Landowners deserve to know more about B2H

We are members of the consortium STOP B2H. We believe that citizens who will be impacted by this transmission line should have access to information beyond what the Bureau of Land Management and Idaho Power choose to provide them. The Bureau of Land Management is completing the Environmental Impact Statement for the transmission line. They have refused to provide the list of landowners who will be impacted because the line either runs directly through their property or close to it. The decisions regarding this line are occurring with those most impacted being denied full disclosure of information and impacts the line will have.

We believe that landowners should not have to absorb the damages and costs of being forced to allow a 250-foot right-of-way to go through their property in order to meet the needs of customers living in Idaho. We are part of a sub-group of STOP B2H which is identifying actual costs to landowners who will be forced to allow this 250-foot right-of-way to cross their land. We want to identify landowners who will provide us with information such as: What use is being made of your property? (raising cattle, raising crops, timber, recreation, home, etc.). What is the current assessed value of your property? What are the economic losses you expect if the transmission line is built and how did you come up with that figure? Will the proposed transmission line run through your property? If not, how close are you to the proposed line? You can get information about how far your property is from one of the proposed routes by calling Scott Hartell at 541-963-1014.

Call 541-963-8160 or e-mail ott.irene@frontier.com if you are willing to help us by providing information on how you are using your land so that we can identify what the real costs are to those taking the brunt of the impacts this line will have.

Anyone who would like to join the STOP B2H consortium can leave your name and phone number or e-mail address and we will add it to our mailing list.

Irene Gilbert

Irwin Smutz

La Grande

First Amendment rights more important than flag

In a Wednesday letter to the editor, a reader appeared distressed by the appearance of Confederate flags in the Miners Jubilee parade.

I am a lot less concerned about a few citizens exercising their First Amendment right of free speech than I am about these political correct fanatics who insist that we all talk and think exactly as they do or suffer, sometimes, rather severe penalties.

Sig Siefkes

Baker City