Cascade Crossing PGE Energy Transmission Corridor

***UPDATE! On January 11th, 2013, PGE and BPA entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that includes the cancellation of the western 100 miles of the Cascade Crossing Transmission Corridor — including the entire segment of the line through Mt. Hood and Willamette National Forests. We win and the beautiful remote forests threatened by this project are saved!!! Bark and Cascadia Wildlands repeatedly requested that PGE utilize existing unused infrastructure as a way to avoid some of the highest environmental costs of the original plan and that is exactly what has come to pass with this MOU. Congratulations to the activists, groundtruthers, and concerned communities who commented on this proposal and helped spread the word about PGE’s plans!*** Read on below, for information about the original proposal and some of its threatened impacts. Bark continues to monitor this project to ensure any new iterations do not affect Mt. Hood National Forest.

Portland General Electric is proposing the Cascade Crossing project, a new energy transmission corridor that would cross over the Cascades through Mt. Hood and the Willamette National Forest. There are several proposed routes mostly expanding existing powerline corridors by another 500 ft. However, one of the corridors would expand the Palomar Pipeline corridor (which is currently not a corridor and with Bark’s efforts will never be more than a line on a map). Although the Cascade Crossing transmission lines might someday connect to the growing wind power market in central Oregon (none of it exists today) it would also connect to the coal-fired plant in Boardman today, continuing our energy dependence on fossil fuels. Further, this comes at a time when there is no need for energy expansion in Oregon. Especially when it comes at the expense of permanent clearcuts, additional roads, destroying habitat for spotted owl and Washington ground squirrels, crossing three Wild and Scenic Rivers, as well as crossing the iconic Pacific Crest Trail.