The project crosses through the Bureau of Reclamation’s (Reclamation) Snake River
Area Office boundary, crossing Reclamation fee owned lands and Reclamation
Easements. The Snake River Area Office is the lead office for evaluation and issuance
of the Reclamation permits.
Reclamation anticipates receiving an application from the applicant for the Boardman to
Hemingway project after their Plan of Development (POD) is finalized. The applicant is
targeting summer 2023 to issue final POD. Once the POD is finalized the applicant will
submit their application to Reclamation, the application processing time is estimated to
be 90 days. If approved a License Agreement will be issued for areas IPC
crosses Reclamation fee owned lands and a Use Authorization will be issued for areas
IPC crosses a Reclamation Easement.
Upon coordination with BLM and the applicant, a revised application will be submitted
for the proposed project on or by 31 December 2023. The updated permit review and
issuance schedule is as follows:
Received application and final POD : 31 December 2023
Final verification/permit decision rendered: 31 March 2024
*dependent on receiving the application and final POD, 90-day processing
timeframe
The delay in receipt of a complete application and final POD from the applicant shifts
the subsequent milestones.
Cooperating under NEPA
Description:
Planned activity is to issue a use authorization 90 days after receipt of the Construction Plan of Development (POD). Development of the Construction POD by the project sponsor is dependent upon coordination with project partners and several other factors. It is still early in development, and the Construction POD is not expected before late 2022.
Milestones:
PROJECT WEBSITE: Boardman To Hemingway Project Page
All dates below are specific to the schedule of the Environmental Review and Permitting processes for this project.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW AND PERMITTING STATUS
IN PROGRESS
ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE OF ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW AND PERMITTING
12/10/2024
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW AND PERMITTING PROCESSES
COMPLETED
SECTOR
Electricity Transmission
CATEGORY
Project Category
FAST-41 Covered Projects
LEAD AGENCY
Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
View FAST-41 Postings by Agencies
Other Agencies with Actions or Authorizations:
Department of Defense, US Navy
Department of Agriculture, US Forest Service
Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation
Department of the Army, US Army Corps of Engineers - Regulatory
Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service
Description:
PacifiCorp, Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), and Idaho Power jointly propose to design, construct, operate and maintain a new 500 kilovolt, single-circuit electric transmission line from a proposed substation near Boardman, Oregon to the Hemingway Substation near Melba, Idaho. The 500kV line will span approximately 300 miles total, 88 miles on land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The project would provide additional capacity for exchanging energy between the Pacific Northwest and the Intermountain West, depending on which region is experiencing the highest demand.
BLM received Idaho Power Company’s Boardman to Hemingway Transmission Line Project application and Plan of Development (POD) on Dec. 19, 2007.
In keeping with its mission and NEPA, BLM has established collaborative relationships with many Federal, State and local organizations to facilitate cooperative government reviews, ensure science-based decision-making, and prevent duplicative efforts. As part of this approach, BLM incorporates input from the public and affected local governments into the review process. BLM relies on this input to develop an Environmental Impact Statement (as required by 30 CFR 550.269) to support its decision-making process. Additional information, including NEPA documentation, can be found on the Boardman to Hemingway project page, http://boardmantohemingway.com.
Update:
The Executive Director granted a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) request to extend the ; Use Authorization (DOI-BOR) & Section 404 Clean Water Act (USACE) completion date on November 18, 2022. The Executive Director determination is posted here.
Original Target Date: 03/31/2023
Milestone: Final decision/agency action (Agency Action)
Requested extensions greater than 30 days for this Action are shown below:
Final decision/agency action (Agency Action) extended by 366
From: 05/31/2023
To: 03/31/2024