Sierra Pacific Power Company
Contact: Karl Walquist/Robert Sagan
Phone: (775)834-4345

For Immediate Release

Sierra Pacific Power Co. has received approval from the Modoc National Forest to build a 2.8 mile portion of the Alturas Intertie power line, designated as Route A, through the Devil's Garden area west of Alturas, Calif.

The utility's request for a special use permit was refused earlier by the Forest Service because the agency concluded that Sierra's application conflicted with the Modoc Forest Plan.

However, the Forest Plan was amended in September to include new criteria for consideration for building utility facilities outside existing corridors. Sierra Pacific reapplied for the special use permit from the Forest Service, which was granted October 7 by the Modoc National Forest, according to Alturas Project Manager John Owens.

Because the Devil's Garden route has been approved, Sierra Pacific plans to withdraw an application filed with the California Public Utilities Commission for an alternative route which would have moved the line closer to the town of Alturas, Owens said.

"We appreciate the work done by the Forest in approving our application. We also appreciate the work done by local government agencies that participated in the process," said Owens."We're pleased to go forward with the Devil's Garden route because the alternate route, off the Modoc Forest and closer to Alturas (Route B), would have had a greater impact on private land owners."

The Alturas Intertie will be linked to facilities operated by the Bonneville Power Administration in the Devil's Garden area, and it will provide the northeastern California-northern Nevada area served by Sierra Pacific with an additional 300 megawatts of import capability from the Pacific Northwest.

Construction of the power line is expected to be completed by late 1998.