Idaho’s Gateway Power Line Route Decision Halted

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Federal officials are delaying a decision on the best routes for building a high-voltage transmission line across southern Idaho. Bureau of Land Management Project Manager Walt George says more time is needed to develop a plan that can satisfy everyone. The so-called Gateway West power line project has caused headaches for government officials and private landowners alike.

The Idaho Statesman reports the final Environmental Impact Statement was supposed to be released Friday. The project is proposed by Rocky Mountain Power and Idaho Power Co. and stretch from Glenrock, Wyo., to an area southwest of Boise in an effort to upgrade the power distribution in both states. Recently, tensions heightened when a compromise plan that involved the Snake River Birds of Prey was rejected by federal officials in Washington, D.C.