Idaho Power originally proposed to construct a station in the Sand Hollow, Idaho area as part of the B2H Project and to plan for future needs identified in the Treasure Valley Electric Plan. The original route needed to connect three locations: Hemingway Substation in Idaho, the proposed station at Sand Hollow, and a substation near the Boardman Power Plant in Oregon. Idaho Power determined that the Sand Hollow station option would no longer be required and would not be included in the B2H Project.

Idaho Power’s 2010 route was developed through the Community Advisory Process (CAP) and needs to connect two points: Hemingway Substation and a substation near the Boardman Power Plant. Similar to the 2008 route, the 2010 route follows existing corridors (e.g., highways, existing transmission lines, agency-designated corridors) as much as possible. The 2010 route also:

• Incorporated community concerns.
• Significantly increased the amount of Exclusive Farm Use (EFU) designated lands that are avoided in southeastern Oregon.
• Increased the percentage of proposed route on public lands. Approximately 34 percent of the proposed route is on public lands.

Idaho Power developed its proposed route and alternatives based on feedback and suggestions from participants in its Community Advisory Process (CAP). During a year-long process, Idaho Power worked with community representatives to address community concerns with the B2H Project route and design. Through this process, Idaho Power selected a proposed route and developed potential alternatives for consideration in the state and federal review processes.

Prior to implementing the CAP, Idaho Power developed, analyzed and refined initial transmission line corridors using an internal route development process. This process included collecting data on existing conditions of the area; reviewing studies and documentation; conducting field visits; and coordinating with the public, resource and regulatory agencies, municipalities and other stakeholders to discuss the project. The initial proposed and alternate routes were presented at public scoping meetings held in the fall of 2008 for public review and comment.

To learn more about the internal route development process, visit Idaho Power’s Route Information page.

Idaho Power is not opposed to placing the transmission line on public land. The proposed route and alternatives were developed in conjunction with members of local communities through the CAP. The proposed routes were developed using line siting criteria of avoiding the identified constraints and minimizing impacts, regardless of land ownership. Constraints included sensitive species or habitat, terrain or physical barriers, as well as landmarks and cultural areas. Environmental issues and other constraints must be resolved for the line routes on both private and public lands.

Currently, Idaho Power’s proposed route and alternatives are undergoing the state and federal review processes.

The B2H Project maps show the EFSC study corridor, which are approximately 4,100 feet in width. These corridors show the required notification area for the project and do not reflect Idaho Power’s anticipated average right of way width of 250 feet.

The right of way is the actual width that Idaho Power will request from BLM, USFS and property owners. It is likely that Idaho Power will request a temporary right of way that is wider than the permanent right of way to allow sufficient room for equipment necessary to construct the transmission line. The permanent right of way width will be narrower than the temporary right of way and will be determined based on a variety of factors including terrain, surrounding vegetation and structure types.