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October 9, 2008 Front Page |
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Public Scoping Meetings For Transmission Line Planned, Baker City
New Route Through Keating Area Proposed
By Debby Schoeningh
Idaho Power is seeking comments on the Boardman, Ore., to Hemingway substation that will run from northeast Oregon to southern Idaho, and through Baker County. There will be several scoping meetings throughout northeast Oregon including one in Baker City Oct. 23, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Baker County Extension building, 2610 Grove St.
Staff from Bureau of Land Management (BLM), US Forest Service (USFS), Oregon Department of Energy and Idaho Power will be available at the meetings to answer questions and explain their respective roles and responsibilities as they prepare to complete an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and possible BLM and USFS land use amendments.
Idaho Power is scheduled to begin construction of the approximate 298-mile, 500kV overhead line January 2011, following the permitting and engineering work. They hope to have it in service by June 2012.
Lynette Berriochoa, project information specialist with Idaho Power, said cost of the transmission line is a bit uncertain depending on the cost of materials and the final route chosen. Projects of this size are typically between $1 million and $2 million per mile.
Baker County’s Parole and Probation Reports Success
By Eden Taylor
Will Benson, a lieutenant with the Baker County Sheriff’s Office, explained to the County Commissioners at their semi-monthly meeting Oct. 1 that the County’s Parole and Probation department is doing well. According to 2008 statistics, Baker County ranks above the state average in prisoners securing employment and enrolling in treatment programs. This, he explained, lowers the percentage of recidivism.
Benson credits a philosophical shift in the Sheriff’s Department under Sheriff Mitch Southwick. Instead of waiting for violations to stack up and then bringing the hammer down, the department believes in addressing crimes as they happen. The jail sentences are not as long this way, but the hope is to eliminate many of those repeat offenses.
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