After moving to Baker City in 2008 from La Grande I have walked, hiked, and run the trails at the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, often several times a week. It’s difficult to describe the peacefulness and beauty that comes with every season there. When friends or family members come to Baker City I am proud to take them to this amazing heritage site that sits outside Baker City with phenomenal views of the valley and our Elkhorn Mountains. This amazing vista would be destroyed due to the monstrously huge towers that would obstruct the view and destroy some of the historic wagon ruts. The B2H line would destroy the sweeping vistas of the carefully sited Oregon Trail Interpretive Center which was built at a cost of millions of taxpayer dollars.

I’m even more concerned about B2H because in order to construct new high voltage power lines across eastern Oregon, Idaho Power would be allowed seize the property of private landowners — in some cases taking land that has been respected and cared for by the same families for generations. I also oppose B2H because of the impacts such a transmission line will have on the heightened possibility for wildfire in remote areas where rural communities and landowners are ill-equipped to fight a major fire, but bear the full risk of loss caused by any fires that do occur. We in Oregon will not benefit from the B2H line, but Idaho Power stockholders will. For more information on the work that’s being done to stop the Boardman, OR to Hemingway, ID power lines go to: www.stopb2h.org.

Carol Glaser

Baker City