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To provide an update on the status of the proposed Boardman to Hemingway Transmission Line project, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) today announced the release of the preliminary preferred alternative for the project routes that the BLM is considering for inclusion in the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The transmission project between Oregon and Idaho would provide additional capacity for exchanging energy between the Pacific Northwest and the Intermountain West.BLM is sharing its current thinking about the preliminary preferred alternative now to provide stakeholders with an update on the status of the Final EIS and to provide information allowing further coordination with the Oregon Energy Facility Siting process, which is currently underway. This announcement does not represent a final decision, nor does it constitute the start of a public comment period. The preliminary BLM preferred alternative is still under review and may be subject to change.“Sharing information about our current thinking on the preliminary agency preferred alternative is a way to provide information to cooperating agencies so that they can work with their constituents as they review all of the alternatives and route variations," said BLM Vale District Manager Don Gonzalez.The preliminary BLM preferred alternative for the project routes was developed based on economic, environmental, technical and other considerations, and differs from the a preferred alternative identified in an earlier Draft EIS.The National Environmental Policy Act requires that Federal agencies take a hard look the impacts associated with a project, including evaluating a reasonable range of alternatives. That work requires a considerable amount of time, so there is often a significant gap between the publication of a Draft EIS and a Final EIS. This gap often results in questions about the status of a project. Providing preliminary information about the routes to be analyzed in the Final EIS is designed to address these concerns. As noted above these routes are subject to change.PacifiCorp, Bonneville Power Administration, 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 -- known as the Boardman to Hemingway Transmission Line Project or B2H Project. Idaho Power is leading the permitting process for the Project. The B2H 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. Additional information about the B2H project is available online at: boardmantohemingway.com