With the unfortunate situation of the wildfires burning on the West Coast, there are more than enough reasons for stopping the unneeded 500KV power line that Idaho Power wants to build on mostly private land from Boardman to Hemingway, Idaho.

In stories published in The Oregonian, officials say downed utility lines were responsible for starting at least 13 fires between Detroit and Mehama along Hwy 22. In the same story, Tyee Burwell, a resident of McKenzie Bridge, said, “it was blowing blue sparks everywhere, when he noticed a power pole on the northside of the highway.”

The Beachie Creek Fire, the massive conflagration, which has since grown to more than 190,000 acres and has destroyed hundreds of homes, was made larger by downed power lines that ignited more than a dozen fires along the Santiam Canyon, public safety officials say, according to a story posted by the Associated Press. Currently, the fire is estimated at more than 300,000 acres. In the same Associated Press story it said, “Oregon and other Western states have only recently begun grappling with the threat of massive utility-caused wildfires.

Idaho Power is wanting to construct a 350-mile long power line across farm and forest lands to carry power to Idaho, with no benefit to Oregon customers. This unneeded line would have 150 to 180 tall towers through 100% of private land in Umatilla County. The proposed line would zigzag across the forest of Umatilla County as opposed to being in a straight line from Boardman to Hemingway. It is my opinion this is due to Idaho Power knowing it is easier to run over 700 private landowner properties than to deal with the U.S. Forest Service, Oregon Department of Forestry and Tribal entities.

I would think that the elected, and unelected, people running Oregon would be against this “for-profit, privately traded project,” but as is typical, all they see is tax money and the private landowners are of no importance.

The fire season is on us now and the conditions are ripe for massive fires in Eastern Oregon that, to date, it has escaped. This is time to stop a high voltage line from being built through those same forests and increasing the danger of more and massive fires. Just recently, a power substation started a fire that endangered the city of Umatilla and surrounding areas. Think about the same fire burning through dead and dying forests, mostly due to poor management and burning homes, cabins and other structures in its path.

I urge residents of Eastern Oregon to call their local, state and federal officials and demand they protect the forest and farmlands by stopping this massive, ill-thought-out project.