"Obama's Bold Energy Agenda"

An interesting article dated 11/7/2008 appears in Environment and Energy News about Congressional and FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) involvement in alternative energy generation and an overhauled national grid. They even have a grid map. (Note the 765 kV lines.)

From the article: "The national grid idea not only is opposed by landowners who do not want unsightly power lines or environmentalists worried about damage to natural resources, Brown said, but also is unpopular with vertically integrated utilities that do not want to compete with other utilities and with leaders in regions that have abundant power generation and low electricity prices, who worry that prices will rise if extra electricity is sent elsewhere. . .

"FERC has been encouraging transmission investment using the rate-incentive authority Congress gave the agency in the 2005 energy law and by approving regional cost-allocation strategies. But such plans vary by region and even by facility."

You can find the entire article here http://www.eenews.net/public/Greenwire/2008/11/07/2

No Path of Least Resistance Here

Grotesque contortions of proposed transmission lines into Malheur County so Ada and Canyon County residents can avoid having to look at 12-story towers.

Possible larger loop with relocated substation (click for larger picture)

We had a good turnout at our Monday night Grange meeting in spite of the weather. Roger Findley gave a presentation on what has happened since our last meeting:

1. Durkee Meeting
2. Owyhee County Commissioner Jerry Hoaglund
3. Retaining legal counsel, Attorney Tom Nelson, Utility and Energy law
4. Letter written by Jean and Roger Findley to Oregon agencies and affected counties (Owyhee, Gem, Malheur and Payette) requesting 2 corridors
5. Proposed wider circle avoiding all private land

including quotes from the 38-member Ada and Canyon County all-Idaho siting committee, some of which are printed below for your amusement:

• "Can the 500 kV line extend into Oregon? "
• "Can we go beyond the Treasure Valley and hide the 500kV line in the mountains?"
• "Can transmission lines be placed in hills or steep country?"
• "Stay away from ridgelines"
• "Don’t go too close to Emmett bench on north side"
• Don’t want a source substation in the view shed in Canyon County, especially in the Lake Lowell area"
• "Want to push the source and hub substations more to the west"
• "Can it go into Oregon, it’s not as developed?"
• "Run transmission lines through the draws so the whole valley does not see"

Bruce Corn reported on

1. Meetings with the BLM and the Malheur County Court, giving high praise to County Judge Dan Joyce for his efforts to inform Oregon officials and agencies on what is happening here.
2. County Planner Jon Beal asks for help in assembling soil classifications. If you have this information, please send it to him!
3. Contacts with Ron Wyden's aide, Wayne Kinney, and Scott Fairley, Gov. Kulongoski's office

Lisa Davis reports that Federal loans will not be made on property under transmission lines, rendering it much less valuable and in some cases, unsellable.

Jean and Roger Findley submitted a letter to state officials requesting that IP's Notice of Intent be rejected until it proposes alternate corridors as required by Oregon law, and include a cost benefit analysis of crossing agricultural land rather than uninhabited public land:

1. Option 1: Buchanan between John Day and Boardman. This is the longest of the 3 options but encourages moving the Sand Hollow substation to north of Payette, and crosses no private land. Cost cannot be the sole consideration for utility placement.


2. Option 2: PP&L line, Grassy Mt. south of Vale behind Bully Creek and Huntington Junction, then along the freeway


3. Option 3: Through Canyon County. Note: one of the attendees at our meeting, a resident of Canyon County under the less than two miles of corridor through Parma, is very upset and supports our citizens' group request that Option 1 route be followed.

The entire group voted unanimously to adopt the non-profit organization Bylaws written up by Vale Attorney Cliff Looney, and voted unanimously for the 20 Board of Directors

1. Roger and Jean Findley
2. Tom and Pat Phillips
3. Clint and Patty Kennington
4. Bruce Corn
5. Cliff Looney (our SOLE contact with Attorney Tom Nelson)
6. Farrell Larson
7. Evelyn Sayers
8. Gary Pearson
9. Ken Teramura
10. Grant Kitamura
11. Larry and Rod Price
12. Dick Davis
13. Stacey Trenkel
14. John Faw
15. Alice Ure
16. Eric White

Many thanks to all those who agreed (some with a little arm twisting) to serve. The Board of Directors will elect officers and open a bank account for our fund raising efforts, which went very well last night. If the more than 400 households under 30 miles of lines each contribute $100, we will have more than sufficient for legal and engineering counsel.

Bob Kemble, CPA for Pete Nichols is doing 501-C and non-profit status free of charge. Any monies not used will be prorated and returned.

Sue Kurth had prototype vinyl "No Entry for Purposes of Obtaining Easements/Rights-of-way" signs made up. We voted for the ones shaped like stopsigns (if ODOT allows us to use that shape). If not, large rectangular signs will be available for approx. $5.00 at our next meeting.

New petitions requesting Idaho Power to reroute these lines in alternate corridors are available for download and printing and signing. Please return these petitions at our next meeting.

Jean Findley and Evelyn Sayers have divided Malheur County into 8 areas for the purpose of informing ALL county residents of the proposed lines, since there are still those who don't know about it. Each group leader will have maps, letters to neighbors and the new petition asking IP to reroute its line. These eight areas are:

1. Oregon Slope
2. South of 20-26 near Lincoln. Pat Trenkel has volunteered for this group.
3. Vale west of the Butte
4. South of 20-26, north of Imperial. Donna Kemble has volunteered for this group.
5. North of Nyssa--Bruce Corn will take this.
6. South of Nyssa, south of Alberta and Owyhee Corners - Melda Schiemer will do part of this
7. North of Adrian-Jackass Flats - Pat Bashaw is helping here
8. South of Adrian. The Prices will take this one.

Please let Jean or Evelyn know if you can help with #1 or #3.

Action Plan:

• Next meeting: Monday, January 12, 7:00 p.m. at the Four Rivers Cultural Center in Ontario.
• Write more letters! More letters! More letters!
• Pass around and sign New Petitions requesting IP to reroute the transmission lines, return by next meeting
• Vinyl No Entry signs for sale at next meeting
• Keep writing those checks!! And THANK YOU!! Grant Kitamura is collecting checks, make out to Stop Idaho Power and send to Finance Committee, P.O. Box 9, Ontario, OR 97914

Energy Facility Siting Process

BLM and ODOE Seek Public Input on Proposed Transmission Line Project in Oregon and Idaho
http://www.blm.gov/or/districts/vale/newsroom/files/PRB2H.pdf

"Over 250 miles of the transmission line will traverse Oregon and so the project must undergo Oregon’s energy facility siting process. Energy facility developers, such as Idaho Power, must apply to Oregon Department of Energy- Energy Facility Siting Council (EFSC) for a site certificate prior to construction. EFSC’s energy facility siting process is a consolidated permitting process which incorporates all local and state agency requirements, including land use requirements, into a single decision.

"The process has public participation components with public meetings at the beginning and formal public hearings toward the end of the process. To learn more about Oregon’s energy facility siting process visit the project Web site or the Oregon Department of Energy’s Web site at http://oregon.gov/ENERGY/SITING/index.shtml "

Monday Dec.15th Meeting Agenda

Our meeting scheduled for Monday December 15th, 7:00 pm at the Grange Boulevard on Hwy 20-26 will address the following:

1. Updates on the County Court meeting with Tom Stoops, energy facility siting manager for Oregon; meeting with Wayne Kinney, aide to Oregon Senator Ron Wyden; meetings in Durkee and Keating (also under the proposed corridor)with Idaho Power


2. Non-profit bylaws, election of board of directors and officers (bring nominations if you have any)


3. Attorney Tom Nelson, Energy and Utility Law, retained


4. Additional reports, i.e. Jon Beal, Malheur County Planning, working on soil classifications and the designation of historic and/or scenic sites; our nonprofit "Group in Standing" requests the BLM to evaluate ALL corridors; County Court's request for Jim Johnson of the Oregon Department of Agriculture visit our corridor route


5. New petition asking Idaho Power to reroute its B2H transmission line (also downloadable under "Document links") Let's flood them with signatures!


6. UPDATED Addresses and bullet point handouts for PERSONAL letters to state representatives and agencies. Let them know how you, your family, your business, income, health, and your community will be affected if these lines are not rerouted. Be specific.
   
7. Vinyl NO TRESPASSING signs will be available to order (and to raise money)


8. Keep making donations! Pay now or lose it later.

Our next meetings will hopefully be held in the FRCC or in the Nyssa auditorium.

Attorney Tom Nelson, Energy and Utility Law

Our non-profit organization is in the process of hiring Tom Nelson, an attorney recommended by several different sources. He sat down with the legal committee and answered all questions, submitted a detailed description of his background and casework, and is licensed in Oregon, Washington and Idaho.

Tom has already been helpful in planning the overall strategy and assisting in preparing as strong a case as possible for the residents of Malheur County who face a certain decrease in productivity and income if the transmission corridor is not rerouted.

UPDATE The chair of our legal committee, Cliff Looney, will be the single contact person with Tom. Please let Cliff know if you have legal questions.

More from the TVEP

Here's page 48 of Idaho Power's Treasure Valley Electrical Plan:

"With the following limitations, the (38 member, all-Idaho siting) committee agreed to this proposition,

• Don’t run 230,000-Volt transmission through downtown Eagle
• Stay away from Boise Bench area
• Pierce Park/Dry Creek is too dense
• Avoid State Street
• Avoid diagonal line routes
• Keep lines out of view sheds
• Don’t run lines through cities unless in industrial areas
• Use existing transmission ROWs
• Use transportation corridors."

You will note these limitations apply to 230 kV lines, and that the 38 member, all-Idaho siting committee took pains to avoid stepping on valuable Idaho real estate.

When it comes to 500kV lines, however, the 38 member, all-Idaho siting committee threw out its own recomendations to "avoid diagonal line routes, keep lines out of view sheds, use existing transmission ROWs, and use transportation corridors" when it comes to Malheur County (not in Idaho's back yard!).

This is where responsible Oregon legislators, regulators and representatives need to stand up for the interests of Malheur County residents.

Idaho Power's 500 kV Freight Train

From Idaho Power's Treasure Valley Electrical Plan:

page 22: Compares 500,000 volt (500 kV) lines to a "freeway through a major city or maybe a freight train." Answer: yes, this freeway or freight train should definitely be put across prime farmland.

page 33: "How could Idaho Power encourage community support of DSM (Demand Side Management)?" Answer: Demand it be put through the communities that will directly benefit. OR demand it be routed through designated utility corridors on public lands.

page 38: ". . . Reinforcement alternatives have been identified that can delay major new transmission into the valley: (including) Tie into the PacifiCorp 500,000 Volt transmission line to the south." Answer: Why does it make sense to construct more 500 kV line corridors than necessary? Why should PacifiCorps' lines be ignored? Maybe we ought to rethink this fast track thing.

page 52: "Transmission line Right of Ways can be obtained using:

• Easement: gives Idaho Power the right to use the land for a specific purpose (for those who simply want to give up their property rights for 25 cents on the dollar)
• Fee Title Ownership: Idaho Power owns the property, receiving title through a deed (but why pay, when you can condemn it?)
• Permit: Idaho Power makes application to the appropriate agency for a permit to place the necessary facilities across public lands (Why doesn't Idaho Power pursue this one?)
• Eminent Domain or Condemnation: Idaho Power may exercise its right under state law to take the easement or property through court action." (In the state of Oregon, the right to take easement through domain or condemnation comes only through Oregon state agencies. )

There is no money to be made by giving easements. A corridor through productive land will reduce productivity and land values, leading to less county and state tax revenue and reduced employment. This is not only bad for farmers in Malheur County but for all those who depend upon the farm economy, including neighbors of farmers.

page 53: "Are there circumstances that make certain line routes more favorable than others? Cost, Hazards, and Obstructions. Are there environmental or regulatory reasons that certain line routes won't work?" Answer: Yes, there will be costs, hazards and obstructions if Idaho Power pursues no alternative to routing these lines over prime Malheur County farmland.

Write to your state agencies and tell them how you feel about Idaho Power running its electrical freight train through Exclusive Farm Use property!

$5 Billion Canada to California Project

"PacifiCorp, which is controlled by legendary investor Warren Buffett, is proposing a 500-kV line roughly between the Captain Jack substation near the California-Oregon border and the Hemingway substation." - "$5 billion power line proposed," from Spokane Journal of Business, http://www.spokanejournal.com/ (subscriber only)

Original map draft crossing Idaho south of Sand Hollow.

Bruce Penn took this 3-tower picture near Brothers on Hwy 20, 30 miles east of Bend. The drag on some of these lines along a hillside can be as close as 20 feet off the ground.

You didn't know you were part of a $5 billion planned transmission project from Canada to California? You didn't know there could be 3 (count 'em THREE) 12-story transmission towers on this right of way across your property?

Wind Watch Energy News - ". . . PG&E’s line, which would continue south to Boardman en route to California, would give Avista a new pathway to move to its own service territory power generated at its Coyote Springs plant, which is near Boardman, Kopczynski says. It’s paying others to transmit that power now. "

http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/03/21/5-billion-power-line-proposed/

The maps above (click for a larger map) are the overall Northwest routes and the general route planned for Idaho Power's leg of the line. Notice how they've "fine tuned" it since then to include Malheur County just so we wouldn't feel left out!

You can look at the Powerpoint Presentation for this project HERE including the above maps.

Wayne Kinney, aide to Senator Ron Wyden

Several of us had an illuminating lunch Wednesday with Wayne Kinney, a former Argus reporter and aide to Senator Wyden. Wayne was very interested in what we are doing and although Sen. Wyden doesn't have jurisdiction over state matters, he certainly has clout and promises to use his influence in our behalf. We sent a notebook of materials back with Wayne.

Wayne looked at the maps and wondered why Idaho Power didn't want to use any of the alternate utility corridors, especially the ones through Idaho. Using an alternate corridor seems the prudent thing to do in order to avoid dealing with Oregon's energy regulatory agencies, which do not have a trouble-free history with Idaho Power in eastern Oregon counties.

We told Wayne that we are hoping to encourage Idaho Power to diligently consider alternate corridors, since Oregon's BLM has gone through the work of designating a corridor for the very purpose of transmission lines, unless, of course, Idaho's public utilities can preferably be sited on Idaho's own public lands.

Monday, Dec. 15th Meeting

UPDATE - Because of scheduling conflicts, our next general meeting will be Monday, December 15th, 7:00 p.m. at the Boulevard Grange on Hwy 20-26. Please bring your neighbors, since the outcome of what happens will affect northeastern Malheur County for years to come.

At the meeting we will be brought up to date on what has been happening to further our cause, and what steps must be taken next.

Write Personal Letters to the Energy Siting Council
According to one well-placed source, writing personal letters about how 120-190 ft. transmission towers on 40-ft concrete pads through some of Oregon's best farm country will affect your family, your living and your future, will be among the most effective things you can do. You can use information on this blog, including letters, printed maps, points of concern, and quotes from blog posts to add to your letters.

The address is:

Energy Siting Council
Oregon Department of Energy
625 Marion St. NE
Salem, OR 97301-3737

The down economy

Dec. 1, Magic Valley Times-News . . . The country's financial turbulence hasn't harmed several large-scale energy projects in southern Idaho, developers of those projects said last week.

If anything, the economy has just led Idaho Power Co. officials to be a little more cautious about large-scale plans to build new interstate transmission lines and a natural gas plant over the next few years, said Echo Chadwick, the utility's director of corporate communications.

None of the company's development plans have changed so far, Chadwick said. But officials are keeping a close eye on the markets and regularly examining their plans to see what adjustments, if any, need to be made. "If people aren't loaning money -- it certainly does impact our ability to be effective," said Chadwick, adding that the company is working to keep its credit rating strong.

Part of the problem, she said, is that changes might be hard to make. The utility's grid is maxing out, and the company has to find new transmission or generation sources to keep serving its customers. And those customers are asked to help pay for it . . .

. . . Boise-based Windland Inc. hasn't been able to build its planned 200-megawatt project on Cotterel Mountain in Cassia County. But its delay is more due to a lack of interest from Idaho Power, the likely customer for its power, said Mike Heckler, Windland director of marketing and development.

http://www.magicvalley.com/articles/2008/12/01/news/local_state/149836.txt

(Am I the only one seeing a possible solution to Idaho Power's generation sources problem here?)

Insufficient Corridor Analysis

UPDATE OAR 345-020-0011 Notice of Intent (d) Exhibit D.

"If the proposed energy facility is a pipeline or a transmission line or has, as a related or supporting facility, a transmission line or pipeline that, by itself, is an energy facility under the definition in ORS 469.300, identification of at least two proposed corridors, as defined in OAR 345-001-0010, or identification of a single proposed corridor with an explanation of why alternate corridors are unlikely to better meet the applicant's needs and satisfy the Council's standards. The applicant shall include an explanation of the basis for selecting the proposed corridor(s) and, for each proposed corridor, the information described in subsections (e), (g), (i), (j), (k), (n) and (p) that is available from existing maps, aerial photographs, and a search of readily available literature."

https://portal.sos.state.or.us/division/archives/rules/OARs_300/OAR_345/345_020.html

In its 247-page Notice of Intent document, downloadable HERE (12 MB pdf), Idaho Power initially evaluated three corridors and then “determined that two proposed corridors are not warranted,” even though it has not met the burden of evidence that crossing EFU ground is necessary in order to provide the service.

You will remember ORS 215.275 establishes a burden of evidence that in order to route a transmission line across Exclusive Farm Use land, the line “MUST be sited in an exclusive farm use zone IN ORDER TO PROVIDE THE SERVICE,” a burden which is clearly not met in Idaho Power’s single planned corridor.

Idaho Power's "evaluation" consists of the excuses that the alternate corridor is longer, covers rougher topography, (they'd rather make access roads on well-tended farmland, you see) and would require more right of way roads. Nowhere is there mentioned the more likely reasons: it would cost more (not a viable excuse, according to ORS 215.275), it would cross private Idaho land instead of private Oregon land, and possibly because they would rather try to placate a few irate farmers than environmentalists, although the 500kV lines already built through public land in Oregon are operating without complaint.

And nowhere is there the complete and detailed analysis required by Oregon statute for alternative corridors to EFU siting. UPDATE Evidently there is a detailed analysis which we haven't yet seen. We're holding our breaths in anticipation!

The Oregon Department of Energy should not issue any Project Order until there is extensive and detailed data supporting at least two corridors as required by law when dealing with Exclusive Farm Use land.

DIY when it comes to IP talking to the BLM

Do It Yourself--Jean Findley reports that even though our citizens' group was promised by Idaho Power in their November 12 meeting that they would work with the BLM to "diligently consider the three alternate routes proposed by the concerned Citizens' Group," the BLM in Vale, which Idaho Power has not contacted since last spring, was surprised to find we even had a citizens' group. They know now.

UPDATE The BLM has extended its scoping process until December 22, so if you have more informed comments to make, send them along to the local Vale office: (Lucas Lucero in Las Vegas is only involved with the Environmental Impact Statement)

BLM Office
100 Oregon Street
Vale, OR 97918
(541) 473-6251

For the rest of Eric Hackett's clarifying letter (quoted above), you can download a copy of it HERE.

Plummeting Land Values

The following post addresses a question concerning Idaho Power wanting to avoid "more expensive" land in Idaho, or in fact, having a rationale for expanding its power grid. See for example: http://www.foreclosure.com/search/ID_027.html where you can find 1724 Canyon County properties in active foreclosure, preforeclosure, or bankruptcy (there are 35 in Malheur County). Also read the recent article in the Argus Observer: http://argusobserver.com/articles/2008/12/01/news/doc493424ea15d9b266492964.txt

Regarding land prices, the major farm selling real estate agents don't necessarily subscribe/participate to the Multiple Listing Service. The designation "Realtor" and the MLS are more oriented to the buying and selling of houses and residential property, although there are those of us who don't want to specialize in just one area of the real estate business. Moral of this story is that the MLS is going to give a somewhat slanted view of property values.

But here's what I found on the MLS. Time prohibits me from doing extensive research. From June 1, 2007 to Dec 2, 2007 there were 30 farm & ranch properties sold. They sold with an average price of $1,610,431. 28 of the 30 were Idaho properties, from as far east as Richfield, Rupert, and Buhl. The median price was $733,750.

Now, in 2008, from June 1 to Dec 2, 19 properties have sold, with the average sales price $868,299 and median $531,250, and of those 19 properties, 5 were in Oregon. I did not calculate the per acre price for 2007, but the 2008 price per acre is $3468.57. Also, upon reviewing the 19, the Idaho properties were in Murphy, Indian Valley, Rupert, Deary, Buhl, Twin Falls, Richfield. None were farms which sold around Caldwell, Nampa, Boise, Kuna, or Meridian.

We have HEARD, and it is only rumor, that farms from Boise, Caldwell, Nampa were selling in 2007 for $50,000, $75,000 even $100,000 per acre, all to developers who now are in dire straits. But, as I said before, the big farm-selling real estate agents around Caldwell, Nampa, and Meridian do not even participate in the MLS, and Idaho does not require that the sale price be put on the deed, so unless you are personally involved in the sale, there is no way to research the sale price of a property.

I did not research the price of small acreages, only properties over 80 acres. I did not give any consideration to "irrigated" vs "non-irrigated". Remember also, Idaho properties which haven't been split since late 1970's can be split, and it varies by county and even by town in the county. And also, the first acre is the most expensive, and the 2nd and the rest get a whole lot cheaper.

-Pat P.

Keep Your Camera Handy

Larry Meyer of the Argus contacted Eric Hackett at Idaho Power about the reported request for an easement for transmission lines. Eric denies that any of the three "right-of-way employees" were in this area in the past week. Our neighbor was able to describe the truck and the two men in detail, although Eric says they do not fit the description of Idaho Power's "right-of-way employees."

There seems to be no explanation for this, but it is still good practice to keep strangers off your property. If any show up and claim to be from Idaho Power, you might take a picture with a digital camera, ask for their ID, and give Eric Hackett a call at:

Eric Hackett, Idaho Power Company
1-208-388-5712