FERC can do, let alone what it should do. It is unclear whether existing legislation gives the agency the authority to regulate siting and cost allocation. Legislation in 2005 seemed to give FERC authority to expedite permitting’ but the agency has not yet used its power to override state authority, preferring to wait until state permitting processes play out.

FERC and the courts. Meanwhile, several court cases that have dealt with cost allocation also seem to limit FERC’s authority, depending on appeals and whether what happens in one part of the country is precedent in another part. . .

Regional planning. This issue involves more than encouraging groups of states agreeing to work together to add transmission in their respective regions.. .

Continued regulation or less regulation? Transmission is the last part of the electricity business that is still mostly regulated, and there are those who argue that regulation is hampering transmission construction. . .

A larger view
But the issue looming over all of these uncertainties, say those interviewed for this story, is the lack of suitable U.S. energy policy. . .

“It’s all about the mission statement,” says Krapels. “And, so far, there has not been enough of one to help transmission. Transmission, because it’s so complicated, needs to be part of the broader, more comprehensive package. . . ”

The problem in the end, says Fagan, is that “everyone wants their cake and to eat it, too. They want transmission, but they don’t want to pay for it.”

Nevertheless, transmission is a problem that needs to solved – even if it doesn’t seem to get as much attention as it should.

BPA drops out of Oregon transmission line to Idaho

2010-05-19T16:44:00.002-06:00

by Rocky Barker 5/18/2010 http://voices.idahostatesman.com/2010/05/18/rockybarker/bpa_drops_out_oregon_transmission_line_idaho#ixzz0oPa7BDsk

The Bonneville Power Administration has told Idaho Power it doesn’t plan to participate in the proposed Boardman (Ore.) to Hemingway transmission project.

BPA had been looking at joining Idaho Power and perhaps Pacificorp in the line that will connect the Idaho utility near Melba with BPA-control federal hydropower near the Columbia River and wind energy resources in the Columbia Gorge. The line also would allow Idaho Power to sell its power in the winter to BPA, which is peaking at that time of the year. Idaho Power peaks in the summer during the height of the irrigation season.

But BPA decided to stick with its current deal, paying Idaho Power to “wheel” its power through its service area to electrical coops and the Idaho Falls city electrical system it serves in southern and eastern Idaho and Wyoming.

The decision had nothing to do with the controversy that has erupted in Oregon over the proposed power line, BPA spokesman Doug Johnson said.

BPA has not completely ruled out joining in and is asking its coop and utility customers for comments on its decision.

Meanwhile, Idaho Power has moved its proposed route away from the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center near Baker in response to concerns raised by residents there. But the new route still can be seen from the center and residents urged Idaho Power to consider another route that runs through a sage grouse lek area, where the birds mate, which state officials will not approve.

In other transmission news, Rocky Mountain Power energized its first portion of the Gateway transmission line project that it is building across Idaho. The first leg is in Utah according to the Idaho State Journal.

Payette County paves way for proposed nuclear plant

2010-05-17T07:28:00.001-06:00

http://www.messenger-index.com/news/article_5c8d950e-57a3-11df-af6d-001cc4c002e0.html

May 5, 2010 - In a unanimous decision last week, Payette County commissioners approved a change to the county's comprehensive plan that represented a major hurdle for Alternate Energy Holdings, Inc.'s efforts to build a nuclear plant there. The commissioners' action raises some concerns for Emmett residents.

"This important decision sets the stage for the final step for approval of a large advanced nuclear power plant and also gives a strong indication of support by county leaders resulting in a win-win for AEHI stakeholders including the many benefits to the county, state and region for low-cost, clean, reliable power, not to mention rewarding our investors for their support," AEHI CEO Don Gillispie said.

The change creates a footprint for industrial uses in an area once designated for the sole purpose of agriculture. More specifically, the wording will allow for an industrial complex on a 5,000-acre parcel near Big Willow Road and Stone Quarry Road, just a few miles from New Plymouth, as long as that industrial purpose involves a nuclear power plant.

"This vote affirms the will of the majority of residents of Payette County who have told us and the commissioners they want a nuclear power plant in their community. They want the jobs and the financial stability for the towns in which they live - something our plant can and will create," Gillispie said.

Idaho Downwinders Director Tona Henderson, of Emmett, is concerned on two fronts:
"What will they do with the waste from the nuclear plant? There are 103 nuclear plants in operation (in America) right now," Henderson said. Most of these locations have been storing the waste on-site, some for as many as 30 years. There are reports that some containers have begun to leak, Henderson said. "I'm concerned the waste from the Payette site would be stored on site."

Henderson's second concern has to do with the geography of the area. About 40 years ago, the Idaho Geological Survey did a study of oil and gas reserves in southwest Idaho, according to a book Henderson has read.

Idaho Power plan angers residents

2010-05-17T07:22:00.001-06:00

by Chris Collins 5/7/2010 http://www.bakercityherald.com/Local-News/Idaho-Power-plan-angers-residents

Baker County residents again came away disappointed after a three-hour session in which Idaho Power Co. officials laid out plans for construction of a 500-kilovolt transmission line from Boardman to Hemingway, Idaho.

Idaho Power announced last month that its preferred route will travel about a mile east of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center. Earlier reports set the distance at a half-mile from the interpretive center.

Still, members of the Baker County group Move Idaho Power and other residents of Baker and Union counties told company officials they are not happy with the plan.

“You want to pass right through, pick up all you can that’s worth money and drive on down the road,” she said. We’re not happy about that.”

The Baker County session was one of a series of Project Advisory Team meetings scheduled by Idaho Power throughout the region to present the proposed route and to outline future steps in the process. The company next will submit its plan to the Bureau of Land Management to begin the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process.

The advisory groups were established last spring after Idaho Power took its original plan, which was to build the line west of the interpretive center and into the view of Baker Valley, off the table because of community opposition. At that time, Idaho Power agreed to start fresh with Boardman and Hemingway as the only two points on the siting map.

During the past year, the company considered about 450 comments from members of the advisory groups in making its routing decision, Kent McCarthy, Idaho Power Co.’s community advisory process leader, told the Baker County audience.

The route was moved to accommodate Baker County concerns about its proximity to the interpretive center and its placement to the west of the center, McCarthy said. The newly proposed route crosses Highway 86 about a third of a mile east of the center’s entryway and angles north to within about a mile of the center, McCarthy said.

The company is required by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to maintain a two-mile buffer around identified sage grouse leks, he said. That prevents Idaho Power from moving the transmission line farther from the center.

“As of January, ODFW reclassified an old sage grouse lek and made it impossible,” McCarthy said. “We’d love to go another three miles.”

Timm told McCarthy to try harder to persuade ODFW of the need to move the proposed route.

“You argue with us and put it where we don’t want it,” she said. “Why don’t you argue with them for a while.”

Timm also suggested perhaps county residents could oppose Idaho Power Co.’s relicensing application for its operations on the Hells Canyon dams when it is next up for renewal if the company refuses to compromise further on the proposed route.

“There’s a thousand other places you could probably go — pick one,” Timm told the company representatives to the applause of many in the audience.

“And on public land,” came a shout from the crowd.

Jim Eidson agreed with Peyron and Timm about the company’s apparent lack of regard for input it has received from Baker County residents over the past year.

“We are pretty much asking you not to bring it to Baker County,” Eidson said. “It looks like this is the meeting to tell us what you’ve decided to do. You could have saved us 10 to 15 meetings by telling us a long time ago.”

David Angell, Idaho Power’s manager of delivery planning, reminded the audience that Idaho Power has no choice but to comply with environmental restrictions.

“It doesn’t mean that we stop there,” he said. “What we can do is work going forward to adjust the route to getting as close as we can to something doable. Sage grouse leks and other habitat ... those are things we would have to work with the agencies on.”

And Idaho Power will meet with every landowner affected by the proposal, before any construction begins, McCarthy told the crowd. Idaho Power will seek a 250-foot right of way to property crossed by the transmission line and proposes a lease of a minimum of 40 years and possibly twice that with property owners, Angell said.

Baker County Commission Chair Fred Warner Jr. said during Wednesday’s meeting that the county would receive additional property taxes of about $600,000 from the Idaho Power project.

In an interview Thursday, Warner said about $250,000 to $260,000 would go to the county budget and the remainder would be divided among the county’s special districts for services such as fire protection and libraries, he said.

Warner said he hopes the county can persuade ODFW to allow Idaho Power to move the line farther from the Interpretive Center.

“It’s too close,” Warner said. “From three miles it could be visible, but not very visible.”

Warner said he hopes to employ several strategies to achieve the best outcome for Baker County and its residents.

“Can it be done? I don’t know. But we’re sure gonna try,” he said.

Warner said he also hopes to ensure that Idaho Power Co. makes annual lease payments to landowners whose property is affected rather than a lump-sum payment. He has proposed that the company hire an ombudsman to work for Baker County to represent the landowners in lease negotiations.

“I don’t particularly want (the transmission line) in Baker County,” he said. “But our goal is the least impact on the viewshed and the people it affects.

“We’re just trying to make the best of what’s probably not a very good situation,” he said.

Nobody Talks About the Land

2010-05-04T06:56:00.002-06:00

'This is an excellent and moving article on how many of us view our land. Oregon's land use laws are unique in the world, and I believe our laws originated from this type of thought. It is unfortunate that this "long distance energy swapping for profit" mindset is intruding on our private land...' Nancy Peyron, Baker City

http://calhounpowerline.wordpress.com/nobody-talks-about-the-land/

As part of my education about high voltage power lines, I have watched a couple of Webcasts of hearings and panel discussions at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Department of Energy.

I have watched these discussions, and I’ve heard lots of talk about the environment, green this and green that, “renewables” (one of those ugly nouns stolen from an adjective) and lots of other Washington jargon. In all of these discussions, I have not once heard anyone talk about the land. Everyone talks about transmission lines as though they were just wires. They refer to coal as just another fuel without any mention of where that coal comes from or what it really costs to mine it.

I live on a farm in Calhoun County, West Virginia. When I talk with my neighbors about deer hunting, building fence or hauling hay, they never refer to my land or my property, they say, “Those deer ran through you.” Those of you who live in a city or suburbs may not understand the world view that this way of thinking reflects. It is, however, very real where I live.

We see our land as part of “us.” This is not some kind of modern “eco-awareness.” It is a cultural view of the world that connects back through time to the peasant cultures of Europe and the culture of people native to North America. Those cultures still resonate strongly in rural West Virginia, as they do in other parts of our country.

What does this have to do with power lines?

The PATH power line will take more than 6000 acres of West Virginia land out of productive use by living, breathing West Virginia families.

Now think of the people who own, live on and work that land. Each of those families have lived with that land, some for all their lives. Living with a piece of land is a privilege. It is a relationship, just like a relationship with a friend or someone in your family.

Living with a piece of land means that you shape that piece of land to meet the needs of your family and perhaps to make a little money. You build fence, perhaps some buildings, maybe a pond. You build and restore your soil with manures, compost, fertilizer and lime. You raise a garden and do a little hunting or trapping. You manage your own animals and their pasture.

Much of your life’s work and much of your play grows out of this land. It becomes a part of you. As you put more of your energy into the land and it gives back food, your body literally becomes part of the land and the land becomes a part of you.

Living with a piece of land also involves lots of compromises. You make mistakes. Sometimes you do damage. Because our farms are small, and none of us has lots of money, the damage that any of us can do to our land is pretty small. It can almost always be fixed given a little work and time to heal. We know the scale of our compromises, and we take responsibility for them every day.

A 138 KV power line crosses my holler. It is 5 lines suspended from 80-foot wooden towers. The right of way takes up less than 100 feet and the land owner who originally gave Allegheny Power the right of way had the wisdom to ban herbicide spraying on this section of the line.

This power line is big, but it is small enough for us to live with. It is a compromise we all accept. This line runs from a West Virginia power plant to Spencer, the neighboring county’s county seat, from which our own power comes. We know that we and our fellow Calhoun Countians benefit from this line, so we live with it.

I didn’t hear anyone in Washington at these national energy conferences talking about compromise. Those of us who live with the land understand compromise, because we do that all the time on our farms. All I heard was sneering talk about how land owners were in the way of progress and something called “the national interest.”

For the folks at FERC and DOE, money should be enough. Pay them for their rights of way, and they should shut up and go away. And live with power companies controlling a large strip of land right through the middle of their farms. Well, it’s a little more complicated than that.

If you want to come across me with your big power lines, you have to start by talking about the land. If you don’t understand that, you’re in for a fight.

Continuing process

2010-04-30T06:50:00.005-06:00

Click for larger view

Download detailed section maps at the following website: http://www.boardmantohemingway.com/idaho_power_CAP_Maps.aspx

Idaho Power moves toward next step in line location By LARRY MEYER 4/10/2010
http://argusobserver.com/articles/2010/04/28/news/doc4bd86f2ca1c84923570277.txt

ONTARIO — With the community advisory team process coming to a close, and Idaho Power having chosen a route to the liking of citizens and local officials in Oregon and Idaho, the process of the siting the company’s 500Kv line between northeast Oregon to southwest Idaho, is going back to state and federal agencies for route approval.

One more change was made to the proposed route endorsed at the previous team meeting — a swing to the east after the line would go west of Brogan, to bring it closer to Huntington for the protection of a sage grouse breeding habitat.

The community advisory process has been ongoing since last year, when Idaho Power faced stiff opposition in Malheur County and other counties, in Oregon and Idaho, for its initial proposed routes.

Malheur County residents primarily opposed the route over prime farming areas in the Nyssa and Adrian areas, and between Ontario and Vale, asking Idaho Power to move the line away from exclusive farm use land. In its review of proposed routes, Idaho Power officials concluded it could not get state approval for siting the line over exclusive farm use ground.

As reported, the proposed line skirts most of the farm land in Owyhee County in Idaho and Malheur County in Oregon, following the existing Pacific Power and Light line west of Owyhee Reservoir. The line cuts north in the vicinity of Vines Hill and swings just west of Brogan before going into Baker County.

Kent McCarthy, Idaho Power, said the next steps will be to restart the National Environmental Policy Act process, in which the Bureau of Land Management, along with other natural resource agencies, will produce an Environmental Impact Statement and a decision on where it will or will not approve the requested action.

The power company also plans to restart the state process before the Energy Facility Siting Council. Both actions are still expected to come this spring, with the full schedule of public hearings and interim actions by the agencies before final decisions are issued.

In its decision-making process the BLM may offer alternatives to what the Idaho Power Co. has proposed.

“It is not just yes or no,” McCarthy said.

However, with the state EFSC process, alternatives are not offered, he said.

“They can only make a decision on the proposed route,” McCarthy said.

A new route would require a new process, he said.

Additionally, local residents who have been involved in the siting process are encouraged to continue their participation, because there are still opportunities to offer alternatives to the proposed route or for agencies to disapprove of the proposed route.

“There is opportunity to submit alternate routes through the scoping process,” McCarthy said.

He warned that it is important that people follow all the way through, because if the state contests the case hearing, held before the Oregon Department of Energy, and makes the final decision, people wanting to testify must have made comment on the draft. None of the official public hearings are expected until later this summer or fall.

“We’re trying to line the process up,” McCarthy said, so there will be joint meeting and hearings.

Commissioners reach decision on land-use plans

2010-04-28T07:52:00.002-06:00

http://argusobserver.com/articles/2010/04/27/news/doc4bd71b671abbd799313482.txt
By Brandi Stromberg 4/27/2010

PAYETTE — The Payette County Commissioners approved a comprehensive plan map amendment Monday morning for Alternate Energy Holdings Inc., allowing the company to pursue the construction of a proposed nuclear power-generating plant near Big Willow and Stone Quarry Road in rural Payette County.

“Decisions like these are ones that weigh on our minds for weeks, as I am sure it has for everyone else,” Commissioner Larry Church said. “I think we did a pretty good job on the Comp plan, but some thought we needed textual changes in it.”

Church, along with commissioners Marc Shigeta and Rudy Endrikat, approved the text changes to the county’s Comprehensive plan. Church continued with the decision about the Comprehensive plan amendment for the proposed nuclear plant, saying this was a tough decision for the commission.

“This was supposed to be a land-use issue, we thought about it all the time. This isn’t specifically about the business, although it’s been difficult to get out of our heads,” Church said. “We had to ask ourselves some questions, is this the best place for this industry, is this good for the county, is this going to be the proper and adequate use of the land?”

Church continued, saying the plant was proposed to be in the middle of, basically, nowhere in the dry hills, which is ideal for this kind of plant.

“The negative affects, can and will be fixed,” Church said. “The positive affects are it’s in a very secluded area that is large enough for this type of industry.”

. . . The commissioners unanimously approved the comprehensive plan amendment for the nuclear power plant, the next step will be for the county to consider a rezone, which will be brought to commissioners by the company.

New FERC rules tied to climate bill

2010-04-27T09:14:00.003-06:00

4/26/2010 http://www.eenews.net/ by subscription only

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is striving to propose rules this year that would dictate how power lines are financed and pricing is set for nontraditional grid resources, the agency's chief said yesterday . . .

Now the agency is ready to provide more certainty and send the right signals to those who would build transmission and increase nontraditional or "demand-side" resources, including flywheel and battery storage. The agency aims to voluntarily reduce power consumption using demand response, Wellinghoff said. . .

Wellinghoff said he has ordered FERC staff to draft a proposed rule soon on transmission funding formulas known as cost allocation. . .

"We ought to look at benefits to the entities that the costs are spread to," he said. "We should not spread costs to someone that there is absolutely no benefits to."

FERC already proposed a rule about making demand-side resources equal in market value to traditional power supply, and Wellinghoff said he is hoping to examine the pricing
structure for other non-traditional supply soon.

While FERC has "wide authority" on cost allocation issues, he said it would be easier to defend that authority in court if provisions that explicitly provide it in a bill passed by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last June were enacted.

Along with cost allocation, the Senate energy bill provides FERC with expanded authority for transmission planning and siting.

But there are questions about whether that bill will pass this year. It's embroiled with a larger, election-year debate on a sweeping Senate climate bill.

Given that, Wellinghoff said his legislative priority is to urge Congress to enact a provision giving FERC "backstop" authority to site transmission and pass a bill to give FERC emergency authority in case of a cyber attack. . .

Opposition from states, utilities

There is significant pushback from states and utilities on the Senate bill's proposed FERC authority. They cite concerns about paying for long power lines bringing Midwestern renewable energy to the East Coast and pre-empting regional planning efforts. . .

As FERC, Congress and the states work out these problems, a transmission problem looms over who will build transmission lines -- traditional utilities, companies that originally proposed the lines, or third parties? -- and how such matters will be decided, Wellinghoff said. . .

TRANSMISSION: $1B Mont.-Idaho proposal delayed again amid county, landowner resistance

2010-04-27T08:39:00.005-06:00

http://www.eenews.net/ (subscription only) 4/22/1020 by Phil Taylor

The Bureau of Land Management has for a second time postponed its draft
environmental review of a 430-mile transmission line proposed for Montana and Idaho that has drawn sharp resistance from ranchers and some county commissions.

The $1 billion Mountain States Transmission Intertie project by South Dakota-based NorthWestern Energy would carry up to 1,500 megawatts of renewable wind power from central Montana to markets in the Pacific Northwest and desert Southwest. . .

The city-county council last month sent a letter to BLM and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality urging the agencies to consider routing the line over public lands rather than on private ranches, many of which already contain transmission lines. . .

A recurring theme

The project is the latest transmission proposal in the West to experience blowback over real or perceived threats to resources including property rights, scenic vistas, national security and wildlife. . .

NorthWestern Energy said it is working with state and federal agencies to identify alternative routes along public lands that will be included in the draft environmental impact statement (EIS), which is expected to be re leased in early June, having missed initial deadlines set for last fall and April 2010.

The company's priority, however, is to minimize environmental harm by following existing transmission corridors, said NorthWestern spokeswoman Claudia Rapkoch.

"We're disappointed with the delay," she added. But "we also understand it takes time to work through all these different issues."

Alternative routes and local routing options will be evaluated in the draft EIS, as well as a "no action" alternative, BLM said. A preliminary agency-preferred alternative will be identified in the document.

"We've worked very hard to work out those issues and move the lines off private lands to public lands where we could," said Mackiewicz.

The agency and MDEQ have received more than 100 written comments on the project from state, county and tribal governments and the public, Mackiewicz said.

Bingaman Bill Would Strengthen Energy Efficiency Standards for Appliances

2010-04-27T08:13:00.000-06:00

http://www.bignews.biz/?id=848334&keys=Senator-Jeff-Bingaman-EnergyEfficientAppliances

3-5-2010

U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, has introduced bipartisan legislation that would lead to the manufacture and use of more energy efficient everyday appliances. The measure is cosponsored by Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), the committee's ranking member.

The bill aims to strengthen a 20-year Department of Energy's (DOE) initiative that establishes, updates and administers energy efficiency standards for over 33 consumer products – everything from dishwashers to ceiling fans. The initiative has led to the use of more efficient appliances, and in the process save consumers money, strengthen the economy, and reduce greenhouse gases. It is estimated that by 2020 the DOE initiative will reduce national electricity demand at least 15 percent below what it otherwise would have been.

But Bingaman would like to take additional steps to reduce energy consumption. His National Energy Efficiency Enhancement Act of 2010 would lead to more energy efficient furnaces, air conditioners, heat pumps and street lights – four appliances that consume a significant amount of energy each day. The bill implements improved energy efficiency standards negotiated agreements by energy efficiency advocates and appliance manufacturers.

"Greater energy efficiency strengthens our economy, enhances our security, saves consumers money, creates jobs and reduces greenhouse gas pollution. No single program or policy is going to completely end our nation's waste of energy or its carbon emissions, but increased energy efficiency through cost-effective energy standards for appliances and consumer products remains the single most-powerful tool for meeting these goals," Bingaman said.

Bingaman's bill would also change some of the ways the Secretary of Energy administers the program. For example, there would be changes to the criteria the Secretary uses to set efficiency standards in order to include the impact of the new or updated standards on average energy prices, and on the use of new smart grid technology.

The bill builds on Bingaman's American Clean Energy Leadership Act of 2009 (ACELA), which was approved by the Energy Committee last summer and awaits full Senate action. Additional savings from this new bill are estimated at 260 trillion btus of energy by 2020 – the equivalent of about 45 million barrels of crude oil. It is also estimated that the new bill will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 14.7 million metric tons.

PUC Comments

2010-04-22T07:47:00.004-06:00

For those interested, I have uploaded comment documents for the April 20th OPUC meeting. I will add others as I get them.

Roger Findley Table 3.1

Roger Findley Table 10

A Big Thank You

2010-04-21T14:33:00.011-06:00

First of all, a big THANK YOU to everyone who showed up to listen at the Public Utilities Commission Hearing for Need. If you weren't able to hear, Gary Pearson got everyone's point across in a booming voice. Thanks for being there!!

Gary Pearson gives his comments to the ALJ at Tuesday night's OPUC Hearing for Need

From our hard-working Stop Idaho Power chair Roger Findley:

I just want to take this opportunity to say a big THANK YOU to all who participated at tonight's big PUC meeting. We packed the room out. PUC estimated there were at least 175 people present. They had to bring in more chairs. The presenters did a spectacular job (as usual). The presentations were polished and right on point. We can not worry about what the outcome will be....we did our part...we hope the process works!

A quote from an Idaho region National Trust official:

"The Stop Idaho Power group had a compelling, orchestrated series of speakers systematically taking on the issues of concern to the OPUC. It will be interesting to see how this plays out."

And a thank you to the Oregon Public Utilities Commission officials and Administrative Law Judge Sarah Wallace for coming all the way to Ontario to listen to our comments.

Oregon PUC at the FRCC Tuesday, April 20th

2010-04-19T07:55:00.002-06:00

Idaho Power December 2009 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP)

The Commission is reviewing Idaho Power’s new Integrated Resource Plan (IRP).

Utilities regulated by the Commission must file IRPs every two years. The plan identifies projected growth and what resources the utility wants in order to serve its customers. One element of Idaho Power’s IRP is a proposal for a new transmission line.

If a new route is approved by the Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council the Commission may also be asked to issue a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) for the construction of overhead transmission lines.

A CPCN would permit land to be condemned as a last recourse to complete the transmission project.

If Idaho Power makes this request, the OPUC will issue notices and hold public hearings.

All pertinent filing documents can be viewed at : http://apps.puc.state.or.us/edockets/docket.asp?DocketID=15980

You may mail written comments to the Commission at:

Attn.: LC 50
Administrative Hearings Division
Public Utility Commission of Oregon
P.O. Box 2148
Salem, OR 97308-2148

or

Make a comment online through this link: http://apps.puc.state.or.us/commentLC50/message.htm

To all parties in LC 50:

We have recently received some inquiries about the process for the April 20 public comment hearing in Ontario, Oregon. The hearing will start at 5:30 p.m. People will be asked to sign in if they wish to comment on the record, and I will call them up to the microphone to comment. I will be there to listen to comments and to answer questions, and so will representatives from Commission Staff and Idaho Power Company. A court reporter will also be there to transcribe comments for the record.

People do not need to arrive by 5:30 p.m. in order to comment. A sign-up sheet will remain by the entrance until 8:30 p.m. so people can sign in as they arrive. People will not, however, be permitted to sign in after 8:30 p.m. The hearing will continue until all those who sign in before 8:30 p.m. have commented. There will also be comment cards available to submit written comments. In addition, the Commission is setting up a link on its website for people to submit comments electronically. All comments will be part of the official record in the docket.

Please contact me with any questions.

Thank you,

Sarah Wallace

Administrative Law Judge

Idaho Power-Pacificorp MOU

2010-04-13T22:46:00.001-06:00

http://www.idahopower.com/NewsCommunity/News/mediaCenter/NewsReleases/showPR.cfm?prID=2361

BOISE, Idaho and Portland, Ore. Wednesday, March 31, 2010--- Idaho Power and PacifiCorp today announced their companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to review potential partnership opportunities in providing essential electricity transmission to customers in the region. The two utilities already are working together on a segment of the proposed Gateway West Transmission Line between Downey, Idaho and the new Hemingway substation, located southwest of Boise. This new MOU will open discussions relating to the termination of certain existing agreements between the utilities to be replaced by joint ownership transmission arrangements and also the joint development, construction and ownership of new transmission projects associated with portions of the proposed Gateway West Transmission Line located in Idaho, and Idaho Power’s proposed transmission line between Hemingway substation and Boardman, Oregon. Though non-binding, the MOU reflects both companies’ commitment to reaching agreements on these matters, to the benefit of customers. The MOU enables strategic discussions between the companies with the purpose of more efficiently utilizing the existing transmission system and potential partnership on new projects to preserve the companies’ rights on behalf of, and for the benefit of, their native load customers and to satisfy their capacity expansion responsibilities under their respective Open Access Transmission Tariffs. Subsequent definitive agreements reached by the companies will be subject to applicable state and federal regulatory approvals. Additional information is available at www.idahopower.com or www.pacificorp.com by searching “OASIS”. Both companies anticipate finalizing these discussions with agreements by fall 2010.

Notice of Public Comment Hearing

2010-04-09T18:46:00.010-06:00

The following public notice is the Hearing for Need for the Oregon Public Utility Commission to make a decision on whether the Boardman to Hemingway power line is needed, in conjunction with its 2009 Integrated Resource Plan. If Need is granted to Idaho Power, then the OPUC can assign it the right to condemn property for the purposes of the utility.

ORS 758.015 Certificate of public convenience and necessity. http://www.leg.state.or.us/ors/758.html
(1) When any person, as defined in ORS 758.400, providing electric utility service, as defined in ORS 758.400, or any transmission company, proposes to construct an overhead transmission line which will necessitate a condemnation of land or an interest therein, it shall petition the Public Utility Commission for a certificate of public convenience and necessity setting forth a detailed description and the purpose of the proposed transmission line, the estimated cost, the route to be followed, the availability of alternate routes, a description of other transmission lines connecting the same areas, and such other information in such form as the commission may reasonably require in determining the public convenience and necessity.

(2) The commission shall give notice and hold a public hearing on such petition. The commission, in addition to considering facts presented at such hearing, shall make the commission’s own investigation to determine the necessity, safety, practicability and justification in the public interest for the proposed transmission line and shall enter an order accordingly. The order shall be subject to review as in other cases. In any proceeding for condemnation, a certified copy of such order shall be conclusive evidence that the transmission line for which the land is required is a public use and necessary for public convenience.

*******************

The Public Utility Commission of Oregon will hold a public comment hearing in Ontario, Oregon to provide an opportunity for the public to comment or ask questions regarding Idaho Power Company's application for approval of its 2009 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP, including the B2H 500 kV power line) as follows:

DATE: Tuesday, April 20, 2010

TIME: 5:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.

PLACE: Four Rivers Cultural Center, Owyhee River Room, 676 SW 5th Ave, Ontario, OR 97914

ADMINISTRATIVE LAW JUDGE: Sarah K. Wallace

You are invited to attend anytime from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. to learn more about the Commission's review of Idaho Power's application. Members of the Commission Staff, Idaho Power, and customer groups (including SIP and MIP) will be available to answer questions from the public during this time.

A court reporter will be present to record comments. If you are unable to attend in person, written comments may be mailed to the Commission at:

Attn: LC 50

Public Utility Commission

P.O. Box 2148

Salem, OR 97308-2148

For more information contact the Commission's Consumer Services Division at 1-800-522-2404.

Power corridor will spare Grant County, Ontario under new plan

2010-04-07T18:21:00.002-06:00

By Richard Cockle, 4/6/2010 The Oregonian

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/04/power_corridor_will_spare_gran.html

LA GRANDE -- A power company's preferred route for a 299-mile "big extension cord" power line through eastern Oregon to Idaho will bypass both Grant County and a prosperous onion-growing area near Ontario -- both hotbeds of opposition to the project.

Boise-based Idaho Power Co. unveiled its recommended route Tuesday for a 500-kilovolt line. The Hemingway Power Transmission Project would start near Boardman and wind through Morrow, Umatilla, Union, Baker and Malheur counties before ending at the company's Hemingway Substation near Melba, Idaho.

Oregon residents fought two earlier proposals, one that would have taken the line through scenic Grant County mountain and high-desert panoramas, and another that would have removed 1,500 acres of farmland from production near Ontario.

The project became doubly unpopular in Grant County after word got out that company workers went to a John Day pub after a March 2 public meeting and made fun of locals' objections and manner of speaking. The workers also said land would be seized through eminent domain. Company officials apologized and assured residents the workers had been removed from the project.

"It didn't go over at all well," said Mark Webb, chairman of the Grant County commissioners.

Residents, already up in arms over a threat by a group calling itself the Aryan Nations to build a national headquarters in John Day, declared: Neo-Nazis aren't welcome, and neither is the transmission project.

Idaho Power has said the line -- the first big power corridor proposed in Oregon in more than 20 years -- is needed, citing a U.S. Department of Energy report that says U.S. demand for electricity is likely to grow 40 percent in the next two decades. The construction of wind turbines across Oregon is expected to add to the need.

Idaho Power will submit its preferred route to the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Bureau of Land Management on April 15, said BLM spokesman John Styduhar. The Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council and Public Utility Commission also must approve the route.

Idaho Power originally hoped to begin building the corridor next year and have electricity coursing through by June 2013. Spokeswoman Piper Hyman said the company remains on schedule.

Styduhar, however, suggested that the project may run past the deadline. "I would say on a fast track it would take 1 1/2 to 2 years" to win approval, he said. "This is not a fast-track project."

Idaho Power's Chosen B2H Route

2010-04-06T18:41:00.002-06:00

Click for a larger map

Since Spring 2009, Idaho Power has been working intensively with communities in eastern Oregon and western Idaho to develop proposed and alternative routes for the Boardman to Hemingway Transmission Line Project.

Three route alternatives were presented to communities last month at a series of meetings that were held throughout the project area. Team members were asked to review the three routes and data associated with each route, then provide comments about each route back to Idaho Power before March 25.

Idaho Power intends to submit its revised SF-299 application to the BLM this month, which will restart the NEPA review process. The SF-299 application will include Idaho Power’s recommendation that the Eastern alternative route be advanced into NEPA as the proposed route. A map of the proposed route is attached.

Idaho Power plans to host a Project Advisory Team meeting in your area in late April. The purpose of this meeting will be to present the proposed route that will be submitted back into the federal process and share with you how and why this route was chosen. At this meeting, Idaho Power will also provide information about how you can stay involved during the NEPA process.

Your input has been extremely valuable and we appreciate the time, effort and thought you and your community have contributed. We will be in contact with you about the date and location of the next Project Advisory Team meeting within the next few weeks.

Sincerely,
Kent McCarthy
B2H Community Advisory Process Leader
Idaho Power Company

"Portion of B2H moves off farmland"

2010-04-05T21:05:00.004-06:00

At the Stop Idaho Power meeting Monday April 5th, a resident of Owyhee County asked about the placement of the 500 kV line, whether it was north or south of the PP&L line. I don't know if the March 2009 Owyhee Avalanche article, referenced below, answers this question. The Sand Hollow substation is also off the map.

Section near Homedale, Marsing, Adrian to shift to more BLM land

http://owyhee.com/B2H/Articles.html

After roughly four months of input, the launch of several grassroots landowners organization and re-evaluation by planners at Idaho Power, a portion of the proposed route of the Boardman-to-Hemingway (B2H) 500-kilovolt (kV) transmission line has been relocated. Its planned date of initial operation has been backed up slightly, as well, to 2014. Initial project schedules had given a start date of June 2013.

The section, formerly plotted north of the existing PacifiCorp 500kV lines west and south of Homedale, has been rerouted south of the line, away from private property and onto the West Wide Energy Corridor (WWEC). The line as now proposed stays on public land to a far greater extent — in that section — than it did before. It has also been moved west of the heavily cultivated strip south of Adrian, and has relocated on Bureau of Land Management ground, only returning to cultivated land north of the city as it turns toward the proposed Sand Hollow substation.

The move was announced just days prior to the Planning and Zoning-requested public meeting held Feb. 24 at the Marsing American Legion Community Center. Approximately 60 interested landowners, activists and legislators attended the meeting. Land-use expert Fred Kelly Grant served as moderator.

At the meeting’s outset, Grant said that Nevada-based BLM director Lucas Lucero had confirmed that the newly plotted route is under National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) examination. Lucero heads the Environmental Impact Statement studies for B2H.

The meeting was well-attended by a spectrum of those concerned, including numerous landowners, District 23 state Sen. Bert Brackett (R-Rogerson) and Rep. Stephen Hartgen (R-Twin Falls), all three Owyhee County Commissioners, county planning and zoning commissioners, Owyhee Cattlemen’s Association president Bodie Clapier, South Board of Control manager Ron Kiester and director Dave Shenk, Stop Idaho Power president Roger Findley, Boise BLM district manager Aden Seidlitz and Owyhee BLM field office manager Buddy Green.

Water Resources Strategy Open House April 7th

2010-04-05T20:43:00.005-06:00

Although not having directly to do with Stop Idaho Power, you may want to be involved in an open house to help develop a water resources strategy for Oregon. State agencies will be setting limits for TMDL, Total Maximum Daily Load for irrigation water runoff, including water temperature and nutrient loss. This can adversely impact farming in Malheur County, so make sure your input is heard.

The open house will be held in Ontario Wednesday, April 7th, from 4-7 p.m. at the Holiday Inn.

More information can be found at the following website:

http://www.wrd.state.or.us/OWRD/LAW/Integrated_Water_Supply_Strategy.shtml

Oregon skeptical of Idaho Power line

2010-04-04T16:54:00.004-06:00

Executives' loose bar chatter undercuts the utility's credibility in its effort to build a transmission project. By Rocky Barker 4/4/10

http://www.idahostatesman.com/2010/04/04/1140802/oregon-skeptical-of-idaho-power.html

JOHN DAY, Ore. - Signs declaring "United Against Hate" hang in the windows of nearly every business on the Main Street in this isolated timber and ranching town nestled in the Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon.

The signs went up earlier this year when Aryan Nations national director Paul Mullet came to the John Day River Valley, looking for a national headquarters.

"The community just came together and said 'We don't want you here,'" says Grant County Commissioner Boyd Britton.

The external threat sensitized people about how they talked to each other about race and other issues that rural Oregon was long able to ignore.

So when the next threat came to the valley - a proposed transmission line of 190-foot-high towers that would run through their ranches and obscure their scenic views on its way to the Columbia River - folks here knew that words mattered.

That was a lesson Idaho Power executives had to learn the hard way.

After a March 2 public meeting to talk about the power line, company executives and contractors went to John Day's Outpost Pizza, Pub & Grill for drinks and dinner. They loudly made fun of how local people talked, expressed disdain for the locals' complaints and said that in the end they would simply take their land through the utility's power of eminent domain. . .

"People were shocked and angry," said Tracey Watson, manager of the Outpost bar. "Both the Aryan Nations and the power line were coming from Idaho."

The company has made several return trips to Grant County to listen and apologize. In doing so, Idaho Power has learned that, away from its home turf, it has to fight in Oregon for its credibility as well as permission to build its transmission lines. . .

. . . When Ontario and Adrian residents protested the initial route in 2009, Idaho Power went back to the drawing board. It set up the community advisory process and began helping residents propose new routes and identify problems that would make it harder to get approval for the transmission line.

It was out of this process that the western route through the John Day River Valley was added. Idaho Power officials acknowledged at the public meeting Wednesday that the route was more expensive and presented the utility with several permitting challenges. Some residents took that as a hopeful sign the company will recommend a different route when its makes its decision this week. . .

The company hopes for final approval from all federal, state and county officials in 2011, with construction scheduled to begin in 2012. It hopes to put the line in operation by 2015. . .

"If you're talking behind people's back in John Day, you're talking behind people's back in Baker," said Nancy Peyron, chairwoman of a group formed in Baker to oppose the line, Move Idaho Power.

Peyron, whose ranch surrounds the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center just off Interstate 84, has her house just a half-mile from the cheapest proposed route. . . praised Idaho Power's community-advisory process. But when maps of the three proposed routes came back with most of residents' suggestions ignored, she said, it was apparent that even if the people putting on the process were listening, Idaho Power wasn't . . .

"It seems like they are acting like Idaho cowboys," Peyron said. "They're saying we can spit where we want and run our cattle through your back yards."

General SIP Meeting April 5th (2nd Notice)

2010-04-01T11:10:00.001-06:00

We will be holding a general meeting for Stop Idaho Power Monday evening April 5th at 7:00 p.m. in the Boulevard Grange hall southwest of Ontario on Hwy 201.

We will be discussing the following:

The final three route alternatives chosen by Idaho Power's Community Advisory Process.
Possible outcomes as these routes are put through the NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) process.
The Oregon Public Utilities Commission Hearing for Need scheduled for April 20th in Ontario. Information as to place and time will be forthcoming.

Remember that the Hearing for Need addresses one of the EFSC (Oregon's Energy Facility Siting Council) standards for granting an application for building the B2H line. This is an opportunity for any individual or community along the proposed routes to make a case before the OPUC that this line is not needed and therefore should not be built.

Sage Grouse Not Protected by ESA, But Will Still Play Role in Western Energy Development

2010-03-29T09:47:00.001-06:00

http://www.martenlaw.com/newsletter/20100328-sage-grouse-esa-protection (subscription required) March 29, 2010 by Jessica Ferrell

Earlier this month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (the “USFWS” or the “Service”) published its 12-month findings on three petitions to list the greater sage grouse as threatened or endangered under the ESA. The Service determined that listing the species is warranted under the ESA, but precluded at this time due to budget constraints and higher priority candidate species.

Despite the reprieve from an immediate ESA listing, developers – including energy developers – still confront a variety of federal, state, and local regulatory measures in the West related to sage grouse protection. The majority of regulatory restrictions on development activities will be dictated by: 1) the Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”), the agency responsible for managing over 50% of sage grouse habitat; and 2) to some extent, the affected states . . .

. . . As a “candidate” species, the sage grouse is not provided any protection under the ESA, but the Service will review the species’ status annually, with the expectation of listing it in the future if its status does not improve. However, based on the Service's ranking of the species, the likelihood of listing anytime soon is small, and the sage grouse will remain near the end of a line of approximately 250 candidate species awaiting listing. . .

Ante up, Idaho Power

2010-03-24T08:21:00.001-06:00

Baker City Herald Editorial Board March 17, 2010 http://www.bakercityherald.com/Editorials/Ante-up-Idaho-Power

Idaho Power Company has drawn a lot of lines on maps, but the situation looks to us pretty much as it did a year ago: The Boise company wants to build a major transmission line through Baker County.

We’re not surprised. That was, after all, the company’s initial proposal.

We’re also not surprised that quite a few Baker County residents aren’t pleased that Idaho Power still seems to prefer a Baker County route, even though the company decided last year to basically start over and consider a variety of other options. . .

But we hope the company’s critics, along with county commissioners, will exert political pressure that prompts Idaho Power to both minimize the harmful effects of the transmission line and to fairly compensate affected property owners.

The top priority should be to avoid fouling the views from Baker Valley and the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center.

Fred Warner Jr., chairman of the County Board of Commissioners, thinks Idaho Power also should make regular payments to property owners whose land the power line crosses. We agree.

But we suggest one other, rather unorthodox, measure: Idaho Power should allow public access, for hunting and hiking, to the Daly Creek Ranch.

The company bought the 10,000-acre property near Richland in December 2006, but so far has kept it closed.

If we have to look at your towers, Idaho Power, at least let us walk around your property.

Summary Route Comparisons B2H Alternatives

2010-03-18T09:27:00.012-06:00

Factors	Western Route	Central Route	Eastern Route
Land Use Characteristics
Length/Counties	275/5	282/6	299/6
Private Land	138 Miles (50%)	172 Miles (61%)	206 Miles (69%)
Public Land	137 Miles (50%)	110 Miles (39%)	93 Miles (31%)
Follows Existing Corridors	46 Miles	58 Miles	111 Miles
New Corridor	229 Miles	224 Miles	188 Miles
Resources
Irrigated Cropland	10 miles	9 miles	22 miles
Forest Clearing	1,754 acres	1,763 acres	681 acres
Rugged Terrain (>25% slopes)	59 miles	56 miles	35 miles
Special Status Streams	46 crossings	13 crossings	8 crossings
Restrictive FS/BLM Visual Classes	9.1 miles	25.5 miles	8.6 miles
Important Issues
John Day Valley	Crosses	Avoids	Avoids
West Side Baker County	Avoids	Crosses	Avoids
Oregon Trail Interpretive Center	Avoids	Avoids	Nearby
National Forests	Malheur and Umatilla (45 miles) New Corridor	Wallowa -Whitman (30 miles) New Corridor	Wallowa-Whitman but in a designated utility corridor (5 miles)
High Construction Difficulty	117.1 miles	99.3 miles	65.3 miles

Ida. Power still likes route near Trail Center

2010-03-15T20:15:00.004-06:00

by Ed Merriman 3/5/2010 http://www.bakercityherald.com/Local-News/Ida-Power-still-likes-route-near-Trail-Center

Local residents chastised Idaho Power officials during a public meeting Wednesday in Baker City for failing to make substantial changes to the proposed route of a transmission line near the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center east of town.

“Isn’t that almost the exact route Idaho Power proposed initially, following along I-84?” said Jim Eidson of Baker City. “I guess I’m wondering what’s different. What’s changed?”

About 70 people packed into the Senior Center, where Idaho Power officials showed slides of various proposed routes and described how factors such as construction difficulty, environmental and other permitting issues, as well as costs and public concerns were weighed in identifying the preferred routes to be submitted to the Bureau of Land Management for review under the National Environmental Policy Act.

Idaho Power officials described the process they went through in eliminating alternate routes proposed by affected landowners and other area residents who want to keep the 130- to 140-foot-tall steel towers away from irrigated land zoned for exclusive farm use, and away from the viewshed around the Interpretive Center.

“The two things that really drive this is permitability and constructability,” said Bill Perry, an engineering consultant with Idaho Power. He described how alternate routes proposed by the public were assessed and compared to the routes Idaho Power proposed originally.

“We started the routing process in Baker City because Baker County had the most miles,” Perry said.

He said Idaho Power will accept written comments for two more weeks and then choose one or two routes to submit to state and federal agencies for review under the National Environmental Policy Act.

“We tried to take the routes people proposed and looked at them to make sure we avoided all of the issues we could,” Perry said. “If there is something we have missed on these routes, we’d rather get it right now, than get corrected later.”

Despite widespread public opposition to Idaho Power’s initial proposal to build the transmission line near the Interpretive Center, Perry and other Idaho Power representatives told those attending the meeting that after looking at all of the other alternatives, that’s still the company’s preferred route.

“That’s all I needed to hear,” said Gary Marlette of Baker City, after he walked out of the meeting in frustration. “They are obviously planning to run the line wherever they want, and aren’t really paying any attention to public concerns.”

Nancy Peyron, who lives near the Interpretive Center and helped start the local group Move Idaho Power last year, also criticized the company for making what seems to her a mockery of the public advisory process. . .

At Wednesday’s meeting, Porter said PacificCorp has signed an agreement to work with Idaho Power on building the line, and that the Bonneville Power Administration is also considering joining the effort.

“This transmission line is important to the region,” Porter said. “It will benefit people and businesses in Oregon, Idaho and Washington.”

He said existing transmission lines between Boardman and the Treasure Valley are at maximum capacity, and the new line is needed to power a new data center planned for the Ontario area.

In response to questions from the audience, Porter said that other than the data center he isn’t aware of any need for additional power to accommodate growth or new industry across much of the route in Northeastern Oregon, such as Baker, Union and Grant counties.

While Idaho Power brought its public meeting portion of the public advisory process to a close this week with meetings in communities along proposed routes in five sections between Boardman and Hemingway, officials said written comments would be accepted until March 25. The address is: Kent McCarthy, Idaho Power Company, P.O. Box 70 1221 W. Idaho St., Boise, ID 83702. . .

General SIP Meeting April 5th

2010-03-15T11:32:00.004-06:00

We will be holding a general meeting for Stop Idaho Power Monday evening April 5th at 7:00 p.m. in the Boulevard Grange hall southwest of Ontario on Hwy 201.

We will be discussing the following:

The final three route alternatives chosen by Idaho Power's Community Advisory Process.
Possible outcomes as these routes are put through the NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) process.
The Oregon Public Utilities Commission Hearing for Need scheduled for April 20th in Ontario. Information as to place and time will be forthcoming.

The Final Three Routes

2010-03-11T07:53:00.012-07:00

click map for a larger view

March 9 - With the dissemination of Shaun Robertson's letter from John Day on Tuesday, we were interested to see how Idaho Power planned to handle this explosive issue at the final community advisory process South Team meeting at Ontario's Four Rivers Cultural Center. It was toward the beginning of the meeting, and they took it very seriously, a wise move.

While a number of senior Idaho Power officials and contracted employees have been genuine and honest with us, and actually listen to us, which we appreciate, there is also a contingent of employees and contractors within the company who do consider small town folks to be ignorant and easily pushed around.

Unfortunately, comments of the type heard in John Day have been heard in rural areas elsewhere but until now have not been reported. For IPC to investigate thoroughly, with repercussions, gives us the confidence that we are being taken seriously as community members.

This dichotomy of attitudes towards ruralites has been apparent from the beginning and has resulted in inexplicable, self-sabotaging moves by Idaho Power over the last 17 months, putting a strain on community relations and causing unnecessary and costly setbacks for the company. We hope these well-educated urbanites now realize that bullying and condescending behavior does not engender high opinion from those of us scratching a living from the hinterlands and supplying you with steamed vegetables and sliced beef for your dinner.

If B2H is a much-watched test case for future transmission line sitings, it would behoove any contemplation of those dealing with the public to assume that there is still rock-ribbed American independence alive and well out there, and deserving of respect, if understandably suspicious of stated motive and mandate.

As far as the three routes ultimately refined and accepted as alternates worthy of going forward with the NEPA and Oregon EFSC processes, it was pointed out at Tuesday's meeting by Stop Idaho Power's Roger Findley that had Idaho Power been listening to us from the beginning, they could have taken retired BLM botanist Jean Findley's public lands routes seriously and saved themselves a lot of time and money. Because that is what eventually has been accepted as viable.

We still intend to support Baker's Oregon Trail Interpretive Center against any and all encroachments by unwanted transmission line sitings.

Another bit of advice: If the contractor Tetra Tech had done its homework, they wouldn't have fed flawed constraint information into their route computation software and come up with an outrageous utility corridor marching through 50 miles of the most productive farmland east of Oregon's Cascades, a stone's throw from uninhabited public desert lands. The sheer audacity of the original route compounded and hardened the opposition of hundreds of Malheur County citizens in a way that a much more careful route would have certainly avoided.

If that homework included informed input by local citizens across the entire study area, then it would have paid to start out with that sort of input process from the beginning.

Barroom chat backfires for Idaho Power

2010-03-11T07:39:00.003-07:00

Utility officials apologize about "disparaging statements" 3/10/2010 http://www.bluemountaineagle.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=12&ArticleID=23346 by Scott Callister

JOHN DAY - Boisterous comments made by Idaho Power officials over drinks in a local bar sparked a complaint to the utility and fueled new opposition to its proposed 500-kilovolt transmission line.

The comments - described as critical of local residents and their views - were heard at a gathering in the Outpost Restaurant bar March 2, after the utility's latest meeting in Grant County. In that citizens advisory group meeting, held in Canyon City, officials unveiled the three route alternatives left on the table, including one that would traverse western Grant County.

Kim Randleas, an owner of the Outpost, said about nine Idaho Power representatives gathered in the restaurant bar after the public meeting. She said their comments were "extremely vocal" and could easily be heard by other patrons.

The incident sparked a letter of protest from Shaun Robertson, another family member, to the CEO of Idaho Power. He said the revelers made disparaging comments about local residents and touted their ability to use eminent domain, which would allow Idaho Power to take private land for the transmission line without the owners' consent. . .

Randleas said Idaho Power officials apologized to her and to her parents, Bill and Janet Robertson, later in the week. She said she wasn't the one who needed an apology.

"I told them they needed to apologize to the public and to Grant County," Randleas said.

Vern Porter, the vice president of engineering and operations for Idaho Power, issued a statement last week noting appreciation for the community's efforts in the public advisory process. He said the negative statements described by Robertson's letter were "clearly not acceptable" and were being investigated.

"Integrity and respect are both values of Idaho Power and we expect all of our employees and contractors to exhibit them inside and outside of work settings," he said.

His comments were echoed in an e-mail from Lamont Keen, president and CEO of Idaho Power, who said the "disparaging statements and behavior following the project advisory team meeting ... are clearly not acceptable."

Both men said the incident is being investigated, and they promised "appropriate action" would be taken with those responsible. . .

Transmission lines to skirt local valleys

2010-03-10T12:19:00.006-07:00

By Larry Meyer 3/10/2010

http://argusobserver.com/articles/2010/03/10/news/doc4b97dcb2ad3f6452720704.txt

ONTARIO — Malheur County and other valley residents heard Tuesday what they have been wanting to hear: The recommended routes for a major power transmission line from Idaho Power, from northeast Oregon to southwest Idaho, skirts the Malheur and Snake River valleys and takes in more public lands.

However, the siting process is far from complete. . .

The proposed westerly route crosses into Malheur County south of Adrian and crosses the hills over to the northwest corner of Harney County, to Grant County, and then up to Morrow County and on up to Boardman. “This is the shortest route,” Perry said.

Other alternatives stay in the Malheur, Baker, Union and Umatilla counties before ending up in Boardman, in Morrow County. . .

In response to the recommended routes, Roger Findley, co-chair of Stop Idaho Power, which has pressured the company to move its proposed routing out of the valley areas in Malheur County, said SIP is “guardedly optimistic” about the decision to put the B2H route on BLM land.

“SIP has suggested for over a year this is where it should go,” Findley said.

Noting the community advisory process has ended, Findley said, in a statement released at the CAP meeting, “There are two general outcomes from NEPA. First, the route will be accepted by all parties, and that is where the route will go. Or, second, the route will be contested by one of the parties involved through lawsuits, and the routes may end back up on private agricultural land.”

While SIP is hoping for the best case, Findley said the worst case could happen, and he urged Stop Idaho Power members to be diligent and be prepared to participate in the process to make sure the transmission line does not cross exclusive farm use land in Malheur County. . .

Sage grouse will stay off protected list

2010-03-10T08:51:00.002-07:00

by Jim Tankersley 3/5/2010 Tribune Washington Bureau http://www.idahostatesman.com/2010/03/05/1106033/sage-grouse-is-kept-off-endangered.html

WASHINGTON — The greater sage grouse, an icon of the West's dwindling sagebrush landscapes, should be protected under the Endangered Species Act but won't be for at least another year, Interior Department officials announced Friday.

Instead the department issued a so-called "warranted but precluded" designation for the greater sage grouse, meaning that the bird meets scientific criteria for protection but that other species are a higher priority. Its status will be reviewed annually.

Listing the grouse as endangered or threatened could have frozen oil and gas projects across western states such as Wyoming, and likely would have ended greater sage grouse hunting, permitted by several states.

The designation leaves greater sage grouse management largely in the hands of state officials. . .

"We must find common-sense ways of protecting, restoring and reconnecting the Western lands that are most important to the species' survival," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in announcing the decision, "while responsibly developing much-needed energy resources" . . .

Investigation into incident

2010-03-10T08:43:00.003-07:00

We were assured by Idaho Power officials at the South CAP meeting Tuesday evening that the incident in John Day last week would be thoroughly investigated. We were given other information that two senior vice presidents visited The Outpost Trading Company Pizza, Pub and Grill to apologize for the reported behavior of several Idaho Power employees.

Letter from John Day

2010-03-09T16:14:00.000-07:00

March 3, 2010

J. LaMont Keen, President/CEO
c/o Piper Hyman, Communication Specialist
Idaho Power/IDACORP, Inc.

C. Stephen Allred, Managing Member
c/o Echo Chadwick, Director of Corporate Communication
IDACORP Inc.

RE: ACTIONS OF IDAHO POWER COMPANY EMPLOYEES 03/02/10

VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL ONLY TO phyman@idahopower.com and echadwick@idahopower.com

Dear Mssrs. Keen and Allred:

The purpose of this correspondence is to express my extreme displeasure with the actions of your employees following Idaho Power Company’s (IPC) Community Advisory Process meeting held in Grant County, Oregon on March 2, 2010. I understand that some or all of your employees, who represented IPC at the meeting, adjourned to a local restaurant where they proceeded to make disparaging, slanderous, and threatening remarks regarding local residents in an openly hostile manner in front of employees and patrons. Among other demeaning and bigoted statements, your employees’ remarks included such comments as:

“I could care less what these people say; we have the power to just take away their property and not even deal with them”

“The moderator of the meeting should have just told [one of the participants] to shut the f*** up”

Furthermore, I understand that your representatives also made numerous negative characterizations of the way local residents speak, denigrated Grant County and its citizens generally, and called into question the education and intelligence of meeting attendees and others from the community.

The employees of the establishment where this embarrassing display occurred are reluctant to come forward publically out of fear of reprisal from your employees. As far as I am concerned, restaurants are public places and the statements made by your representatives in that setting were public comments directly reflective upon IPC and IDACORP, Inc. Since this is clearly a matter of public concern, I am distributing this correspondence widely to ensure that each member of our community and our elected representatives understand what transpired, the attitude of the Company towards our community, and the strategy of imminent domain that IPC apparently is pursuing. I also intend to raise this matter with the State and Federal agencies overseeing the permitting and approval of your project as an example of the social injustice and potential civil rights issues that your Company’s public expressions signify.

What remains to be seen is only whether responsible officials from your Company will take immediate action to investigate this inexcusable and reprehensible behavior and the level of punitive actions that will be levied against the culpable employees. Lacking an appropriate, responsible, and commensurate reaction from your Company, I hope and beg that our elected officials explore possible sanctions against your Company and take immediate action to directly prohibit IPC from pursuing the measures suggested by your representatives, including an immediate moratorium on the use of imminent domain for the purpose of locating transmissions lines.

I own property in the path of one of your proposed routes. I notified your Company on December 2, 2009, of how disappointed I was with the attitude of some of your employees and how their behavior was not consistent with my prior experiences with IPC. Now, regarding the latter, it appears that I was mistaken and the prejudice of your Company against our community is much more widespread than I initially believed. Now, based on the continuing actions of your Company and its representatives, I am stating to you emphatically that I refuse to cooperate with your Company in the siting of any line through Grant County. Furthermore, I pledge to you that if your Company attempts to take any of my property through adverse condemnation I personally will use every means available to me, legal or otherwise, to keep you from stealing what my family and I have worked our entire lives to put together and what we hold so dear.

Regretfully yours,

Shaun W. Robertson

cc: list

Local group expresses concern over AEHI

2010-03-03T13:23:00.003-07:00

by Brandi Stromberg March 2nd http://argusobserver.com/articles/2010/03/02/news/doc4b8d55915ae4a825076790.txt

PAYETTE — People for Payette’s Future Inc., and Snake River Alliance held a public meeting Monday afternoon at the Payette County Courthouse to voice their concerns on a proposed nuclear-generated power plant.

Alternate Energy Holdings Inc., has proposed to construct a nuclear-generated power plant in Payette County on Little Willow Road and Stone Quarry Road and has been in the process of gaining approval since October.

“We are asking the county to amend the comprehensive plan map to show the property being considered as potentially eligible for a rezone from agriculture to industrial,” JoAnn Butler, attorney for AEHI, said. “Our aim is to ask for that rezone to allow the location of an independent nuclear power production facility, that is an industrial use, that will manufacture and sell power to utilities and end users.”

Butler, Snake River Alliance and People for Payette’s Future were the presenters at the meeting Monday.

“Our organization is opposed to the amendment of the comprehensive plan as proposed by the current applicant because it would violate specific provisions by the Idaho Local Land Use Planning Act,” Jim Underwood, PPF, said. “Idaho law requires the county to conduct an inclusive comprehensive planning process designed to prepare, implement and review and update a comprehensive plan.”

. . . PPF made some recommendations to the county during its closing statements. . .

The first recommendation is that the county take the time to do it right. Members said a development of this scale and complexity with such far reaching and lasting impacts on the county deserves to be done right. . .

The second recommendation was that the county bring the Payette County Comprehensive Plan into compliance with Idaho law. PPF said it recommends commissioners remand to the Planning and Zoning Commission or to a special task force.

The third recommendation was that the county investigate the creation of a power plant industrial park on government land. . .

The last recommendation was to invite power plant development proposals from energy industry leaders. . .

The public hearing will be held open until 5 p.m. March 9. The hearing will be closed at 7 p.m. March 22 at the Payette County Courthouse where the commissioners will hold the final hearing, and make their decision.

The Brewing Tempest Over Wind Power

2010-03-02T15:51:00.005-07:00

People living near turbines increasingly report sleep deprivation, headaches and vertigo. The wind lobby says there's no proof. By Robert Bryce

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704240004575085631551312608.html?mod=rss_Today%27s_Most_Popular

. . . The Obama administration has made the increased use of wind power to generate electricity a top priority. In 2009 alone, U.S. wind generation capacity increased by 39%. But more wind power means more giant turbines closer to more people. And if current trends continue, that spells trouble.

In 2007, a phalanx of wind turbines were built around Charlie Porter's property in rural northern Missouri. Soon, Mr. Porter began to have trouble sleeping. So did his wife and daughter. The noise, he told me, made sleeping almost impossible. "We tried everything—earplugs, leaving the TV station on all night." Nothing worked. Late last year he moved his family off their 20-acre farm.

Mr. Porter's story is no isolated event. Rural residents in Texas, Maine, Pennsylvania, Oregon, New York, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, France and England have been complaining about the noise from wind turbines, particularly about sleep deprivation. Dozens of news stories—most of them published in rural newspapers—have documented the problem. . .

The wind lobby has publicly rejected these claims. . .

Renewable Energy Summit

2010-02-25T10:43:00.011-07:00

Stephanie Page, Ag Energy Opportunity in Oregon, addresses Energy Summit attendees

Ontario's first Renewable Energy Summit brought to sunny Eastern Oregon what cloudy Western Oregon businesses have known for a long time: renewable energy pays for itself, and with state and federal grants and tax credits thrown in, it pays for itself sooner rather than later.

Grant and tax helps for residential renewable energy are more scarce, but the concept of generating your own electricity is a compelling one.

Possible scenarios:

1. Decide you want to install renewable energy for your business or residence. Contact the following for information on installation:

Kurt Christensen, Renewable Ag Energy http://www.wsus1.com/rae.html for "Solar Ranching" and biomass
Mark Van Gulik and Bob Cavazos, Sunergy World, http://sunergyworld.com/ for commercial/ residential solar
See Renewable Energy Business websites for Oregon http://energy.sourceguides.com/businesses/byGeo/US/byS/OR/OR.shtml and Idaho http://energy.sourceguides.com/businesses/byGeo/US/byS/ID/ID.shtml

2. Grants and tax incentives may be available for your business-related project:

Oregon's Don Hollis, http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/OR/bizcontact.htm USDA Rural Development, REAP grant applications http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/or/reap.htm
Oregon BETC Business Energy Tax Credit http://www.oregon.gov/ENERGY/CONS/BUS/BETC.shtml
Other State and Federal Incentives/Policies for Renewables and Efficiencies for tax breaks after your project is installed: http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/index.cfm?re=1&ee=1&spv=0&st=0&srp=1&state=OR
Soybeans as biofuels for the Treasure Valley? Steve Norberg, Field Crops and Watershed Management, Malheur Extension Office is looking into the possibility: http://bioenergy.checkbiotech.org/news/alternative_crop_draws_wide_interest

3. If you install "grid-tied" (hooked up to the power company) renewable energy sources, you may be able to earn money for extra generation by way of a "Net Metering" contract with Idaho Power.

Renewable generation projects smaller than 10 MW are known as "distributed energy" and may qualify for buy-sell contracts with Idaho Power, as well as green tags which can be sold on the renewable energy market. Contact:

Randy Allphin, Idaho Power

from the Ontario Argus Observer:

http://www.argusobserver.com/articles/2010/02/19/news/doc4b7ed3ce82d7f372047020.txt

by Larry Meyer 2/19/2010

ONTARIO — A Renewable Energy Summit at Four Rivers Cultural Center in Ontario Thursday drew about 120 people to hear about such topics as basic industry terminology, legislation and tax credits, tax incentives and specific types of renewable energy. . .

The event was hosted by Treasure Valley Community College and SunergyWorld and was about exploring the opportunities of renewable energy, TVCC Assistant Dean of Workforce Development Roger Findley said. . .

Findley said the time is right to get projects started in the local area. He said he would like to see local farmers and business people get involved.

Don Hollis, Oregon USDA Rural Development, spoke about the grants and loans from that agency. Rural energy programs administered by the USDA were funded by Congress in 2006 and, in the last Farm Bill, were funded at $99 million, he said.

“They’re building the funding up,” Hollis said.

USDA does grants, loans and a combination of both. Eligible technology includes wind, soybeans, biomass, geothermal, anaerobic digester and, just recently added, micro-hydro. Eligible developers are small rural businesses and ag producers.

“(They) must be located in rural areas,” Hollis said. “Congress has designed this program for smaller projects.”

Smaller projects, he said, would be something along the lines of rooftop solar panels.

Payette Looking at Nuke Plant

2010-02-23T10:51:00.003-07:00

http://www.kivitv.com/Global/story.asp?S=12027741
Feb. 22, 2010

The people of Payette County came out early and stayed late Monday as their county commissioners took up a proposed change to the comprehensive plan. That change would lay the ground work for Alternate Energy Holdings proposed nuclear power plant.

The plant has run into problems in Elmore and Owyhee counties over the last few years, so they moved west to try and build the plant. "It's an excellent site, because they want us there," AEHI spokesman Dan Hamilton said.

AEHI claims the plant would mean hundreds of millions to the local and state economy, by bringing in thousands of good paying jobs.

Those jobs are one of the concerns opponents have with the plant. They worry Idaho doesn't have the skilled labor needed to man them. "They're going to bring in their own personal help that they want to pay their skilled wages too, so what they're going to do here is hire minimum wage people," Payette resident Roger Smith said.

Smith also worries about contamination, and says security is a big concern for many people.

Others don't see it that way. It looks as if the plant has some powerful support. Several mayors are in favor of it, including Fruitland Mayor Dave Bishop. "Even the discussion and this small change will send a positive message that Payette County is not only interested, but ready."

This is just the first step of many to get approval for the plant. Planning and Zoning commissioners would also have to approve changes.

Commissioners have scheduled a second public hearing for March 22nd.

The Bloom Box: An Energy Breakthrough?

2010-02-22T13:56:00.004-07:00

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/02/18/60minutes/main6221135.shtml

(CBS) In the world of energy, the Holy Grail is a power source that's inexpensive and clean, with no emissions. Well over 100 start-ups in Silicon Valley are working on it, and one of them, Bloom Energy, is about to make public its invention: a little power plant-in-a-box they want to put literally in your backyard.

You'll generate your own electricity with the box and it'll be wireless. The idea is to one day replace the big power plants and transmission line grid, the way the laptop moved in on the desktop and cell phones supplanted landlines.

It has a lot of smart people believing and buzzing, even though the company has been unusually secretive - until now.

K.R. Sridhar invited "60 Minutes" correspondent Lesley Stahl for a first look at the innards of the Bloom box that he has been toiling on for nearly a decade.

Looking at one of the boxes, Sridhar told Stahl it could power an average U.S. home. . .

"It is real. It works," he replied.

He says he knows it works because he originally invented a similar device for NASA. He really is a rocket scientist. . .

He invented a new kind of fuel cell, which is like a very skinny battery that always runs. Sridhar feeds oxygen to it on one side, and fuel on the other. The two combine within the cell to create a chemical reaction that produces electricity. There's no need for burning or combustion, and no need for power lines from an outside source. . .

An additional story from the Christian Science Monitor:

http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/Horizons/2010/0222/Bloom-Box-What-60-Minutes-left-out

BLM looks to Audubon to map sage grouse habitat

2010-02-17T18:43:00.000-07:00

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is looking to Audubon Wyoming to map sage grouse habitat across the 11 states where the bird is found.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011104919_apwysagegrousemapping1stldwritethru.html

By Mead Gruver (AP)
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is looking to Audubon Wyoming to map sage grouse habitat across the 11 states where the bird is found.

Sage grouse have been losing their sagebrush habitat for decades and now face listing under the Endangered Species Act. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service expects to announce a listing decision next week.

New regulations resulting from an endangered or threatened species listing could substantially affect a variety of land uses across the West, including gas development and wind energy. . .

Existing maps show the chicken-sized bird also inhabiting large portions of Nevada, Montana, Oregon and Idaho, and smaller areas in Colorado, Utah, California, Washington and the Dakotas.

SB 1020 dead . . . for now

2010-02-16T14:28:00.003-07:00

Last year's resurrected HB 3058 bill to fast-track LNG pipelines (SB 1020) appears dead….for now. The bill was referred to the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee two weeks ago, but with no hearing scheduled by a key Senate deadline Thursday Feb. 4th, it cannot advance.

SB 1020 would have allowed out-of-state companies seeking to place utilities across Oregon rivers and streams to seek state-issued wetland-fill permits on family farms and forests without landowner consent. Please contact Senate leadership and thank them for helping stop this ill-advised legislation from rushing forward during the short February session.

Shutter Boardman by 2014?

2010-02-16T14:11:00.003-07:00

An interesting development at the Credo network

http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/boardman/?r=5221&id=7511-524679-Upb25Nx

From the article and action petition :

Soon, Oregonians will be able to breathe easier. At long last, Portland General Electric (PGE) has proposed stopping Oregon's largest source of greenhouse gas emissions: the coal-fired Boardman power plant.

In a victory for environmental activists, PGE has proposed that they will close Boardman instead of enacting their previous plan -- spending $500 million to update the plant so they could keep operating it until 2040. Closing the plant in 10 years is a great first step -- but we can't wait until 2020 to shut Boardman down. We need to stop its carbon polluting ways as soon as possible.

Urge PGE to start the process of shutting down Boardman immediately with a final closure date of 2014.

Boardman is Oregon's only coal-fired power plant. Studies show it's responsible for half the haze in the eastern Columbia River Gorge and fouls the air as far as Mount Rainier. By closing it down, PGE will help clear the air across the Pacific Northwest. . .

Conservation efforts will play key role in meeting Northwest's energy needs

2010-02-11T16:28:00.002-07:00

http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2010/02/conservation_efforts_will_play.html

By Matthew Preusch, The Oregonian February 10, 2010

The Northwest should meet most of its electricity needs over the next two decades through extensive energy conservation efforts, and it's going to take more than just changing light bulbs.

That's the conclusion of a regional power blueprint the Northwest Power and Conservation Council that was unanimously approved Wednesday morning at council headquarters in downtown Portland. It focuses on the benefits of efficiency over building new power plants. . .

The plan estimates about 85 percent of Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana's new power demand over the next 20 years - about 5,900 megawatts - could be met through conservation, with the rest coming from new renewable power sources like wind, as well as natural gas power plants. . .

The plan's estimated 5,900 megawatts of conservation - the rough equivalent of the power-producing capacity of 10 coal plants like Portland General Electric's Boardman facility - would come through things like homeowners increasing insulation at their homes and business refitting their buildings with power-saving lights, as well as more complex improvements to the grid that distributes power around the region.

Utilities will take the plan into account when setting their own strategies for meeting the future demand of their customers. . .

The unanimous passage of the plan comes after years of debate between council members and input from utilities and citizens' groups. . .

Idaho Power plans more generation from wind

2010-02-09T10:04:00.001-07:00

http://www.idahopress.com/news/?id=29870
By John O’Connell Idaho State Journal 2/8/2010

POCATELLO — Idaho Power's new plan for meeting anticipated customer energy needs for the next two decades shows the utility's energy portfolio will grow increasingly diverse with a heightened emphasis on renewable sources.

Idaho Power filed its integrated resource plan for 2009 with the Idaho Public Utilities Commission in December.

Wind energy is slated to become an increasingly substantial energy source for Idaho Power. Spokeswoman Stephanie McCurdy said the utility put out a request for proposals in May seeking 150 megawatts of wind power generation.

Now, Idaho Power has 192 megawatts of wind capacity in its system, and by 2012, McCurdy said the company expects to have more than 600 megawatts of wind power.

To ensure a stable power source at times when wind power wanes, Idaho Power plans to build a natural gas combined cycle combustion turbine capable of producing 300 megawatts of power, called the Langley Gulch plant, in Payette County. Construction on the project is scheduled to start this August, and the plant should be on line by July 2012.

Idaho Power's plan also calls for 40 megawatts of geothermal power — about 20 megawatts of that total are part of a contract that's awaiting approval by the IPUC. . .

Grant County Farm Bureau takes aim at power line

2010-02-08T14:59:00.001-07:00

http://www.bluemountaineagle.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=12&ArticleID=23009&TM=42875.18
Idaho Power’s 500-kV line would “alter the nature and character of the county landscape,” the organization says.

KIMBERLY - The Grant County Farm Bureau is urging Idaho Power to keep its 500-kilovolt power line out of the county.

In a Feb. 4 letter signed by GCFB president Bryan Vogt, the organization said it could not support any of the routes proposed through Grant County.

The letter, sent on behalf of some 150 landowners, businesses and individuals, cited Grant County's "multiple outstanding qualities and important natural, cultural, social and economic resources that ... will be adversely affected by the proposed project."

. . . The powerline would threaten those habitats and improvements, and would be "grossly inequitable in light of the sacrifice, compromise and dedication of our members to protect and conserve the very lands to be affected by the Project," the letter states.

The GCFB said it was particularly concerned about the impacts of the transmission line project on private property rights, property values and agricultural operations.

Idaho Power is considering possible routes through Eastern Oregon for its proposed 500-kV line from Hemingway, Idaho to Boardman, Ore. The proposal has been the subject of several meetings in Grant County since last fall, and similar meetings in Baker and Malheur County since 2008. . .

The GCFB letter supported siting of the line along the original route proposed by Idaho Power, along the Interstate 84 corridor, "as long as this is done in a manner that does not negatively impact high value agricultural land or other areas of resource concern."

The letter urged the utility to seek the input of Farm Bureaus in that area.

High Stakes: LNG and the Legislature

2010-02-03T10:18:00.003-07:00

http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2010/02/high_stakes_lng_and_the_legisl.html
February 03, 2010, By Nick Engelfried

Suppose you had one month to address Oregon's biggest challenges, from raising education standards to maintaining our competitiveness in the increasingly crowded green economy. This month the Oregon Legislature has just such a chance before it, as lawmakers meet in a special session.

Given the stakes, you'd hope legislators would use the limited time of the special session to make concrete deliverables in the realms of education, economic vitality and environmental safeguards. You might not want your elected officials devoting the session to a resurrected version of a bill that failed to pass in 2009, and which redefines the language in relatively obscure land-use codes.

But then, you probably haven't given thousands of dollars' worth of campaign contributions to your legislators. . .

HB 3058 went down in flames, but not before The Oregonian published an investigation of the gas industry's power in politics, reporting that Northwest Natural donated $210,000 to political candidates since the beginning of 2008. . .

NO on SB 1020 (Formerly LC 85)

2010-01-29T16:03:00.008-07:00

SB 1020 would fast track the state permitting process for utility companies to apply for wetland removal-fill permits on private land before getting approval from landowners. This Senate Bill, a rewritten LC-85 bill, is the resurrected House Bill HB 3058 from last year that we worked hard to defeat.

This change to Oregon law has been sought by Texas based NorthernStar Natural Gas Company, which wants to build the Bradwood Landing LNG terminal and the Palomar pipeline across the Mt. Hood National Forest and dozens of small farms, woodlots, rivers and streams. It would apply to other utilities as well.

Currently, Idaho Power Company has made applications for Removal Fill Permits along existing electrical lines in Malheur County. While it may be in accordance with state law to have permits on the books where utilities already exist, it is worrisome that Removal Fill Permits might gain additional status with the passage of SB1020/LC 85.

Please write/call/email your legislator to vote against this bill!

Possible letter:

Dear [Decision Maker],
I am writing to call your attention to SB 1020 (formerly LC 85), legislation introduced by the Senate Business and Transportation Committee. This legislation would threaten Oregon's farms, forests and rivers by fast-tracking state issued removal-fill permits for utility companies.

I urge you to express your opposition to SB 1020 during the February session. At the very least, please do not allow utility companies to fast track across private land without the permission of the landowner.

Oregon coal plant with Idaho Power stake will be phased out

2010-01-29T09:10:00.001-07:00

by Rocky Barker 01/18/2010 http://voices.idahostatesman.com/2010/01/18/rockybarker/oregon_coal_plant_idaho_power_stake_will_be_phased_out

Portland General Electric’s surprise decision last week to shut down its Boardman coal-fired electric generation plant means that Idaho Power will be reducing its coal base load sooner than expected.

The Oregon utility was going to have to invest $500 to $700 million in new pollution controls to keep the plant operating. Since Idaho Power has a 10 percent stake in the plant that meant that Idaho’s customers would have had to pony up from $50 to $70 million for its stake.

Idaho Power now will have to find the 50 megawatts of power somewhere else. But its not as bad as it sounds. Getting rid of Boardman opens up transmission capacity to access more of the federal hydropower and wind power to the west when it is available at a good price.

Idaho Power already has gotten approval to build a natural gas plant in the lower Treasure Valley that will provide power that can offset some of the 50 megawatts. And Idaho Power already has become more aggressive at pushing energy efficiency programs that can reduce the demand and cost of power.

The investment in the Boardman retrofit might have appeared attractive in the short run. But as we are forced to pay the price of carbon, which seems inevitable, that investment would have lost its luster.

PGE plans to decommission the Boardman coal plant by 2020, the Oregonian reports, giving the region and Idaho Power time to make the transition. The downside for Idaho ratepayers is that they will be left with more than $12 million in amortized investment in the plant.

That means Idaho Power will have to write it off over 10 years instead of 30, which will cost ratepayers some money.

Delayed Interest in B2H?

2010-01-26T19:02:00.004-07:00

From page 124 of Idaho Power's 2009 Draft Integrated Resource Plan:

"Delayed interest in the Boardman to Hemingway project may result in Idaho Power constructing both a replacement generation resource as well as constructing the transmission line at a later date.

"The alternate resource portfolio may lead to constructing the Boardman to Hemingway project in the second 10-year period. Idaho Power will review the status of the Boardman to Hemingway project in the 2011 IRP. . . "

Idaho Power Files 2009 Integrated Resource Plan

2010-01-22T09:20:00.006-07:00

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/idaho-power-files-2009-integrated-resource-plan-80742467.html

Collaborative Process Produces Plan for Responsible, Secure Energy Future

BOISE, Idaho, Jan. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --

IDACORP, Inc. (NYSE: IDA) principal subsidiary Idaho Power last week filed the 2009 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) developed through a collaborative planning process connecting Idaho Power resource and planning experts and government, customer, public and environmental organization stakeholders, with the Public Utilities Commissions in both Idaho and Oregon.

"We continually plan for the future, taking steps to best position Idaho Power to meet projected resource requirements and anticipated regulation while minimizing the impact to our customers and owners," said Mark Stokes, Idaho Power's power supply planning manager. "This is about doing the right thing for our customers and the ongoing financial strength and stability of our company. Our collaborative IRP process guides us in that respect. The 2009 IRP planning process incorporated additional considerations in light of anticipated regulation, public perception and direct communication with owners, customers and employees."

The 2009 IRP addresses available supply-side and demand-side resource options, planning period load forecasts, potential resource portfolios, a risk analysis and near-term and long-term action plans. The 2009 IRP is available at http://www.idahopower.com/AboutUs/PlanningForFuture/irp/2009/ .

Idaho Power will schedule public presentations regarding the 2009 IRP in multiple communities across the company's eastern Oregon and southern Idaho service area in early 2010. Once confirmed, the public presentation schedule will be posted on Idaho Power's IRP Web page.

"Our collaborative IRP process is the proper forum to plan for a balanced resource portfolio to minimize risk, ensure reliability and consider cost and regulatory obligations," said Stokes. "We see this process as a continuous commitment, and by regularly updating the IRP, we are able to account for changes in service area growth and regulatory requirements."

FERC can't overturn states' transmission rejections

2010-01-22T08:54:00.003-07:00

http://www.pennenergyequipment.com/article/display.html?id=372537

20 January 2010-- The Supreme Court on Jan. 19 let stand a lower court ruling that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) cannot approve a transmission line that a state rejected.

In Edison Electric Institute et al. v. Piedmont Environmental Council et al., the Supreme Court declined to review the ruling and did not give a comment. . .

Also see " ELECTRICITY: Supreme Court dashes hopes of backers of federal transmission siting" at http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=25148&docId=l:1111606135&isRss=true

Renewable Energy Summit

2010-01-20T12:32:00.008-07:00

http://greenenergy.tvcc.cc/

Treasure Valley Community College and Sunergy World will be hosting a Renewable Energy Summit February 18-19 at the Four Rivers Cultural Center in Ontario, Oregon.

Focus Topics include:

New economic incentives for renewable energy in the Northwest
New business opportunities and the potential workforce development challenges
Impacts of new technologies on residential and commercial-scale solar energy and biomass systems
New renewable curriculum and career paths available at TVCC

Who should attend:

State and local government officials
Ranchers and farmers
Business and homeowners
Members of financial institutions
Builders, developers, and code officials
Economic development professionals
Community members
Students interested in new careers

Scheduled speakers:

DON HOLLIS , USDA Energy Grants

DIANE HENKELS, Business Energy Tax Credit (BETC)

STEPHANIE PAGE, Ag Energy Opportunity In Oregon

MARK STOKES, Idaho Power

SUNERGY WORLD, Solar Designs and Installations

STOEL RIVES, LLP, Legal Implications of Renewable Energy

JIM KLEINBURD, Carbon Credits/REC's

KURT CHRISTENSEN, Renewable Ag Energy

ROGER FINDLEY, TVCC, Educational Opportunities

STEVE NORBERG, OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY, Soybeans as Biofuel

Turmoil in Power Sector

2010-01-18T13:33:00.004-07:00

Falling Electricity Demand Trips Up Utilities' Plans for Infrastructure Projects

by Rebecca Smith Jan 14, 2010 The Wall Street Journal

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704675104575001322373417024.html

Falling U.S. electricity production in the past two years is frustrating the utility industry and shaking up timetables for some major infrastructure projects.

Electricity output decreased 3.7% last year, the steepest drop since 1938, according to federal statistics, following a nearly 1% decline in 2008. . .

The falling electricity demand and production are attributed to a weak economy, conservation efforts and, in 2009, a relatively mild summer in many parts of the country. . .

Government energy experts believe a strengthening economy will lift electricity production this year, but don't foresee a return to prerecession levels anytime soon. The Energy Information Administration expects industrial demand for electricity to increase 2.2% this year and 2.5% in 2011, which suggests a return to prerecession levels by 2013. . .

Mark Griffith, managing director of Black & Veatch, said utilities may be forced to defer infrastructure projects that weren't critically needed in light of the recent weak demand. . .

Idaho Power plans to resubmit proposed transmission line route

2010-01-15T21:38:00.003-07:00

by Larry Meyer Argus Observer Jan 15 2010 http://argusobserver.com/articles/2010/01/15/news/doc4b50ab941d738624705900.txt

ONTARIO — According to its schedule, Idaho Power Company plans to resubmit a proposed route for its planned 500-kilovolt transmission line from Boardman to a substation near Melba.

Idaho Power, however, said there is no specific date for the company to name its most favored route as it plans to allow the public advisory teams to continue their work toward a recommended route.

“Our contingent feels it would be better if (people from) each county would draw lines through their county,” Patty Kennington, one of the leaders in Stop Idaho Power, said. . .

Initial routes drawn by members of the public and project advisory team members went under technical review and were refined to improve their ability to gain permits.

The task was narrowing down the more than 40 suggested routes drawn out during a series of public mapping sessions last fall. The refined routes will be up for public review in the near future.

In addition to the counties originally brought into the route selection process including Malheur, Baker, Union, Umatilla and Morrow counties, Harney and Grant counties have been included since some of the proposed routes go through those counties as well.

A third round of advisory team meetings has been scheduled in those counties, one in Grant County, Tuesday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. (PST) at the Canyon City Community Hall, and Harney County, 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., at the county Community Center in Burns. . .

Take Action Now to Stop Wetland Fill Permits LC 85 (AGAIN)

2010-01-11T14:18:00.009-07:00

This from Brett VandenHeuvel, bv@columbiariverkeeper.org :

We’ve confirmed that a new version of 3058 is rearing its ugly head during the short legislative session this January. Senator (Rick) Metsger (Hood River, Troutdale) is introducing what seems to be an almost identical bill that would allow a corporation to apply for wetland fill permits on private property without the landowners’ permission. This will fast track utility projects.

Could you put the word out to folks that this harmful bill is back. The short session is very short so we need to start contacting legislators now.

Details on what is proposed, from http://rogueimc.org/en/2010/01/15729.shtml

Senator Metsger is proposing this bill to change the definition of “applicant” for wetland fill permits. That change would allow agents other than a landowner or person working on the landowner's behalf to apply for permits to develop on private property. The bill appears to be intended to facilitate public roadways, but it is not limited to public projects and would in fact allow anyone to apply for and receive a permit on private land without the landowner's permission. This bill would be more acceptable if it only affected public projects like roads. . . .

"LC 85" will be considered during a work session in the Senate Business and Transportation Committee on Wednesday, January 13th @ 1pm in Hearing Room F at the Oregon State Capitol.

We must impress upon the legislature that this is a controversial bill that shouldn't be considered in a special session designed to remedy the budget crisis in Oregon. We also need to tell them that it is wrong to treat private LNG speculation in the same manner as public projects like roads and sewer lines. Contacting the legislators below is absolutely critical to our success in defeating this bill again.

When you contact these decision makers, tell them:
1) You oppose any bill that would fast-track the permitting process for LNG-related pipelines.
2) LC 85 would be a controversial bill that did not pass in the 2009 session, as HB 3058, and shouldn't be considered during the special session.
3) At the very least, Senator Metsger's transportation bill, LC 85, needs to be amended to exclude projects by private corporations.

Contact our legislators:

Ted Ferrioli

sen.tedferrioli@state.or.us

Cliff Bentz

rep.cliffbentz@state.or.us

Refined CAP routes: County by county

2010-01-10T21:36:00.009-07:00

Click for a larger map

Idaho Power's hired technical and environmental experts, Tetra Tech, have refined the original CAP maps to reflect exclusionary constraints. The map for Malheur County and western Idaho counties appears above. The line traversing virtually the same "red" route across Malheur County EFU ground, that originally sparked SIP's opposition, was drawn by Marsing's mayor in an attempt to utilize what was mistaken as a federal utility corridor.

Since Idaho Power did not require Idaho counties to draw their own routes, the "concept" route through Payette and Canyon County was drawn by a member of SIP. (The other Idaho route was drawn by the environmental group ONDA.) County by county input is essential to make use of local expertise and to avoid the resentment that comes when those outside the local area impose their ideas, something which Idaho Power is now careful to avoid--with the exception of the Oregon-Idaho South team. This situation now needs to be rectified.

Idaho Power has expected local routes to be drawn by Oregon counties, including the recently-added Grant county team. The CAP process would gain even-handed fairness if Idaho citizens were to draw a route or routes through their own counties.

Additional maps can be found at the B2H website:

http://www.boardmantohemingway.com/idaho_power_CAP_maps.aspx

Energy conservation helps stymie a major transmission line

2010-01-06T18:01:00.005-07:00

http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2010/01/06/06climatewire-energy-conservation-helps-stymie-a-major-tra-71702.html?pagewanted=1 by Peter Behr of ClimateWire

Transmission projects have traditionally come under attack by environmental, scenic and "not in my backyard" partisans. Now a major mid-Atlantic power line proposal may be held up instead by a weak economy and a growing energy conservation movement.

A Virginia regulatory examiner plans this week to rule on a request by PATH Allegheny Virginia Transmission Corp. to withdraw its proposal to build a 276-mile, $1.8 billion high-voltage transmission line from West Virginia through Virginia's northwest corner to a proposed substation near Frederick, Md. The project would be resubmitted this fall, its backers say. . .

The new planning scenarios "suggest that the PATH Project appears not to be needed in 2014," said Steven Herling, PJM's vice president for planning, in a Dec. 28 letter to the project's developers, American Electric Power and Allegheny Energy Inc...

"Clearly, the big impact of the delay [in last spring's forecast] related to the economy," Herling said in an interview. "The analysis we did at the beginning of 2009 was based on load forecast that included the recession. That pushed the line to 2014." Last month's analysis added demand response, and that showed that the line was no longer required in 2014. "Demand response is having a significant effect," Herling said. . .

"We knew the economy was lousy last spring. We knew these efficiency measures were in place. They have been ignoring the facts right along," said Malcolm Baldwin, who owns a farm in Lovettsville in Loudoun County, Va., and is a board member of the Piedmont Environmental Council. The council opposes the PATH project and a second major project, the TRAIL power line that is now under construction from West Virginia to Northern Virginia.

PJM's new preliminary analysis indicates that because of reduced demand, key high-voltage power lines into Maryland and northern Virginia aren't threatened with overloading until 2021 or later, based on assessments of how much power they can safely carry. Herling said reliability limits on voltages, however, could be reached in the region as early as 2016. . .

Idaho Power tweaks plans

2010-01-04T17:30:00.002-07:00

http://www.bluemountaineagle.com/Main.asp?SectionID=1&ArticleID=22658

12/16/2009 by Scott Callister

BOISE - Idaho Power is tweaking its routes as planning proceeds for development of a new 500-kilovolt transmission line between Hemingway, Idaho, and Boardman, in northeastern Oregon.

Kent McCarthy, community advisory process leader for the project, said last week that new maps reflecting the latest changes will be posted on the Boardman to Hemingway (B2H) website as soon as possible. . .

Idaho Power dropped its easternmost route, which would would have looped north from Hemingway through Idaho, into Washington state and then southwest to Boardman. The line was one of the longest, but McCarthy said the rationale for deleting it wasn't keyed on the distance but on the potential conflicts with a separate project already in the works to serve Idaho's Treasure Valley.

The utility still has about 42 routes or route segments set for further review, McCarthy said. . .

The I-84 routes drew intense opposition from residents in Baker and Malheur counties, but they are still under consideration, he said. Residents in Grant County have been vocal in support of putting the line along I-84. . .

Idaho Power hopes to have its route analysis completed by sometime in January and to forward recommendations in February to the Bureau of Land Management, the lead public agency for the project. The BLM will conduct the National Environmental Policy Act review, which also will include a public comment process, and make the final decision on the route.

Idaho Power hopes to begin construction of the line in 2013.

The utility is still accepting public comment on the routes.

Application to run massive power line through Va. withdrawn

2009-12-30T08:59:00.002-07:00

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/29/AR2009122902973.html

By David A. Fahrenthold Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, December 30, 2009

The backers of a proposed electricity-transmission line from West Virginia to Maryland have asked to withdraw their application to run parts of it through Virginia, citing a study that shows its power will not be needed as soon as they had predicted.

That request is the latest setback for the proposed Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline (PATH), a joint venture of Pennsylvania-based Allegheny Energy and Ohio-based American Electric Power. . .

"We remain committed to the project," said David Neurohr, a spokesman for Allegheny Energy. "We're saying we'd better have the full-blown, comprehensive . . . information in our hands before we go forward."

. . . In a series of public hearings -- in Loudoun County and other places in the line's path -- residents had criticized it as an unnecessary blight on rural areas and scenic views. . .

Earthjustice staff attorney Abigail Dillen said her group had contended that, because of a declining economy and improvements in energy-efficiency, the East Coast did not need the line's power. She said the line would have high environmental costs, because it would bring in energy from coal-burning power plants in the Ohio River Valley.

"We feel really vindicated" by the new data about electrical demand, Dillen said. "Because this is precisely what we've been saying."

South PAT Meeting #4: Preliminary Routes

2009-12-08T21:08:00.010-07:00

As I was told by a patient man attending the PAT meetings, Idaho Power's efforts in its community advisory process may be more clumsy than cynical. Perhaps he is right.

Tuesday's meeting included a discussion of why the route following Idaho Power's Treasure Valley Electrical Loop (submitted last February) involves engineering constraints and unacceptable risks and must be abandoned, and why Idaho Power's pre-defined Study Area (the limits in which they wish to keep all route boundaries) also precludes the two Idaho routes drawn outside of it. Which means three Idaho routes were taken off the map before any analysis began. Exception to the limits was taken and noted.

This information would have been helpful a long time ago, before it could be construed that cynicism or double-dealing has been driving decision-making, and the not-so-subtle impression of metaphysical certitude that this will end up mostly in Oregon. It would have been helpful to be able to contribute to the constraints under which Tetra Tech formulated its original proposed Red Route, which precipitated last year's uproar in the first place, until many months had passed and we were finally considered worthy of engagement.

Tuesday's meeting presented thorough and helpful material and addressed a year's worth of questions. As rocky and fraught with misunderstanding as this community process has been, at least we are closer to understanding one another, and if we do not agree, we have stayed engaged.

There was even preliminary agreement among the Oregon and Idaho groups on what routes would eventually be acceptable, and which will most likely be abandoned. One of the biggest causes of resentment in this process has been routes being drawn by out-of-county NIMBY proponents, leading to some wild or erroneous lines obviously headed for abandonment. It might have helped to request that all Oregon and Idaho groups draw at least one route they could live with inside their own county lines.

It was announced that analysis for all remaining routes was necessary to proceed. Some lobbied for an immediate conclusive route vote, which, as the same patient man warned, would be a mistake in the counter-regulatory climate of Idaho, which stands to benefit most from the power supplied and where the political pull operates most locally, and Oregon, with the stronger legal position when it comes to the placement of utility corridors even as its farmers have far less freedom to do what they want with their property.

So we will meet again following more route analysis, in a stronger position to be able to defend the routes that seem to be headed for approval. Rosemary and her group have been dogged in their facilitation and appear to be earning whatever they are getting paid. I suppose being a facilitator would be a good way to lose weight through enormous stress, but it's one method I wouldn't want to try.

Idaho Power schedules public meeting for Dec. 17

2009-12-08T11:32:00.003-07:00

by Ed Merriman Dec. 4, 2009 http://www.bakercityherald.com/Local-News/Idaho-Power-schedules-public-meeting-set-for-Dec-17

After a series of fall meetings in Grant and Harney counties, Idaho Power officials are preparing to resubmit plans to the Bureau of Land Management for building a 500-kilovolt transmission line with proposed routes across Baker County.

Kent McCarthy, Idaho Power’s community advisory process leader, said meetings in Grant and Harney produced no new or alternative routes for building the proposed Boardman to Hemingway transmission line through those counties.

“These weren’t routes that were proposed by Idaho Power. They were proposed by a central project team representing Baker and Union counties, and the southern team in Malheur County,” said Piper Hyman of Idaho Power corporate communications.

McCarthy said meetings were held over the past two months in Burns, John Day and Mount Vernon after the central and southern project teams made a proposal in September to shift the proposed transmission line from Malheur, Baker and Union counties to an alternate route across Harney and Grant counties.

He said the meetings were well attended (a total of about 25 people at Burns and 70 at the John Day and Mount Vernon meetings), but instead of presenting alternative routes, residents of Harney and Grant counties presented arguments against putting the proposed transmission line across their counties.
Due to the higher projected cost and greater length for a transmission line across Harney County, McCarthy said locals felt it would be better to pursue a shorter and less costly route across Malheur and Baker counties.

McCarthy said locals argued that the potential environmental damage, including damage to wildlife habitat, should rule out any route across Grant County.

“I don’t want to say they said ‘not in my county,’ ” McCarthy said. “We are not trying to pit county against county. They gave us some very well thought out reasons” for opposing building the transmission line across Grant and Harney counties.

“We don’t know what to do next over there, since there were no routes or route adjustments” proposed by representatives of the local government, landowners, community members and environmental groups who attended the meetings in Grant and Harney counties, McCarthy said.

Idaho Power cancelled a Wednesday meeting in Baker City and rescheduled it for 4 p.m. Dec. 17 at the Best Western Sunridge Inn.

That meeting will update Baker-area residents on the Grant and Harney meetings, and provide details of an analysis being completed by TetraTech engineering consultants on some 45 potential segments for the proposed Boardman to Hemingway transmission line.

“The analysis hasn’t been completed yet, but we didn’t want the (Baker-area) team members to go a long time without knowing what the status was,” McCarthy said. “We will have some analysis to present on each individual section of the transmission line.”

“We invite people to the team meetings, but anybody who shows up is welcome. We put the names on the list of anyone who shows up at a meeting, and send them notices and invitations to future meetings, so the teams tend to grow,” he said.

In addition to information on siting the transmission line, McCarthy said TetraTech has also collected the data and has completed much, but not all, of its analysis of the northern route through Umatilla and Morrow counties.

Due to opposition that surfaced last spring, Idaho Power withdrew its original transmission line application with BLM in May, as well as a National Environmental Protection Act review.

McCarthy said the original transmission line application was withdrawn in part to consider suggestions from the counties.

Idaho Power has approximately 470,000 customers in Idaho and 19,000 customers in Eastern Oregon, mostly in Malheur County and the southern part of Baker County as far north as Durkee.

McCarthy said the transmission line has been proposed to bring energy from the Boardman area and other parts of the Northwest into the Boise area and southern Idaho, and to increase the electricity carrying capacity of the Northwest power grid, which carries power back and forth between the California/Nevada region and the Northwest.

“I can’t say we aren’t building this transmission line to transmit energy to California,” McCarthy said.

He said the transmission line is needed to accommodate energy transmission both ways, since power from California is transmitted to the Northwest during those seasons when demand in this region is higher, and in turn power generated in the Northwest during the spring and summer is transmitted to California.

McCarthy said the power grids that allow the transmission of power along that route and into Southern Idaho are nearing full capacity, and the proposed Boardman to Hemingway line is needed to accommodate projected growth in energy demand.

Getting residents and project teams from different areas to agree on where the transmission lines should be routed, however, has cost the company millions of dollars and taken longer than expected. McCarthy said Idaho Power has had to extend it’s projected completion timeline from 2013 to 2015.

With a tentative goal of resubmitting the transmission line route applications to BLM, the Oregon Energy Facilities Siting Council and to a NEPA review, Hyman said Idaho Power is planning to present route analysis and mapping information to local project teams during January.

The goal is hone in on a primary route and a secondary route by the end of January, and then submit new applications on those routes in February, if possible.

She said the purpose of the local project teams is to “leverage the expertise and knowledge of people living in these areas, who know where farmland and environmentally sensitive areas, and wildlife habitat are, so we can adjust the (proposed transmission line routes) to accommodate that.”

Hyman said this is the first time she is aware within the current environmental era where a project of the scope of the proposed Boardman to Hemingway transmission line has been proposed.

“People weren’t as outspoken in the past as they are now,” Hyman said. “It’s a different world, and probably better for that.”

South PAT Meeting #4: Ethical Considerations

2009-12-07T16:46:00.005-07:00

From the Powerpoint Presentation for South PAT Meeting #3 on Sept 30, Slide #22: "The TEAMS will begin revising and eliminating routes."

IPCo did not list any specific "Engineering Constraints" until Nov. 3o, after 44 routes were drawn based on existing constraints at the time. It is not ethical to eliminate routes based on unknown constraints.

IPCo needs to read and FOLLOW its own process outlined in Meeting #3, or admit that Tuesday's Meeting #4 will simply be a rubber stamp process, without validity when it comes to community input.

Boardman to Hemingway Project South Project Advisory Team Meeting #4

December 8, 2009 • 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Four Rivers Cultural Center 676 SW 5th Ave, Ontario, Oregon 97914

AGENDA

Meeting objectives:

• Present analysis methods

• Present analysis conducted to date of each PAT proposed route (44 routes proposed)

4:00 p.m.

Welcome – Kent McCarthy, Idaho Power, CAP Leader

4:10 p.m.

Team Business – Rosemary Curtin, Facilitator

4:20 p.m.

Idaho Power recommendations – Dave Angell, Idaho Power, Manager of Delivery &

Kent McCarthy, Idaho Power, CAP Leader

• Routes not to be advanced

• November 30 meeting

5:00 p.m.

Grant and Harney input - Kent McCarthy, Idaho Power, CAP Leader

5:15 p.m.

Presentation of how analysis was conducted – Tetra Tech

• Tables of opportunities, constraints and rating

Initial analysis of PAT proposed routes – Tetra Tech

• Overview of opportunities, constraints and rating for each route

6:30 p.m.

Dinner

7:00 p.m.

Revised PAT proposed routes – Tetra Tech

• Adjustments made to improve routes

Comparison of PAT proposed routes (geographic grouping) – Tetra Tech

• Likelihood of being permitted

• Ease of construction

• Cost

PAT input

8:45 p.m.

Next steps

• Discuss further detailed analysis

• Select proposed and alternative routes to submit to BLM

The Devil's Invitation

2009-12-03T20:50:00.006-07:00

Power company needs to give county a chance to think
From the Blue Mountain Eagle. http://eastoregonian.com/main.asp?SectionID=14&SubSectionID=50&ArticleID=100906

Message to Idaho Power: slow down.

Grant County only recently was drawn into the fray over a new mega-transmission line, and we deserve time to sort out our concerns and document our stand.

Not decades, but a reasonable amount of time. At least as much time as the utility gave to our neighbors to the east - the ones who said "put it in Grant County." That little bit of NIMBY aside, it's only fair to allow us to catch our breath before the decision is made for us.

Idaho Power officials have suggested Grant County has always been in the loop for this project. They say we were included when they divvied up the territory for their north, central and south project advisory teams.

That suggestion begs credulity, however, as Idaho Power's original route proposal was down Interstate 84. Neither the publicity for the team meetings nor the Idaho Power Web site gave any hint a route could touch Grant County. It's not reasonable to suggest Grant County residents would turn out in droves for meetings in Baker City and Ontario that ostensibly had nothing to do with Grant County.

Yet here we are today, being asked to chart a route for this monstrosity through our county. (And do it quick - so Idaho Power can present its own recommendation in January or February. . . )

Forgive some of us in Grant County for feeling we haven't been given a chance to decline the devil's invitation. Idaho Power already has drawn up our dance card and we are left to wonder whether the consequences will be worse if we take to the floor or sit this one out . . .

We want that time, Idaho Power. It's only fair.

Note to Grant County: "Fair" and "Idaho Power" are mutually exclusive concepts. They've already thrown out three Project Advisory Team proposed routes through Idaho with no valid reason why. If you live in Idaho, money and political clout have their advantages.

The 2009 IRP Draft Load Forecast

2009-12-01T18:03:00.004-07:00

From a letter to Barton L. Kline, senior attorney for Idaho Power Company, from the Industrial Customers of Idaho Power, dated November 20, 2009:

I write on behalf of the Industrial Customers of Idaho Power ("ICIP") to comment on Idaho Power's November 2009 Draft Sales and Load Forecast ("Draft Load Forecast"), which Mark Stokes provided to the Integrated Resources Plan Advisory Council ("IRPAC") on November 4, 2009. . .

Although the Draft Load Forecast is preliminary and may not be technically subject to any formal discovery requirements, it is useful to keep in mind the right of interested parties to review pertinent data and models underlying an electric utility's IRP prior to its acceptance or acknowledgement by a state's utility commission. . .

Without convincing data, ICIP is skeptical the economy will recover as rapidly as the Company expects. The Draft Load Forecast expects the economy to recover rapidly to the levels experienced in the 1993 to 2003 period in the next few years. We expect the economy to recover more slowly and do not expect the near-term growth rate will increase as rapidly as the Company predicts. . .

In sum, ICIP is skeptical of the accuracy of the Draft Load Forecast's projected growth rates without access to additional supporting data and models. We hope that Idaho Power will provide . . . access to the underlying data and models for its final load forecast so that ICIP and others may adequately participate and comment in the IRP process. . .

"Project Order and Idaho Route Meeting"

2009-11-29T21:17:00.013-07:00

In response to a request for a meeting concerning our reservations about the outcome of the mostly-Oregon mapping, we have been invited to meet with Idaho Power officials Monday, November 30th, 4-8 p.m. at the Community House of Kirkpatrick Church in Parma, Idaho.

Please RSVP Kara Veit at (208) 377-9688 if you want to attend this meeting.

Meeting objectives:
• Discuss the Oregon Department of Energy’s Boardman to Hemingway Project Order
• Discuss the (presumptive?) project area and proposed routes in Idaho

4:00 p.m.
Welcome and introductions
• Welcome – Kent McCarthy, Idaho Power, CAP Project Leader
• Introductions and agenda – Rosemary Curtin, facilitator
4:10 p.m.
Project Order – Adam Bless, Oregon Department of Energy
• Overview
• Questions and answers
5:10 p.m.
Boardman to Hemingway project area – Dave Angell, Idaho Power
6:10 p.m.
Dinner
6:30 p.m.
Presentations and discussion with:
• Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) – Idaho representative
• U.S. Forest Service (USFS) – Idaho representative – (Tentative)
• BLM recently participated in three panel discussions for the CAP. (Correspondence from the BLM is available for reference.)
7:30 p.m.
Next steps

Adam Bless of the Oregon Department of Energy will present information on the Project Order, which encourages Idaho Power to route an Idaho corridor as a valid solution to the problems of routing through Oregon. We understand that the ODOE itself does not choose the route, but the Energy Facility Siting Council has the power to deny what routes are proposed across Oregon.

More importantly, it is the disregarding of our requests for information and meetings providing for even-handed mapping of Idaho routes, (as in IPC's original Treasure Valley Electrical Plan loop around the greater Boise area, including the proposed Gateway West south corridor,) that has us wondering why all Idaho routes have been jettisoned in favor of ANY viable alternative through Oregon.

We hope these concerns will be addressed Monday evening.

PGE’s New Power Line: Is This Something We Really Need?

2009-11-24T08:42:00.002-07:00

"Cascade Crossing" picks up where Boardman to Hemingway leaves off.

by Dennis Newman, Nov. 13, 2009 http://www.naturaloregon.org/2009/11/13/pges-new-power-line-is-this-something-we-really-need/

In the past two weeks, Portland General Electric has held several public meetings about its plans for a new high voltage power line.

Called Cascade Crossing, PGE wants to build a 200-mile, double circuit, 500-kilovolt power line from Boardman to Salem. Along the way, it crosses two national forests and the Warm Springs reservation. If all goes according to plan, construction will begin in late 2012 and the power line will be operating during the first half of 2015. . .

Do We Really Need This Power Line?

PGE warns that our current transmission system to close to capacity. Despite the growth in population and the increased demand for electricity over the past 25 years, no new major power lines have been built. Without this power line, PGE says our grid may become unreliable, raising the odds of power outages or brown outs. It also says this line will help bring in more renewable energy from the wind farms in Eastern Oregon. It says that will help Oregon meet state mandates to get 15% of our power from renewable energy by 2015. . .

As we’ve seen recently, PGE isn’t the only company proposing a new power line in the area. The Bonneville Power Administration is looking at a 70-mile high voltage line in SW Washington and a 28-mile line that runs through the Columbia Gorge Scenic Area. In Eastern Oregon, Idaho Power wants to build a 300-plus mile high voltage line from Boardman to SW Idaho.

How Do Projects Like These Affect The Forest and Wildlife?

. . . (Amy) Harwood (of the environmental group Bark) says energy corridors impact the forest in a number of ways. Creating a new path of clear cut makes it easier for invasive weeds to spread into the forest. Not only does it give them a foothold, but without tree cover the weeds thrive and become harder to control. . .

The Coalition for Agriculture's Future

2009-11-23T08:21:00.003-07:00

Southwest Idaho group forms around concern for farmland's future
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/11/southwest_idaho_group_forms_ov.html

(AP) Nov. 22 A coalition concerned about protecting farmland from uncontrolled growth and development in southwest Idaho has formed.

The Coalition for Agriculture’s Future includes about 30 groups with interests ranging from farming to food processing to wine making to meat-packing .

George Crookham, the coalition’s chairman, told the Idaho Press-Tribune that the coalition is concerned about the future of valuable farmland. . .

From the Coalition's website: http://www.agriculturesfuture.org/Index.htm

"The Coalition works to help maintain agricultural lands for the future by developing mechanisms that incorporate future looking planning in land use issues that will allow both development and protection of our agricultural heritage and traditions.

"Our ultimate goal is to preserve for future generations a critical natural resource that feeds the world and a heritage that helps define the character of its society. "

Idaho Power's 2009 IRP

2009-11-20T10:54:00.002-07:00

Rocky Barker still on the job reporting on Idaho's energy needs

Will Idaho Power shut down some of its coal plants in the next 20 years? by Rocky Barker, 11/10/2009

http://voices.idahostatesman.com/2009/11/10/rockybarker/will_idaho_power_shut_down_some_its_coal_plants_next_20_years

I sat through Idaho Power’s Integrated Resource Planning meeting last week. That is where the utility lays out its future plans to a group of customers, environmental advocates and Idaho Public Utility Commission staff for their comments. The idea is the company gets feedback for its plans to build or buy power generation for the next 20 years.

It’s hard for anyone to look at what will be going on 20 years from now and the plans they make this year will clearly be changed as the utility moves along. But there are key decisions that will set long term paths that will have a major impact on Idaho Power’s rates as time goes on.

When will the company need to build its proposed transmission line from Boardman, Oregon to the Hemingway substation west of Boise? Will it be cheaper over the long run to build expensive solar generation plants in the deserts of Idaho or on people’s roofs than to build more natural gas plants?

Idaho Power’s preferred alternative is to build the transmission line and use natural gas plants to meet its peaking needs.

Earlier this year, the company’s shareholders voted strongly to push the company to do more to prepare to do business in a time of climate change. Its immediate plans don’t seem to reflect that much.

But when you move out to the second 10 years of its planning cycle the utility clearly is looking at a regulatory world where actually reducing existing coal generation makes sense. Its preferred alternative depends on natural gas wind power and the completion of the Gateway West transmission line into Wyoming to meet the need.

Idaho Power is looking at choosing that over keeping all of its coal plants operating. The preferred alternative doesn’t including nuclear, solar or more geothermal as its so-called “nuclear/green” alternative recommends.

Ultimately the most power will come over the next 20 years from improvements in energy efficiency and virtually all experts seem to agree. That’s why the $47 million smart grid stimulus grant is so influential in the company’s future.

Some industrial customers worry that Idaho Power may consider retiring some of its coal plants before the plants are paid off, leaving customers with the stranded costs. And environmentalists worry they may put more capital expenditures in old coal plants like the Boardman Coal Plant shared with Portland General Electric and others.

PGE including adding all the pollution control devices that would be needed to keep the Boardman plant open in its own integrated resource plan proposal. If PGE’s proposal is approved, the plant would require $600 million in new investment. Idaho Power's share is 10% or $60 million, said Betsy Bridge of the Idaho Conservation League.

Bridge thinks that $60 million would be better invested in alternative energy or efficiency programs. Perhaps Idaho Power’s first test for its own commitment to curtailing its coal resource over time will be whether it commits to spending the $60 million for Boardman.

Nuclear Plant Plan on Track

2009-11-19T09:54:00.002-07:00

Second firm looks at Payette County for site of a new nuclear power plant
By Brandi Stromberg Argus Observer Nov. 18, 2009 http://www.argusobserver.com/news/doc4b044530ca4a2777545774.txt

Payette — The spokesman for a firm looking to build a nuclear power plant in Payette County said atomic energy is more cost effective than conventional sources.

Don Gillispie, 66, Eagle, one of seven owners of the firm Alternate Energy Holdings, Inc., said his company first began to look at Idaho as a viable place for a nuclear power plant several years ago. . .

Gillispie said the proposed plant could produce at least 5,000 jobs during its construction and about 1,000 jobs during operation. He said the tax intake, alone, will be beneficial to the county as a revenue, generating nearly $100 million in property taxes. Construction costs would be near $10 billion and will begin after land acquisition, hopefully in 2013. The plant has a 60-year life span and will essentially be more efficient and beneficial to the county than a solar or hydro-energy power plant, he said. Gillispie said the average salary for a nuclear power plant engineer is around $80,000.

Gillispie said the company currently operates eight plants in the Midwest. He said the proposed plant is an advanced plant, and no others exist in the world like it. Gillispie said he enjoys being a good neighbor to local businesses, charities and the population in general. He said they donate their time, resources and thousands of dollars annually.

“We try to be good neighbors,” Gillispie said. “Part of this company is trying to give back to the people.”

The Payette County Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing at 7 p.m. Thursday regarding the proposed nuclear plant. If anyone would like to contact Gillispie or visit the Web site, Gillispie encourages questions, concerns and comments about the proposal. The Web site address is www.aehipower.com and the email is info@aehipower.com. . .

Idaho's generation capacity

2009-11-18T08:32:00.004-07:00

We've reported on Alternate Energy Holdings' efforts to establish a nuclear energy presence in Idaho. In looking over their website, http://www.alternateenergyholdings.com/ you might find the following pdf article interesting:

"Idaho ranks near the bottom of western states preparing to add generation capacity" http://www.alternateenergyholdings.com/Portals/51/Media/Files/aehinews052609.pdf

The date of the article is May of this year, so perhaps the effort to get CHP and solar energy online since then, are an effort by Idaho Power to rectify the situation.

One man's trash: Landfill operator plans gas generator

2009-11-18T08:25:00.001-07:00

http://www.magicvalley.com/news/local/article_0d72324c-cdc2-11de-87fb-001cc4c03286.html Nate Poppino, Magic Valley Times News 11/10/09

That bag of trash you're about to toss could soon power someone's home.

Southern Idaho Solid Waste is looking to build a methane-fueled generator at Milner Butte Landfill, which was established in the early 1990s in southern Cassia County and houses trash tossed by residents of seven south-central Idaho counties.

A methane-gas collection system came online in September and is currently feeding data to Josh Bartlome, the environmental specialist conducting the system's initial testing. The landfill's methane gas currently flows at between 315 and 330 standard cubic feet per minute, more than enough to support a generator in the future, Bartlome said. . .

Milner Butte would become only the second landfill in Idaho to generate power from methane gas and sell it back to a utility. The only landfill that currently has such a sales agreement is the one run by Ada County, said Gene Fadness, spokesman for the Idaho Public Utilities Commission.

There, county officials partnered with a private company four years ago to set up generators now supplying 3.2 megawatts to Idaho Power Co. - enough to power 2,400 homes. The company supplied and owns the generators and buys the gas from the county, paying about $225,000 a year, said Ted Hutchinson, Ada County's landfill manager. The arrangement works well enough that the county is currently drilling more gas wells that the company might then expand to include. . .

Power line packs the house

2009-11-17T08:04:00.001-07:00

by Scott Callister 10/28/2009 Blue Mountain Eagle http://MyEagleNews.com subscriber only

JOHN DAY - More than 70 people turned out last week to pore over maps and charts as Idaho Power unveiled recent, close-to-home proposals for its 500-kilovolt transmission line.

For many, the information was sobering.

"Grant County doesn't stand to get anything out of this, but it would rob us forever of being a premier jewel in terms of scenic and recreational attractions. . . "

. . . The line has drawn stiff opposition in some . . . counties, where residents recently suggested shifting the route to the west - through Grant and Harney counties. . .

(. . . or east into Ada and Gem counties. . . )

Routing meeting cancelled

2009-11-12T09:39:00.006-07:00

We received the following emails over the past week:

The November 4th email:

We anticipate to hold a meeting next week on Thursday, November 12th to discuss the Project Order and routing in Idaho (for more information about the Project Order please go to http://www.boardmantohemingway.com/odoe-efsc_documents.aspx).

Several Project Advisory Team members have requested a meeting to specifically discuss these issues and we are working diligently to meet this request. We are currently waiting to confirm a facility and schedule Idaho panelists before this date is confirmed.

Please save the date November 12th and by the end of the week we will notify you to confirm this date. If the meeting is not held next week it will be scheduled for the first or second week of December.

Thank you for your patience. We appreciate your continued participation in the Community Advisory Process.

The November 9th email:

The November 12, 2009 meeting to discuss the Project Order and routing in Idaho meeting has been cancelled. We are currently working to reschedule this meeting. Our goal is to have this meeting before our fourth Project Advisory Team meeting to be held in December.

Idaho Power hopes to submit its 2009 IRP, including viable route(s), by the end of December.