Exhibit T Recreation Boardman to Hemingway Transmission Line Project 1221 West Idaho Street Boise, Idaho 83702 Mark Stokes, Project Leader Zach Funkhouser, Permitting (208) 388-2483 (208) 388-5375 [email protected] [email protected] Amended Preliminary Application for Site Certificate June 2017 Boardman to Hemingway Transmission Line Project Exhibit T TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. T-1 2.0 APPLICABLE RULES AND STATUTES .......................................................................... T-1 2.1 General Standards for Siting Facilities .................................................................... T-1 2.2 Site Certificate Application Requirements ............................................................... T-1 2.3 Amended Project Order Provisions ......................................................................... T-2 3.0 ANALYSIS ........................................................................................................................ T-2 3.1 Analysis Area .......................................................................................................... T-2 3.2 Methods ................................................................................................................... T-3 3.2.1 Inventory Methods .................................................................................... T-3 3.2.2 Impacts Analysis Methods ........................................................................ T-4 3.3 Recreational Opportunities in the Analysis Area ..................................................... T-9 3.3.1 Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge ........................................................... T-10 3.3.2 Coyote Springs Wildlife Area .................................................................. T-10 3.3.3 Lindsay Prairie Preserve ........................................................................ T-10 3.3.4 Oregon Trail Interpretive Park at Blue Mountain Crossing ..................... T-11 3.3.5 Blue Mountain Forest State Scenic Corridor .......................................... T-11 3.3.6 Blue Mountain Crossing Day-Use Area/Sno-Park .................................. T-12 3.3.7 Spring Creek Campground ..................................................................... T-12 3.3.8 Hilgard Junction State Park .................................................................... T-12 3.3.9 Morgan Lake Park .................................................................................. T-13 3.3.10 Ladd Marsh Wildlife Area ....................................................................... T-13 3.3.11 Powder River (Scenic) ............................................................................ T-14 3.3.12 Oregon Trail– National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center Parcel ......................................................................................... T-14 3.3.13 Virtue Flat Off-Highway Vehicle Area ..................................................... T-15 3.3.14 Burnt River ERMA .................................................................................. T-15 3.3.15 Blue Bucket Lost Dutchman’s Mining Association Camp ....................... T-15 3.3.16 Snake River Breaks ERMA .................................................................... T-16 3.3.17 Farewell Bend State Recreation Area .................................................... T-16 3.3.18 Weiser Dunes Off-Highway Vehicle Play Area ....................................... T-17 3.3.19 Oregon Trail Special Recreation Management Area – Birch Creek ...................................................................................................... T-17 3.3.20 Snake River Islands (Huffman Island) Wildlife Area ............................... T-17 3.3.21 Oregon Trail Tub Mountain SRMA ......................................................... T-18 3.3.22 Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge – Snake Island Unit ......................... T-18 3.3.23 Bully Creek Reservoir ............................................................................. T-18 3.3.24 Owyhee River Below the Dam SRMA .................................................... T-19 3.3.25 Grand Tour Scenic Bikeway ................................................................... T-19 3.3.26 Blue Mountain Century Scenic Bikeway ................................................. T-19 3.4 Significant Potential Adverse Impacts to Recreational Opportunities ................... T-20 3.4.1 No Loss of Recreational Opportunities ................................................... T-20 3.4.2 Noise Impacts ......................................................................................... T-20 3.4.3 Traffic Impacts ........................................................................................ T-20 3.4.4 Visual Impacts ........................................................................................ T-21 3.5 Mitigation ............................................................................................................... T-51 3.5.1 Visual Impacts ........................................................................................ T-51 3.5.2 Traffic ...................................................................................................... T-57 3.6 Maps ...................................................................................................................... T-57 3.7 Monitoring .............................................................................................................. T-57 4.0 IDAHO POWER’S PROPOSED SITE CERTIFICATE CONDITIONS............................ T-58 AMENDED PRELIMINARY APPLICATION FOR SITE CERTIFICATE Page T-i Boardman to Hemingway Transmission Line Project Exhibit T 5.0 CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................................. T-58 6.0 COMPLIANCE CROSS-REFERENCES ........................................................................ T-58 7.0 RESPONSE TO PUBLIC COMMENTS ......................................................................... T-60 8.0 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................... T-60 LIST OF TABLES Table T-1. Summary of Impacts to Important Recreational Opportunities ............................... T-22 Table T-2. Compliance Requirements and Relevant Cross-References ................................. T-59 Table T-3. Response to Public Comments ..............................................................................T -60 LIST OF ATTACHMENTS Attachment T-1. Figures Attachment T-2. Recreational Opportunities within the Analysis Area Attachment T-3. Importance Assessment for Recreational Opportunities in the Analysis Area Attachment T-4. Visual Impact Methodology and Analysis Attachment T-5. Photosimulations Attachment T-6. Viewshed Maps AMENDED PRELIMINARY APPLICATION FOR SITE CERTIFICATE Page T-ii Boardman to Hemingway Transmission Line Project Exhibit T ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS Amended Project First Amended Project Order, Regarding Statutes, Administrative Order Rules and Other Requirements Applicable to the Proposed Boardman to Hemingway Transmission Line (December 22, 2014) ACEC Area of Critical Environmental Concern BLM Bureau of Land Management Blue Mountain Blue Mountain Forest State Scenic Corridor Corridor BOR Bureau of Reclamation EFSC or Council Energy Facility Siting Council ERMA Extensive Recreation Management Area FWS United States Fish and Wildlife Service GIS geographic information system I-84 Interstate 84 IPC Idaho Power Company KOP Key Observation Point kV kilovolt LDMA Lost Dutchman’s Mining Association MP mile post NF National Forest NHOTIC National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center NWR National Wildlife Refuge OAR Oregon Administrative Rule ODFW Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife ODOE Oregon Department of Energy ODOT Oregon Department of Transportation OHV off-highway vehicle OPRD Oregon Parks and Recreation Department OR Oregon (State) Highway Project Boardman to Hemingway Transmission Line Project RMP Resource Management Plan ROW right-of-way SEORMP Southeastern Oregon Resource Management Plan SMS Scenery Management System SNHA State Natural Heritage Area SRA State Recreation Area SRMA Special Recreation Management Area U.S. United States USFS United States Forest Service V/C volume-to-capacity VRM Visual Resource Management WA Wildlife Area WSR Wild and Scenic River AMENDED PRELIMINARY APPLICATION FOR SITE CERTIFICATE Page T-iii Boardman to Hemingway Transmission Line Project Exhibit T 1 Exhibit T 2 Recreation 3 INTRODUCTION 4 Exhibit T describes the potential impacts of the Boardman to Hemingway Transmission Line 5 Project (Project) on important recreational opportunities, as well as the steps Idaho Power 6 Company (IPC) will take to avoid, minimize, and mitigate those impacts. 7 APPLICABLE RULES AND STATUTES 8 2.1 General Standards for Siting Facilities 9 The Recreation Standard at Oregon Administrative Rule (OAR) 345-022-0100 provides: 10 (1) Except for facilities described in section (2), to issue a site certificate, the Council 11 must find that the design, construction and operation of a facility, taking into account 12 mitigation, are not likely to result in a significant adverse impact to important recreational 13 opportunities in the analysis area as described in the project order. The Council