Monday night at the Boulevard Grange, the packed and enthusiastic crowd learned what went on in the private meeting with Idaho Power representatives Monday morning at the Ontario Holiday Inn:1) Approximately 30 people were invited from Malheur and surrounding counties. Adam Bless of the Oregon Department of Energy was also in attendance, plus 20 representative from Idaho Power.
2) IPCo says "There is no map anymore. We are starting with a clean slate."
3) IPCo intends to separate the B2H process from the TVEP loop.
4) Sand Hollow substation, once central to the Treasure Valley Electrical Plan (TVEP), is now off the table.
5) IPCo conceded that routing over public land is a viable option.
IPCo wants to form three citizens' groups by April in order to develop new proposed and alternate routes by December.
Roger Findley, chairman of Stop Idaho Power's Executive Committee, says he is "cautiously optimistic" about what he heard, but he won't be satisfied until he sees actual construction out of farm ground. "The ODOE process through EFSC is still going forward. Three OPUC hearings for need are still going forward, which would result in giving IPCo condemnation rights, and the Federal NEPA process is still going forward. The game is not over."
SIP needs to stay active, Roger says, since IPCo's new process will most likely involve a media blitz.
Bruce Corn added his observations: "Idaho Power depended on us to not get organized and to lose interest, and on picking us off one at a time. If anything, our solidarity is greater now. We're still in the ballgame, but we can't let down our guard."
Rod Price, one of those invited to the Monday morning meeting, added, "They were very cordial. They wanted to heal up any problems that had been there. They've looked at the whole show and they know we're serious. They are willing to say, 'We don't need the Whole Show,'" speaking of the intention to route the B2H transmission line separate from the TVEP loop.
The discussion on the PUC's Hearing for Need (to be held in Ontario Thursday, March 26 at 7:00 p.m. in the FRCC) will be part of a later blog post.
Marsing's meeting February 24th with Idaho Power resulted in a new map moving the route south of the Pacificorp line. IPCo is going to tap this 500 kV line for 225 mw, something which does not appear in the IRP addendum.
Nancy Peyron and Diane Bloomer of Baker County exclaimed, "Thank you, thank you, Malheur County" for getting organized and out in front of this before any of the other counties realized it was happening. 70 miles of the route goes through Baker County, which is 52% public land and 48% EFU, making it difficult to avoid EFU land.
"We are building momentum," Nancy said. "The Cattlemans' Association is getting on board, and we've had excellent newspaper coverage."
Baker County will have "Public Good, Public Land" t shirts for sale soon.
Gary Rohwer of the Parma Impact Task Force reported that their organization is still committed to obtaining a statement from IPCo that it will not place the 500kV transmission in Parma's impact area. PIT heard from IPCo meeting that the routes on the map have disappeared but all the current processes such a NEPA, Oregon Siting, and Oregon PUC have not stopped. PIT wonders how you do this without a map?????
PIT members attending the IPCo’s March 9, 2009 meeting believe they heard IPCo indicate it is possible to locate on public lands, B2H is their focus and B2H is viewed separately from the Tresure Valley Energy Plan.
Rohwer feels the new routes requested by IPC0 from the citizens groups already exist and are in scoping, SIP #1 and SIP #2.
Parma has benefited from the efforts of its Mayor, Margaret Watson, and a lot of press.
"We need to be a little bit cautious about lulling us into being another Treasure Valley planning group, putting us in a box," Rohwer said. "If it's possible we could put this on BLM land, keep it off our farmground and keep it off our cities." Rohwer believes we now have Idaho Power’s attention.
Nancy Carter from Parma told about her collaboration with the Idaho Conservation League, an environmental group. She suggested that groups such as the Audubon Society and the Nature Conservancy would be of help to our effort. "They were asking, 'Why aren't they using corridors that already exist?'" Nancy reported.
Jim Johnson of Oregon's Department of Agriculture (more on his visit in a later blog) recommended a liaison with the 1000 Friends of Oregon and Oregonians in Action.
Stay tuned! There will be more about Jim Johnson's tour of Malheur County Tuesday, the PUC Hearing for Need March 26th, Ted Ferrioli's Oregon Senate Bill 644 (including committee member addresses for letter writing), Greg Walden's visit to Ontario March 21st, and other items of interest.
