10 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS
FRIDAY, JANUARY 16, 2015
Local
Boardman to
Hemingway project
Continued from Page 1
Tamara Gertsch, Nation-
al Project Manager with
the BLM, who was present
at the open house, said,
“Idaho Power fi led their
application with the BLM
at the end of 2007, and
here we are in 2015,” not-
ing the length of time the
process has taken thus far.
After initially receiving a
large number of comments
during a public meeting in
2008, the proposed route
was refi ned, and a second
public meeting was com-
pleted in 2010, Gertsch
said.
After several years of
more refi nement, admin-
istrative paperwork, etc.,
the DEIS was released on
December 19, 2014.
Concerning the timing
of the current comment
period, December 19,
2014 to March 19, 2015,
and public open houses,
Gertsch said, “As a team,
we decided that it makes
more sense up front, be-
cause it allows the people
more time to go back and
look at documents, ask
questions, and zero in on
where they might want to
make comments.”
Allowing interested and
potentially affected indi-
viduals to attend the open
houses to ask questions,
voice concerns and com-
ment early after the release
of the DEIS helps avoid
much of the frustration and
issues usually encountered
if the comment period
were delayed, she said.
Gertsch explained
people need time to digest
the DEIS, or at least parts
of it, a roughly 3,000 page
document. She said the
process, including compil-
ing comments, possibly
refi ning maps, etc., could
take until the summer of
2016 to get to the Final
Environmental Impact
Statement (FEIS) stage.
Scott Flinders, GIS
Analyst for Tetra Tech and
Idaho Power Consultant,
was on hand to provide a
map viewing program on a
screen set up in the room,
so attendees could see in
detail where the proposed
and alternate routes would
be in relation to their prop-
erties. “Everyone’s always
interested in where their
property is in relation to
the project,” Flinders said,
noting the popularity of
the map viewing service.
This was the fi rst time he’s
used this type of program,
as previously, there were
paper maps used, which
was still a popular conve-
nience.
This interactive map-
ping capability, including
printing copies, is avail-
able on the project internet
website, boardmantohem-
ingway.com, Flinders said.
Kevin McCoy, Outdoor
Recreation Planner with
the BLM in Baker City,
provided realistic, detailed
visual simulations of the
proposed lines and towers
in area photos. He said,
“When you’re talking
about 195-foot towers,
people think, ‘Oh my
gosh,’ but what we did was
bring it into perspective, so
people could have some-
thing tangible they could
look at.”
The attendees overall
voiced mostly agricultural
concerns according to the
project staff there, but
visual simulation allowed
them to envision what the
proposed lines and tow-
ers could look like, said
McCoy. “I’ve been really
pleased with the Baker
turnout, and the questions
coming in,” he said. He
said Don Gonzalez, Vale
District Manager with the
BLM, is the Authorizing
Offi cer for the project, and
he makes decisions based
partly on what informa-
tion is gathered as a result
of the open houses, so
attendees’ comments and
concerns are certainly
given attention.
Everything displayed
at the open houses is also
available at boardmanto-
hemingway.com.
Comments on the DEIS
should be as specifi c as
possible, a sentiment
echoed by both Gonzalez
and Larry Moore, Public
Affairs Offi cer with the
Vale District BLM. Ideally,
comments would include
references to chapters,
pages, and line numbers of
the DEIS, and any sources
that support the comments.
The DEIS, in docu-
ment and DVD form, in
Baker County, is currently
available for viewing at
the Baker County Library,
Baker County Planning
Department, BLM-Baker
Field Offi ce, and the
USFS-Wallowa Whitman
National Forest Whitman
Ranger District. The DEIS
can also be requested in
DVD form, or downloaded
at boardmantohemingway.
com. Comments can be
submitted at comment@
boardmantohemingway.
com, or mailed to the BLM
by close of business on
March 19, 2015.
Unity man fined over
$8.1K by Oregon DEQ
Oregon DEQ sent
six press release email
blasts to media Monday,
announcing fi nes levied
against various businesses
and individuals.
Among those penalized
was Larry Dean Stratton of
Unity, $8,194 for failing to
close or take other action
on three underground stor-
age tanks located at a for-
mer fuel fi lling station at
107 Main Street in Unity,
Ore. Stratton installed the
tanks in 1998.
DEQ issued a temporary
closure certifi cate in 2007,
which gave Stratton one
year to decide what to do
with the tanks. Among the
options under Oregon law,
DEQ says Stratton could
have applied to permanent-
ly close the tanks, returned
the tanks to operation or
sought more time to decide
by extending the tempo-
rary certifi cate.
DEQ says it issued the
penalty because tanks
left in the ground without
a closure plan can leak,
threatening ground and
surface water. Stratton has
until January 20, 2015 to
appeal the penalty. The
full notice of penalty as-
sessment and order can
be found here: http://
www.oregon.gov/deq/
docs/011215LStratton.pdf
DEQ's press release
archives listing penalities
broken down by month are
found here: http://www.
oregon.gov/deq/Pages/
NewsRelease.aspx
Graphic courtesy of BLM.
The above illustration is
the project map for the
proposed B2H transmis-
sion line route.
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