DOE/EIS-0332; McNary-John Day Transmission Line Project Draft ...

3
3-102
Affected Environment, Environmental
Consequences, and Mitigation
The project would be constructed by one or more construction crews. A typical
transmission line construction crew for the 500-kV line would likely consist of up to
60 construction workers.
The typical crew would likely construct about 10 miles of line in 3 months. To meet the
proposed construction schedule for this project (1 year), two or more crews would work
simultaneously on separate sections of the 79-mile-long transmission line.
For this EIS discussion it is assumed that three crews would work on the line, with one
crew working at each end and one crew working in the middle, heading west. The
middle section of the project corridor heading west is a very rocky area with difficult
terrain and geological features that are expected to slow down installation time.
In the following paragraphs, the potential construction impacts are described for
population, employment, housing, community services, utilities, and property.
During the 1-year construction period, approximately 180 workers would be required to
complete the project, assuming three crews are mobilized at the start of the construction
period. Of these crews, one would likely be stationed out of the Umatilla and Hermiston
area (Umatilla County) and the other two would likely be stationed either in Goldendale
(Klickitat County) or in the Biggs, Wasco, or Rufus area (Sherman County). Franklin
and Wasco counties—which have relatively large metropolitan areas including Pasco
(Tri-Cities Area) and The Dalles—could also provide workers and attract workers to stay
there during construction.
Table E-5 in Appendix E shows the worker availability in the communities within the
study area where potential construction workers might originate. Whether Bonneville’s
construction contractors would hire local workers or bring in their own workforce for the
project is unknown. Based on the data collected, there are potentially more than 400 (as
of 1999/2000) unemployed workers available in the six-county study area with the skills
required to perform the construction tasks for the proposed transmission line.
Assuming one-third of the construction work force is hired from local communities
(60 people), that means that 120 workers will come in from outside the project area.
There would be potential positive impacts to employment in the surrounding area if local
people are employed for the project. A potential temporary increase in spending on
goods and services in the study area would also occur. The potential influx of workers
from outside the project area would create a temporary increase in population.
There would likely be an adequate number of rental units and hotel/motel rooms
available for the workers who may migrate into the study area. In addition to the over
9,000 vacant housing units in the study area, there are 40 hotels and motels with over
1,600 rooms/beds potentially available within commuting distance to the three work
zones for the project.
Also, the state parks and RV facilities in the project vicinity would provide construction
workers with additional accommodations. Therefore, no adverse impacts to housing in
BPA McNary-John Day Transmission Project
Draft EIS
February 2002