A8
STATE
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, March 2, 2022
Pushing for the power line
Idaho Power seeks
access to private
property ahead
of B2H approval
and the start of 2022, Idaho
Power fi led a slew of petitions
to gain access to private property
across Eastern Oregon via court
orders. More than 10 petitions
were placed in Union County,
including against Larkin and his
property.
Each petition is worded sim-
ilarly, requesting access to the
land in order to perform a num-
ber of surveys and examinations
ahead of the project’s poten-
tial approval. Most of the work
would be done throughout the
early spring and into the start
of summer — crew size varies
from two people to upward of 20
workers on site per day.
According to Jim Kreider,
one of the founders of the Stop
B2H Coalition, the Oregon
Department of Energy has a
set of procedures for conduct-
ing “over the fence” surveys
for landowners who choose not
to allow access to their prop-
erty. However, Idaho Power is
seeking access to the properties
through Oregon Revised Statute
772.210, in order “to acquire real
property necessary and conve-
nient for constructing and main-
taining power lines.”
The surveys vary per loca-
tion, but consist of largely the
same tests. According to the peti-
tion, Idaho Power wants to con-
duct the following surveys at the
Larkin location in 2022 or 2023:
• Three-toed woodpecker
and northern goshawk
• Rare plant inspection
• Wetlands inspection
• Terrestrial visual encoun-
ter survey
• Raptor survey
• Noxious weed survey
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
LA GRANDE — Greg Lar-
kin has worked for decades
to create his dream retirement
spot off the grid south of Mor-
gan Lake. That dream could be
off the table if proposed elec-
tricity lines are installed on his
property.
Idaho Power Co. is attempt-
ing to establish a 500-kilovolt
transmission line across East-
ern Oregon that would extend
approximately 300 miles from
Boardman to Hemingway,
Idaho. For locals like Larkin, the
lines present a number of issues
such as lower property values
and an overall decrease in the
serenity of the land in question.
“The site view with the tow-
ers going across and the static
hiss of the line, I think it will
destroy the peace and tranquility
of the lake,” Larkin said.
And in Larkin’s case, the
line could have serious negative
health repercussions.
As Idaho Power pushes for-
ward with its plans for the B2H
transmission line, the company
has fi led about a dozen civil
petitions in Union County Cir-
cuit Court to gain access to pri-
vate property in order to con-
duct surveys and examinations
on the land. The company’s
verbiage in the petitions indi-
cates that work could begin as
Alex Wittwer/EO Media Group
Greg Larkin, along with his blue heeler, Killie, stands outside the
home he is building on his property near Morgan Lake Road on
Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022.
early as 2023, if approved.
The sound of silence
Larkin, a native of La
Grande, has owned 160 acres
just south of Morgan Lake since
1974. After moving back from
The Dalles in the late 1990s, he
has spent countless hours work-
ing to build up the land and cre-
ate an ideal retirement location.
In addition, work has been done
on the trees and topography of
the land to make the acreage as
silent as possible.
The silence is important
because Larkin suff ers from
tinnitus, a constant ringing in
the ears that makes him sensi-
tive to buzzing and loud noises.
The crackling and hissing of the
B2H power lines could force
the landowner into an unlivable
situation.
“I choose to live off the grid
because of my tinnitus,” Larkin
said. “It’s as close to the wilder-
ness as I can get without fully
being in the wilderness.”
Larkin spent his professional
years as a locomotive engineer,
before leaving that job because
of the tinnitus. He now tends to
his horses and works on his new
two-story house and shop as he
copes with his hearing issues
and seeks to live a peaceful life
alongside his dogs — his father
owns an adjacent plot of land.
If the B2H plans were to go
through, Larkin says, he would
have no choice but to leave the
property he has spent so many
years working on.
“If this transmission line
were to go through at this loca-
tion, I would no longer be able
to reside or fulfi ll my lifetime
dreams and goal of living here,”
Larkin said at a public hearing in
June 2019. “And I don’t have the
time nor the resources or any-
thing else to seek the relief I’ve
sought of the little bit of tranquil-
ity to deal with this issue.”
B2H not yet approved
Throughout the end of 2021
• Cultural, Archeological,
and historic properties man-
agement plan inspection
• Land survey
• Appraisal fi eld visit
“It’s kind of a bully tactic,”
said JoAnn Harris Rode, Lar-
kin’s partner.
Harris Rode has worked fi re
watches in Eastern Oregon for
34 years, which led to her hav-
ing additional concerns related
to the potential power lines. The
lines will aff ect ground tactics
as well as access by air in the
case of a wildfi re — she noted
that the ridge is prone to light-
ning and that a tree on Larkin’s
property was struck by lightning
last September. Larkin has plans
to build a small fi re tower on his
property, but the potential B2H
tower would be constructed at
the same spot on the plot of land.
“A lot of this is coming down
to cost,” Kreider said. “With
these individual landowners,
we’re talking through the pro-
cesses. For those that want to
fi ght it, we’re working with them
to fi nd attorneys.”
Kreider stated that the bigger
picture needs to be considered
in the B2H proposal, noting the
value of the scenery to landown-
ers in Eastern Oregon.
“For the Grande Ronde Val-
ley, one of the routes is putting
(the transmission towers) right in
the viewshed. What is the loss of
tourism value? They don’t really
look at that,” he said. “They look
at the utility’s point of view and
the public convenience of hav-
ing this additional energy or
resiliency in the transmission
system.”
Long-term eff ects
Those opposed to B2H voice
numerous concerns about the
long-term impacts of the lines.
Idaho Power and its partner,
Pacifi Corp, would make a one-
time payment to landowners in
order to provide compensation.
For Larkin, this money would
be used fully in fi nding a new
residence after having no other
option but to abandon the land
he has worked on for years.
Larkin and other B2H oppo-
nents also are concerned about
the loss of tourism at Morgan
Lake. Living just a stone’s throw
away from the lake, Larkin wit-
nesses a plethora of visitors on a
daily basis walking dogs, watch-
ing the sunset and enjoying the
views.
“Even if I take myself out
of the equation up there, the
amount of people that just come
up to pass the lake and watch
the sunsets is substantial,” Lar-
kin said.
Kreider expressed opposi-
tion to Idaho Power moving for-
ward with land surveys before
the project is offi cially approved
and underway. In the current
pre-condemnation process, the
Stop B2H Coalition is looking to
work toward legal representation
for local landowners impacted
by the lines.
As Idaho Power heads to
court in order to move forward
with its plans, local landowners
like Larkin are left looking for
answers to protect their proper-
ties and their way of life.
“Everything you read from
Idaho Power is that it’s all ice
cream and cake for everybody,”
Larkin said. “It’s not.”
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