Idaho § 61-1702 - Definitions

§ 61-1702. Definitions

(1) "Affected landowner" includes owners of property interests, as reflected in the most recent county or city tax records as receiving the tax notice, whose property:

(a) Is directly affected, either crossed or used, by the proposed transmission line, including all facility sites, rights-of-way, access roads and temporary work spaces; and

(b) Abuts either side of an existing right-of-way or facility site owned in fee by any utility company, or abuts the edge of a proposed transmission line or right-of-way which runs along a property line in the area in which the transmission line would be constructed, or contains a residence within fifty (50) feet of the proposed transmission line.

(2) "Application" means any request by a transmitting utility for a route certificate for the construction and operation of new transmission facilities or the modification of existing transmission facilities located in a national interest electric transmission corridor in Idaho.

(3) "Commission" means the Idaho public utilities commission.

(4) "Local government" means a city or county.

(5) "National interest electric transmission corridor" is any geographic area designated by the secretary of energy as experiencing electric energy transmission capacity constraints or congestion pursuant to section 1221 of the energy policy act of 2005.

(6) "Secretary" means the secretary of the United States department of energy.

(7) "Transmission facility" means:

(a) Newly constructed high voltage transmission lines with an operating level capacity of one hundred fifteen thousand (115,000) volts or more;

(b) Rebuilt and upgraded existing high voltage transmission lines with an operating level capacity of at least fifty-seven thousand (57,000) volts to one hundred fifteen thousand (115,000) volts or more along the same right-of-way; or

(c) Electric facilities associated with high voltage transmission lines such as substations, switchyards or temporary contractor work yards.

(8) "Transmitting utility" is an entity that owns, operates or controls facilities used for the transmission of electric energy in interstate commerce.

[61-1702, added 2007, ch. 186, sec. 1, p. 535; am. 2016, ch. 47, sec. 40, p. 125.]