20161222Comments (2 Total).pdf

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Wood River
December 16, 2016
Idaho Public Utilities Commission
PO Box 83720
Boise, ID 83720-0074
Case# IPC-E-16-28
Dear Commissioners:
RECEIVED
101& DEC 21 AH 9: 24
I I_] t.., :o: ... •i1SSl0N
I am writing you in support of Idaho Power's plan to construct a redundant power line and rebuild the
existing line due to its age (built in 1962) and condition.
As you can imagine, reliable, redundant power is a critical resource to St. Luke's Wood River Medical
Center. While the hospital does have a backup generator on site in the event of power loss, this
generator is only able to power a portion of organization's electrical needs. Energy intensive equipment
such as the facility's MRI and CT machines are not able to be fed by a backup generator so these
diagnostic tools are not available to clinicians during power outages.
A redundant power line will help minimize the number of outages experienced by the hospital and
therefore reduce the number of times the above key services are not available to the community.
Regards,
~
Cody Langbehn, Administrator
St. Luke's Wood River Medical Center
St. Luke's Wood River Medical Center
100 Hospital Drive
PO Box 100
Ketchum, Idaho 83340
P (208) 727 -8800 stlukesonline.org
December 19, 2016
Mayor and Council, City of Ketchum
Mayor and Council, City of Sun Valley
Commissioners, Blaine County
Honorable Ladies and Gentlemen:
Blaine County. Idaho
Local Emergency Planning Committee
\Vorking logelhcr for a sefc:r community
20i6 OEt: 21
RE CEIVED
AH 9: 23
Idaho Power is applying for permits to build a redundant transmission line from the Wood River
Substation north of Hailey to the North Valley. The primary purpose of this second line is to ensure that
there is electricity for the residents, visitors, and businesses of the North Valley in the event of a failure
of the current single line, or the new line, as a result of an interruption of power to either tine for any
reason.
On behalf of the members of the Blaine County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC), I am
writing to express our organization's full support for the need of a redundant power transmission line
between Hailey and Ketchum/Sun Valley. The LEPC has been following the discussions and progress on
the development of this second line for a number of years and has been fully supportive of it. We
consider the lack of redundant power in the North Valley to be one of the significant health and safety
hazards to be mitigated in Blaine County and as such it is identified in our adopted Blaine County All
Hazard Mitigation Plan.
As you begin the permit application process, we feel it is important for you to know that the emergency
response professionals in Blaine County recognize that the need for this redundant transmission line is
not just a North Valley issue, but that it affects all of Blaine County. Should there be a sustained power
outage in the North Valley, the Ketchum and Sun Valley emergency responders will need to rely on
assistance from fellow responders from Hailey, Bellevue, Wood River and the County. A sustained
outage, particularly in the winter, will also cause strains on the economy of the rest of the County where
much of the workforce lives and commutes to jobs in the resort community, as well as the impact on the
many members of the emergency response community who are either part-time employees or
volunteers.
It will be us, the emergency responders, who will carry the biggest brunt of the work to take care of the
significant problems caused by a sustained power outage in the North Valley should the single 53 year
old line fail. Please know that we will do everything we can to help in the event of a line failure;
however, it is also our obligation to try to mitigate potential significant hazards before they happen.
The LEPC shares with many of the forward-thinking organizations in Blaine County a desire to utilize as
many alternative energy resources as possible to reduce the effects of climate change. To the extent
that such alternative resources will one day in the future be adequate to provide the necessary energy
to carry the entire electrical load for the North Valley, the LEPC will be comfortable that it can carry out
its responsibility to provide for the safety and health of the Valley's residents and visitors. However,
even alternative energy, when it finally becomes economical and efficient enough to provide the
substantial energy loads necessary to this purpose, has to be carried by transmission and distribution
lines. The redundant line is an essential public safety need now; and it will be important in the long-term
when renewable technology and energy storage have been able to replace energy generated from coal
or natural gas facilities.
With limited funding and resources for emergency services, and a mandate for enhancing the safety and
economic viability of the communities we serve, the LEPC believes it is a sound long-term opportunity to
strengthen the energy infrastructure of the area by permitting this redundant line between Hailey and
Ketchum/Sun Valley. Thank you.
The LEPC is available if you'd like more information.
Sincerely, ~
~~
Chuck Turner,
Chairman, Blaine County LEPC
[phone]
[e-mail] .us