Portland, Ore. – After three years of information gathering
and thorough analysis of likely advantages and disadvantages documented in its
draft environmental impact statement, the Bonneville Power Administration has
identified the Central Alternative using Central Option 1 as its preferred
alternative for the I-5 Corridor Reinforcement Project.
“We have heard from many people their desire for us to
identify a preferred alternative sooner rather than later,” said BPA
Administrator Steve Wright. “The preferred alternative represents a healthy
balance of our accountability to the region, particularly to those who
participated in the public process; our responsibility to manage costs for
regional ratepayers; our role as responsible environmental stewards and our
goal of operating a reliable transmission system.”
Though BPA has identified a preferred alternative, all other
alternatives in the draft EIS are still being considered. It is important that
landowners along the preferred route help BPA further identify issues that may
exist with proposed transmission tower and access road locations.
“We will continue to engage the public and other interested
parties in our decision making,” said Mark Korsness, BPA Transmission Services
project manager. “We look forward now to working with landowners on or near the
preferred alternative as we consider refinements to tower and access road
locations."
The current cost estimate for the preferred alternative is
$459 million—not the lowest-cost or highest-cost alternative. However, the
preferred alternative avoids many small, rural parcels of private land by
crossing significant lengths of land held by large public and private
landowners, as well as avoiding the most environmentally, mission-sensitive and
high impact lands these entities manage on the East Alternative. Also, we believe
the Army Corps of Engineers will ultimately be able to issue the required
wetland permits to build this preferred route.
The preferred route allows BPA to limit impacts on private
property, nearby residences, schools and highly populated areas. It largely
avoids these areas, though some homes are still affected. For example, there are 327 homes within 500
feet of the preferred alternative, while there are 3,032 within 500 feet of the
West Alternative. Comparatively, there are slightly more homes within 500 feet
of the preferred alternative than the East Alternative. Also, we believe the
Army Corps of Engineers will ultimately be able to issue the required wetland
permits to build this preferred route.
The primary driver for the proposed 79-mile line that would
connect a new substation north of Castle Rock, Wash., with another new
substation in Troutdale, Ore., is to maintain system reliability in the
area. BPA has recently committed to
invest in facility upgrades that delay the reliability need from roughly 2016
to 2018. Some commercial requests for
BPA transmission service impact the project area. Even if there were no commercial requests for
service requiring the I-5 Corridor Reinforcement Project, BPA would still need
to take action to assure reliability of electrical service.
A CD copy of the nearly 2,000-page draft EIS is being mailed
to everyone on the project mailing list. To save paper and reduce costs, BPA is
limiting the number of print copies available. Individuals who are unable to
access the document via the Internet or CD can review print copies at community
locations.
Between Dec. 4 and Dec. 15, 2012, BPA will make project
staff available at the following locations (add link). These “drop-in” sessions will not include
formal presentations, but will allow interested parties to ask questions about
the EIS process and get information on how to document and submit comments on
the draft EIS.
Six formal public meetings are scheduled between Jan. 10 and
Feb. 6, 2013. These meetings will include designated times for verbal comments
and open house stations where attendees can interact with BPA staff and obtain
project information.
BPA will take public comment on the draft EIS through March
1, 2013. BPA expects to complete and release the final EIS in 2014. Following
the release of the final EIS, BPA will issue a record of decision, which will
announce its final decision on whether to build the project. If a decision is made to build, the ROD also
will explain BPA’s final decision about which route it will build.
A decision to build would result in construction beginning
in 2015 and energization in 2018. As BPA finalizes the EIS, it will also
continue work on non-wires measures that could help maintain system
reliability. BPA continues to evaluate the technical and cost aspects, as well
as the risks of these non-wires proposals. Earlier studies indicate that such
measures can potentially defer but not replace the need for a new transmission
line to assure reliability, and they do not provide the same level of certainty
or effectiveness.
