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.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
B2H Project Revised Scoping Report Available
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:
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.
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
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.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Various agencies reviewing public comments about transmission line
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.
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.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
B2H March 2011 Newswire
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.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
LNG Fast-Track Bills Threaten Landowners, Salmon, and the Climate
Feb 2, 2011 by Nick Engelfried http://www.blueoregon.com/2011/02/lng-fast-track-bills-threaten-landowners-salmon-and-climate/
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.
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.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Whose land is it?
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.
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
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
Monday, January 31, 2011
Fast Track Bills Introduced – Contact your legislator
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
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 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
Contact us for more information:
In northern Oregon: Dan Serres – (503) 890-2441
In southern Oregon: Monica Vaughan (541) 521-1832
Saturday, January 8, 2011
John Kitzhaber praises Oregon's farmers, announces Katy Coba will keep her job
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.
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.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
$2B in transmission lines planned in Oregon
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.”
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.”
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Oregon EQC Approves Boardman 2020 Plan
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.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Salazar, Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Announce Completion of Sage-Grouse Habitat Map in the West
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
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
The Great Transmission Heist
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 . . .
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Idaho Power seeks permission from property owners to survey land
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.
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.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Brogan residents petition court over power line
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.
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.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
California’s Quest for Renewable Energy and What It Could Mean for the Northwest
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. . .
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
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