Drop-in sessions on BPA line begin Dec. 4

A series of public “drop-in” sessions on a proposed transmission line through Clark and Cowlitz counties begins with a trio of meetings next week.

The first public gathering will run 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 4, at the Castle Rock Elementary School cafeteria in Castle Rock. Another will follow Thursday, Dec. 6, at the same time in the Amboy Middle School common room, 22115 N.E. Chelatchie Road in Amboy.

On Saturday, Dec. 8., an afternoon session will welcome visitors between 1 and 4 p.m. at Liberty Middle School, 1612 N.E. Garfield St. in Camas.

The meetings won’t include any formal presentations. They’ll allow attendees to review detailed plans for the 79-mile transmission line project between Castle Rock and Troutdale, Ore., and submit comments to the Bonneville Power Administration, which first floated the proposal in 2009.

The BPA earlier this month announced its preferred route for the high-powered transmission line in releasing a nearly 2,000-page Draft Environmental Impact Statement.

A drop-in session in Vancouver is scheduled for 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 11, at the Vancouver Community Library, 901 C St. Two additional meetings in Camas and Amboy are scheduled for Dec. 12 and 15, respectively.

Public meetings on the project will continue in January and early February, according to the BPA.