PacifiCorp Reveals Change in B2H Purpose

In a stunning departure from longstanding transmission planning, PacifiCorp announced to the Oregon Public Utility Commission (OPUC) in April that the Boardman to Hemingway (B2H) transmission line is no longer the “preferred portfolio” in their 2025 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP).

This marks a dramatic shift from what we've been told since 2007—or, as many would say, since the very beginning. So what’s changed?

PacifiCorp (PAC) revealed that the B2H was excluded from their "preferred portfolio" because they will not seek rate recovery from its customers. Instead, PAC now has a new customer, a data provider (think: Amazon) in Boardman (yes, a single customer), and intends to recover its costs from the data provider.

The energy generated will be sold either directly--or via Umatilla Electric Cooperative to this customer — sidestepping the Bonneville Power Administration's integration -- and negating the original purpose of serving PAC’s 800,000 customers in western Oregon. Just like that, the alleged “need” for reliable energy for ratepayers disappears.

This dramatic pivot calls into question the justification for using Eminent Domain. The condemnation of private land is legally reserved for a “public necessity.”  In 2022, Stop B2H members and numerous landowners provided testimony opposing the Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN), which is the legal foundation for Eminent Domain. 

At the time, PAC argued B2H was essential to serve their wide customer base.  But now, with only a data provider in the picture, B2H is no longer serving the public necessity, which was its purpose.  Therefore, the CPCN should be invalidated (rescinded).

The Stop B2H Coalition won’t sit this one out. In June, we filed a formal complaint with the OPUC. We asserted that the CPCN is invalid as the purpose of the line, serving PAC's residential customers, has changed.

The OPUC responded and opened a docket, UM 2394, that will initiate an investigation into PacifiCorp's stated change in purpose for the B2H. They will reconsider or revoke the Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) for the B2H project, Order No. 23-225, if the Commission finds that PacifiCorp's revised purpose for the line no longer aligns with the "public use," "public convenience and necessity," or "public interest" criteria upon which the CPCN was originally granted. 

We’ve been in touch with OPUC staff, and a docket schedule is expected within the next couple of weeks. This will open a key window for public input before the OPUC holds its Public Meeting on the issue. So stay alert!  As soon as we have the schedule and dive deeper into the details, we’ll share an Action Alert—your voice will be essential.

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*Stop B2H Coalition's Complaint (only 3 pages) can be found HERE.

*For those that don't want to read the full docket, this link leads to a summary.

*To view letter submitted by Myers Century Farm, go HERE.

If you don't want to wait for the Alert, you can contact the OPUC anytime:

Email:  puc.filingcenter@puc.oregon.gov

Re:       Public Comment UM2394, Rescinding Order 23-225