Bingham County community members fight proposed power-line

A community group in Bingham County is fiercely protesting a new power-line.

Concerned neighbors are worried the massive merchant line from a Montana-based power company won’t even supply power to Idaho, but could cut right through Idaho homes and farmland.

“This is the Godzilla of all power-lines as far as what we’re used to out here,” said Rockford farmer Brian Murdoch.

The proposed line is called the Mountain States Transmission Intertie, or MSTI. It’s proposed by Montana-based North Western Energy.

“This power-line is so big, it has no place in a rural community,” said Murdoch.

At 500,000 volts, it would be the largest in the area and would stretch from Montana to Jerome.

“We couldn’t even take you to show you what one looks like,” he said.

One proposed route slices through Bingham County farms. Murdoch said his group — the 70-strong Bingham County United Property Owners — isn’t happy.

“This is devastating, okay?” he said during an interview on Sunday.

Neighbors received 2 mailings from MSTI. The first shows a proposed route called Route 5-A. That route is drawn into the desert, through INL and Bureau of Land Management Land.

“This flyer, looking at the alternative routes versus that one, they’re quite different,” Murdoch said, as he showed our station both documents.

In the second mailing, 5-A is still on the map, but so is a Route 5-C.

“This line is going right through the middle of our farm,” said Murdoch.

5-C puts power lines over 100 feet near Bingham County homes and close to schools.

“It wasn’t just our farm, it’s going through the middle of everybody,” said Murdoch.

He said few folks know how closely they’ll be affected. So, his group penned a letter of intent. It has 300 signatures expressing, “human & animal health & safety” and “environmental” concerns associated with the lines.

‘The notice of intent is to not allow this line to cross our property,” said Murdoch.

The final say on the route is in the hands of the BLM and the letter of intent means to influence that choice.

The letter will be presented in a public meeting at Snake River Junior High School on Thursday June 7 at 7:00 p.m.

Our station did reach out to North Western Energy and the Bureau of Land Management. Sunday is outside the business hours of both organizations, and our stations are awaiting a response.