Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council to conduct three-day meeting in La Grande

Aug. 23—LA GRANDE — Emotions could run high at Eastern Oregon University's Gilbert Center next week.

The Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council will meet at the Gilbert Center for three days starting Monday, Aug. 29, to hear oral appeals for 30 contested portions of its proposed site plan for the controversial Boardman to Hemingway transmission line project.

"This is a critical event," said Fuji Kreider, of La Grande, secretary and treasurer of the Stop B2H Coalition, a grassroots organization of 900 individuals and organizations.

The sessions for each appeal will run about 25 minutes. At each session, the organization or individual appealing the segment of the proposed site plan will speak along with those there to provide clarification. All sessions will be open to the public but only those who are petitioners or litigants will be allowed to speak.

In many cases those speaking in support of elements being challenged will be representatives of Idaho Power, a major funder of the proposed B2H project, which would run from Boardman to the Hemingway transmission line substation near Melba, Idaho.

Sven Berg, an Idaho Power public information officer, said he respects the concerns people have but stressed that throughout the process of attempting to get the B2H transmission line to become a reality, Idaho Power has strived to work with those who have worries and those who could be impacted.

"We also want to find common ground with landowners and stakeholders. In all but a few cases, we have been able to do this," he said. "We have tried to find pathways to address concerns, while balancing this with the need to provide clean and affordable energy to our customers."

Berg supports the opportunity the meeting of the Energy Facility Siting Council in La Grande will provide to those who are on opposite sides of the B2H fence.

"We trust the process and want to give those who oppose and support the project a chance to be heard," he said.

The transmission line would cost between $1 billion and $1.2 billion. Towers along the transmission line would be as high as 180 feet tall. In comparison, standard towers are between 75 and 90 feet tall. The proposed line would run through the Grande Ronde Valley.

Idaho Power is leading the effort to gain approval for the 300-mile, 500-kilovolt B2H line with the help of its partner, PacifiCorp.

Elements of the proposed site plan that will be challenged include the decibel level of the sound that would come from the B2H power lines. Kreider said the site plan states that the sound level would exceed the Oregon Noise Control level standards by 10 decibels. Kreider said she does not believe a variance should be granted for this within the site plan.

Berg said Idaho Power representatives at the hearing may indicate the utility could provide homeowners near B2H power lines windows that would better block out the sound.

At each hearing the Energy Facility Siting Council will take a straw poll among its members to determine how they feel about the issue. The council will vote at a later meeting on its official response to each element that was appealed. Kreider said it is unclear how the council's response to the appeals will influence its decision on whether to support or reject the B2H site plan. This decision will be made sometime after leaving La Grande.

Should the council vote to support the site plan, Kreider said the Stop B2H Coalition may then appeal the decision to the Oregon Supreme Court.

Ultimate approval of the site plan is not a guarantee that B2H would become a reality, since other steps would have to be taken. For example, the public utilities commissions of both Oregon and Idaho would have to vote to authorize construction of the B2H line, Berg said.

Berg said that Idaho Power's goal is to break ground for B2H in 2023 and have lines for the project electrified by 2026.

Dick Mason is a reporter with The Observer. Contact him at 541-624-6016 or dmason@lagrandeobserver.com.