Baker Valley Landowners Move to Dismiss Idaho Power Condemnation Lawsuit

On December 5, 2025 a coalition of Baker Valley landowners filed a motion asking the court to dismiss Idaho Power's ongoing condemnation lawsuit related to the Boardman to Hemingway transmission line. The contested route runs across the east side of Baker Valley and affects parcels around Flagstaff Hill and along Highway 86 east of Baker City. The motion frames a local legal challenge within a broader pattern of regulatory disputes over the B2H project.

The filing comes after recent denials by the Oregon Public Utility Commission of petitions seeking to rescind the commission approvals for the line. Those regulatory decisions narrowed one avenue for opponents to block the project and shifted the contest into the courtroom for landowners who have resisted easements and the exercise of eminent domain. The landowners' motion requests dismissal of Idaho Power's condemnation case and raises procedural objections that will now be resolved through the judicial process.

For residents and property owners the immediate implications are practical. Parcels near Flagstaff Hill face potential loss of private control over right of way access visual and agricultural impacts and uncertainty over compensation levels under eminent domain procedures. Legal steps by landowners tend to delay construction timetables which can raise costs for utilities and ultimately for ratepayers while leaving landowners in prolonged limbo over the use and valuation of their property.

At the regional level the dispute highlights persistent tensions between the needs of a modernizing grid and rural property rights. Transmission projects such as B2H are intended to move generation from resource rich areas to load centers and support renewable energy integration. Yet they also encounter growing scrutiny over route selection environmental effects and landowner consent. Regulatory denials in Oregon have not ended legal challenges and the outcome of dismissal motions will influence whether Idaho Power proceeds through condemnation or seeks alternative resolutions such as negotiated easements or route adjustments.

Procedurally the motion filed December 5 is the latest step in a litigation process that will determine whether the condemnation suit continues to advance. The court will set the schedule for further briefing and any hearings that follow. For local residents the near term result will determine whether project construction timelines are extended and whether additional legal or negotiated options remain open for landowners along Highway 86 and Flagstaff Hill.