DEQ and DOE announce the preferred alternative route for MATL line

By LeAnne Kavanagh
Wednesday, October 8, 2008 10:30 AM MDT

Alternatives. Balance. Compromise.

Those concepts could be referred to as "The ABC's of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Montana Alberta Tie Ltd. (MATL) transmission line.

Last week, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced their "preferred alternative" route for the proposed 230-Kv transmission line which would run from Great Falls to Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada and transmit 300 megawatts of electric power both north and south.

DEQ and DOE officials believe the "preferred alternative" represents the "best balance between avoidance of impacts to farmland, cost, avoidance of houses, public acceptance and use of public lands."

The preferred alternative consists of portions of earlier proposed Alternatives 2 and 4, as well as some local routing options. Several of the "local routing options" detailed in the FEIS "would result in fewer impacts on crop production, including lower costs for farming around transmission line structures."

Construction of the $150 million line is anticipated to take four to six months to complete, according to the FEIS. No start date for the project has been announced. According to Bob Williams, MATL Vice President, Regulatory, "We will be addressing that once we are fully permitted in the United States. We also need to take into account the progress we are making with regards to negotiating agreements with landowners," he added.

MATL officials propose to commence construction as soon as all property rights are obtained and all necessary state and Federal authorizations are issued. Construction staging areas would likely be located near Cut Bank, Valier, Conrad, Brady, Dutton or Great Falls. It is anticipated staging areas would be located in three areas and would occupy about five acres.

"I commend MATL, the DEQ, and DOE for listening to the concerns of our area landowners and agreeing to routing and construction changes along with increased compensation to farmers affected by the line," said Shelby State Senator Jerry Black.

"MATL has agreed to the state and federal agencies preferred routing and has been as accommodating as possible to meet most landowners' concerns. As hard as you try, it seems you can't always please everyone," added Black.

"Final approval is still about 30 days away but it brings us one huge step closer to the very real possibility of finally beginning a $1 billion wind development project and its huge economic benefits. The MATL line does not cross Toole County but does cross Glacier County from north to south. The annual estimated Glacier County taxes, just from MATL, are estimated at more than $236,000 per year," shared Black.

"When the wind farms are built, the taxes, employment, and related benefits to our schools and county services become huge. We do owe a debt of gratitude to our farmers and landowners for working with MATL and the government agencies to find workable solutions for everyone's benefit in north central Montana," he concluded.

Last week, Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer concurred with Black's assessment of the economic benefits the line will bring. "Once the anticipated approvals are in place for MATL and the construction is completed, the presence of the transmission line will trigger a billion dollars of wind power development in the north central Montana area between Great Falls and Lethbridge."

"After reviewing the entire 600-page document, I am very pleased with the alternative route designations. It is very apparent that the Montana DEQ and the DOE listened to and addressed landowner issues. This transmission project is vitally important to the entire Golden Triangle area. Without adequate electrical transmission capabilities there will be no wind projects," stated Shelby Mayor Larry Bonderud.

"This has been a long and thorough process," said Williams. "The Final Environmental Impact Statement is an extremely comprehensive document that shows a high degree of careful consideration by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality."

The "preferred alternative" route in Montana, as outlined in the FEIS, is 133.5 miles long, and would cross six counties, including Glacier and Pondera Counties.

Two different pole structures would be used, with the majority of those being monopoles. Area farmers along the proposed alternative routes voiced concern at several public hearings about the challenges and cost of farming around the H-frame poles. The preferred alternative calls for 83.6 miles of monopoles, which are typically 90-feet high, and 49.9 miles of H-frame poles, which stand 65-feet high.

The FEIS acknowledges the additional monopoles will increase the cost of the line. Figures quotes in the FEIS put the cost of a mile of H-frame poles at $323,092 compared to $359,942 for a mile of monopoles.

Williams noted that as part of the FEIS, MATL voluntarily committed to engage in formal dispute resolution proceedings with any directly impacted landowners in Montana who have unresolved issues.

State Representative Llew Jones on Conrad was disappointed it took the DEQ took so long to release the EIS, but he is pleased "the final product does represent a balance between development interests and landowners."

Jones noted, "Given the huge potential economic benefit to our region and the state as a whole, I certainly hope that any further concerns can be worked out by direct negotiations between MATL and the landowners so as not to subject this processes to additional delays."

Jones believes "additional delays here could very well result in wind developers abandoning our region robbing everyone of the future potential for additional tax base and good jobs. Almost everyone in the entire region, and the state for that matter, would be hurt if that were to occur."

Toole County Commissioner Allan Underdal offered, "Toole County is totally supportive of MATL. We could include in that the support of the Montana Association of Counties District 4 and 5 Commissioners, which includes Toole, Glacier, Pondera, Liberty, Hill, Blaine, Chouteau, Teton and Cascade Counties, who recently wrote the Governor a letter urging that the permitting process be speeded up."

Underdal continued, "We look forward to the growth that the MATL line will make possible in our area. Wind Power generation will give central and eastern Montana new economic life in the years to come and that is only possible with development of new power lines."

The project will be the first power line interconnecting the electricity markets of Alberta and Montana. It is a "merchant" line, which means MATL pays to build and operate the line with no construction costs passed on to ratepayers.

"North Central Montana is one giant step closer in the production and transmission of clean, efficient energy. Congratulations to everyone involved in the complicated International process. Your perseverance and diligence will provide many dividends locally, statewide, nationally and internationally," commented Sweet Grass's State. Rep. Edith Clark, who represents House District 28.

The project ties together the Alberta and Montana power grids, increasing the reliability of both electrical systems. Montana-based wind-energy developers have purchased 100 percent of the line's capacity, which can be sold into either the U.S. or Canadian markets.

In August, the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board granted MATL a permit to construct and license to operate the line in Alberta. In conjunction with the permit issued by Canada's National Energy Board in 2007, MATL now has all of the Canadian permits necessary to proceed with construction. "We are very pleased to be fully permitted in Canada and we anticipate becoming fully permitted in the U.S. in the coming few weeks," said Williams.

Friday, Oct. 3, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency posted a "Notice of Availability" of the FEIS in the Federal Registry. After 30 days have passed, or anytime after Nov. 5, the DOE can issue a Record of Decision. The DEQ can issue its decision after 15 days, or Oct. 18.

The permitting process has been a long and arduous one for not only MATL, but also state and federal officials. In March 2007, the DOE and DES released a draft EIS on the line and, based on public comment, determined the need for a full-fledged EIS. Another round of public hearings was held after the February 2008 release of the Federal and State Drafts of the EIS. The latest and final EIS, which was made public last week, addresses the over 350 public comments and concerns received by state and federal officials earlier this year.