Electric Transmission Facilities and Energy Corridors
The U.S. Department of the Interior and the BLM are committed to processing applications for electric transmission facilities that expand and modernize the transmission grid in an environmentally responsible manner. The Interagency Rapid Response Team for Transmission (RRTT) aims to improve the overall quality and timeliness of electric transmission infrastructure permitting, review, and consultation by the Federal government on both Federal and non-Federal lands.
Three projects in progress involving BLM-managed public lands include:
Boardman to Hemingway Line: This 500-kilovolt (kV) transmission line proposed by Idaho Power would create an approximately 300-mile long, single-circuit electric transmission line from a proposed substation near Boardman, Oregon to the Hemingway Substation near Melba, Idaho. The developer estimates that at peak construction the project will create about 500 jobs in Idaho and Oregon. Learn more.
Gateway West: Jointly proposed by Idaho Power and Rocky Mountain Power, this project would add about 1,150 miles of new high-voltage transmission lines between the Windstar Substation near Glenrock, Wyoming and the Hemingway Substation near Melba, Idaho. The developer estimates that at peak construction the project will create between 1,100 and 1,200 jobs. Learn more.
TransWest Express: TransWest Express LLC plans to construct and operate an approximately 700-mile-long, 600-kV transmission line which will facilitate the development of new wind projects in Wyoming. The developer estimates that at peak construction the project will create between 1,035 and 1,550 jobs. Learn more.