Idaho Power's new alternatives. Click for a larger map. You may want to let your neighbors know they may now be under a proposed transmission route. On Tuesday, Feb. 17th, Idaho Power representatives Mike Barrie and Mike Ybarguen presented new alternative route maps at the Parma Lions' Club. IPCo wants to move its Sand Hollow substation a few miles to the west (off of public and onto private land), but otherwise maintains its preferred route over private property in Idaho and Oregon, and EFU farmland in Malheur County in particular.
On the map is this disclaimer:
Idaho Power has evaluated comments received during and since the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE) scoping phase and has developed an array of potential corridor options. These potential corridor options reflect what Idaho Power understands the public, other stakeholders and the BLM and ODOE would like to see considered.
These potential corridor options are not necessarily the final set of alternatives that will be selected by BLM for evaluation in the environmental impact statement or to be contained in Idaho Power's Application for Site Certificate to the ODOE.
The wall map pdf can be downloaded HERE. Remember if you print this it may be larger than 8x10. For a smaller map, you can download the jpg image above, or HERE.
We are pleased to see Idaho Power mapping alternate routes that could ultimately be acceptable to the BLM as well as the Oregon Department of Energy and Energy Facility Siting Council, the Oregon agencies that will be ruling on Idaho Power's compliance with Oregon land use law and energy siting standards, since traversing EFU land in Oregon is not allowed when other lands are available.
We regret that Idaho Power has abandoned SIP's Alternative 2 which avoids private land in Oregon and Idaho.
