Baker County B2H lawsuit settles before trial

A Baker County civil lawsuit over Idaho Power Co.’s Boardman to Hemingway transmission line settled before trial, taking one more easement dispute off the court calendar in the county’s long B2H fight. The case was over the 293-mile, 500-kilovolt line that crosses Baker County on its way toward the Hemingway substation in Idaho.

Landowners in and around Huntington, Baker Valley and other parts of the route have spent months facing separate condemnation actions, each centered on a different property, a different easement and a different compensation fight. With this case resolved, the immediate contest over that land is over, and the remaining B2H disputes continue through Baker County Circuit Court.

The first condemnation case was filed in September 2023. By Oct. 16, 2024, Idaho Power had filed 11 condemnation lawsuits in Baker County over the line. The project, first proposed in 2007, is a partnership between Idaho Power and PacifiCorp, with PacifiCorp holding 55% ownership and Idaho Power 45%. The line is needed to meet growing electricity demand and is slated for completion in late 2027 or early 2028.

On Feb. 20, 2026, Judge Matt Shirtcliff ruled Idaho Power retained legal authority to secure private easements for the project. On March 6, a Baker County jury awarded Mark and Savannah Kerns $56,000 after they had sought $215,694 and Idaho Power had offered $27,810. On April 3, another jury awarded Charles Colton & Sons $182,970 after the owners had asked for $400,000 and Idaho Power had offered $65,870.

On May 20, 2024, Idaho Power filed a condemnation suit against Tel and Lacey Abbe for an easement near Huntington. In the Gressley case, Shirtcliff ordered Idaho Power to pay $83,960 for a 160-foot-wide easement totaling about 17.5 acres, while Scott and Kylie Gressley had asked for $392,542.50. A third Baker County jury trial involving Bokides Properties LLC was set to begin June 29.