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

Unavoidable Impacts Remaining after Mitigation
BPA McNary-John Day Transmission Project
Draft EIS
February 2002
Public Health and Safety/
Cumulative Impacts
Potential unavoidable public health and safety risks include accidental fire that may occur
during construction and operation and maintenance, the use and accidental release of
hazardous materials, and accidental injury. Nuisance shocks may occur infrequently
under the proposed line.
Environmental Consequences—No Action Alternative
Under the No Action Alternative, the proposed transmission line would not be built and
the potential increased health and safety risks associated with the proposed transmission
line project would not occur.
Cumulative Impacts
“Cumulative impact” is the impact on the environment which results from the
incremental impact of an action—such as this proposed action—when added to other
past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions regardless of what agency
(federal or nonfederal) or person undertakes such other actions. Cumulative impacts can
also result from individually minor, but collectively significant actions, taking place over
a period of time (40 CFR 1508.7). In the following paragraphs, the existing development
along the project corridor and the reasonably foreseeable future developments planned
for the area are described in order to provide a context in which to assess the incremental
effects of the proposed action.
Existing Development
Although much of the project corridor has remained as undeveloped rangeland during the
last century, interspersed (mainly rural) development has steadily occurred along the
corridor. Development continues in present times and will continue in the future.
However, it is unlikely that the area along the project corridor would become urbanized
in the foreseeable future.
The primary economic base of the project area and the main type of development along
the corridor has been and continues to be agricultural-based industry. This includes large
cereal grain farms, irrigated row crop farms, and specialty crop enterprises such as
orchards and vineyards, all mainly located along the more flat eastern half of the corridor.
Along the more hilly western half of the corridor, the main type of development has been
the establishment of large land holdings used for cattle and horse grazing.
Other types of development that have occurred along the project corridor include
� the major hydropower dams, electrical generating facilities, and distribution systems
at McNary and John Day at opposite ends of the corridor;
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