Otter Wants Explanation on Power line Placement

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter has asked Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to send federal officials to Idaho to explain the federal Bureau of Land Management's decision for a 1,100-mile high-voltage transmission line route that Otter says disregards collaborative efforts in Idaho on route selection. The Idaho Statesman reports that Otter wrote Salazar on Oct. 10 with concerns about the proposed Gateway West transmission line. Otters says the preferred alternative selected by the BLM and released earlier this month tossed out routes through the Morley Nelson Birds of Prey Conservation Area south of Kuna and instead selected routes through private land. BLM officials say the law establishing the Birds of Prey area requires any major action to improve raptor habitat, and the power line wouldn't do that.