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.
