Two more chances locally to weigh in on transmission line

In case you missed last night's public meeting in Kuna regarding a massive transmission line running through the area, you still have two more chances this week — in Melba on Wednesday, and in Murphy on Thursday.
The Bureau of Land Management continues to seek public comment on the draft environmental impact statement for the proposed Gateway West Transmission Line Project in Wyoming and Idaho.
This project, proposed by Idaho Power and Rocky Mountain Power, would result in the construction of nearly 1,100 miles of high voltage transmission lines across southern Wyoming and southern Idaho. One possible alternative route crosses portions of northern Nevada.
An early version of the proposed route for the 500,000-volt transmission line ran through approximately 6 miles of Kuna, including through the Osprey Ridge planned community, through the Kuna sewer farm, along the top of Kuna Butte and just north of Melba.
The city of Kuna along with some private landowners got involved in the process and convinced Idaho Power and the BLM to shift the route about 8 miles south of Kuna on public lands. The preferred alternative also now goes well south of Melba to the Hemingway substation.
The initial route through Kuna is still listed as a “feasible alternative.”
Public information meetings will be held in Idaho, Wyoming and Nevada. All meetings will be held from 4-7 p.m.
The two remaining local meetings are:
• Sept. 14, Melba Valley Senior Center, 115 Base Line Rd.
• Sept. 15, Murphy, Owyhee County Museum, 17085 Basey St.
To submit comments and to review the draft EIS and related documents, including detailed maps, visit: www.wy.blm.gov/nepa/cfodocs/gateway_west.
Copies of the DEIS will be delivered to public libraries in project-area communities, including the Kuna Library, 457 N. Locust St.