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The Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE) and several federal agencies (led by the U.S. Forest Service), are currently seeking public input on the Cascade Crossing Transmission Project, proposed by Portland General Electric (PGE). Public involvement is important to the state of Oregon, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) as they each review PGE’s proposal under distinct state and federal review processes.“Coordinating public involvement opportunities between the state and federal agency processes is important to us,” said Sue Oliver, energy facility siting analyst with ODOE, “We understand that these processes can be complicated, and we want to ensure that public participation is as convenient as possible.”PGE proposes to build a new 500 kilovolt transmission line from Boardman to Salem, a distance of approximately 210 miles. PGE also proposes to upgrade the existing transmission systems near Salem and possibly in the Willamette Valley. PGE has applied to the federal government for right of way permits to cross federally managed lands and has also submitted a Notice of Intent to apply for an Energy Facility Site Certificate from the Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council.The ODOE and USFS will jointly host public information and scoping meetings throughout the project area. All meeting locations will be open from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. and staff will be available to answer questions. A short presentation about the state and federal application review processes will be given at 4:30 p.m. and again at 6:00 pm. Meetings will be held:

• Monday, June 21 – Maupin (South Wasco County High School, 699 Fourth St.)
• Wednesday, June 23 – Oregon City (Oregon City High School, 19761 S.
• Beavercreek Rd.)
• Thursday, June 24 – Salem (McKay High School, 2440 Lancaster Dr. NE)
• Tuesday, June 29 – Mill City (Mill City Middle School, 450 SW Evergreen St.)
• Thursday, July 1 – Boardman (Port of Morrow Riverfront Center, 2 Marine Dr.)

Comments during this phase of the project must be received by July 27, 2010 and can be made to both the ODOE and USFS in a variety of ways, including:

• via e-mail to comments @ cascadecrossingproject.com;
• through the shared project website at cascadecrossingproject.com/comment;
• U.S. mail addressed to Cascade Crossing Transmission Project, 1515 SW Fifth Ave., Ste. 1022, Portland, OR 97201-5449; and
• via a toll-free fax line at 888-291-6460.

Comments do not need to be sent to each agency—the state and federal agencies will share all comments sent to the central project sites listed above.Oregon’s Energy Facility Siting Council review process is required for any large energy project proposed in the state. On May 17, 2010, PGE submitted a Notice of Intent to submit an Application for Site Certificate by fall 2010. The purpose of the EFSC NOI is to initiate public comment on PGE’s proposal and allow Oregon state agencies and affected local governments to identify applicable requirements and special issues of concern.The federal National Environmental Policy Act review process is required for any proposal that would cross federally-managed lands. On May 28, 2010, the USFS published a Notice of Intent in the Federal Register on behalf of all participating federal agencies to initiate public comment and notify the public and affected agencies of the preliminary issues associated with this project.For more information, including route maps of the proposed Cascade Crossing Transmission Project, or to review copies of the state and federal Notices of Intent, please visit cascadecrossingproject.com, e-mail info @ cascadecrossingproject.com, or call 800-590-7265 (toll-free) to request more information.