Huge 600 kV transmission lines could be marching across the southern part of Snake Valley, past Crystal Peak, by the Burbank Hills, and around the south end of the Snake Range. But if we have enough comments, there's a very good chance we can stop them.
The proposed action is to have transmission lines follow current transmission line corridors and/or paved roads from the Delta, UT to Milford, UT area. However, an alternative has that transmission line coming over to Snake Valley before meeting up with the SNWA proposed corridor down in Lincoln Valley and heading south to Las Vegas.
Here's the overview provided by the BLM:
TransWest Express, LLC, has filed an application for a right-of-way to construct and operate a 600kV overhead direct current transmission line to cross public and private lands for the TransWest Express 600kV Project. The extra high voltage line is designed to carry renewable power generated in Wyoming to the Desert Southwest.
The project begins in south central Wyoming, crosses northwestern Colorado, crosses Utah diagonally from northeast to southwest and ends south of Las Vegas at the Marketplace hub in the Eldorado Valley area (near Boulder City, Nevada).
Western Area Power Administration (Western) plans to partially fund the project under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and will be joint lead agency for the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. The project plans to provide 3,000 megawatts of capacity by 2015.
- 600 kV direct current overhead transmission line
- Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) being prepared
- 700+ miles long
- Typical guyed V String lattice structures
- Average tower spans are 900 to 1,500 feet apart
- Proposed and alternative routes affect 22 counties within Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and Nevada
- Scoping meetings are planned for winter season 2010-2011.
Scoping comments are being accepted until April 4.
Here are some things to consider putting in your comments:
1. The companies should have contacted our communities and offered to have a public scoping meeting here. Instead, we've only found out about this project in a very roundabout manner.
2. Crystal Peak is considered to be a sacred area by some, and having 100+ foot towers next to it would greatly change its character.
3. Having transmission lines and towers next to the Wah Wah Wilderness Study Area (that includes Crystal Peak) and the Highland Ridge Wilderness Area (at the south end of the Snake Range) would severely impact the wilderness characteristics of these areas.
4. Visitors to Great Basin National Park would not appreciate the visual intrusion of colossal transmission lines and towers.
5. The American Discovery Trail, the nation's only coast-to-coast trail, passes by Crystal Peak. Hikers and riders on this trail would be impacted by the transmission lines and towers and their visual impacts.
6. Many of the roads in these remote areas are impassable for days/weeks at a time due to snow and mud, so logistically this is not a good alternative.
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