Hot Springs to Rattlesnake Transmission Line Rebuild Project

Sanders, Lake, and Missoula counties, Montana 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) proposes to rebuild the 70-year-old Hot Springs-Rattlesnake No. 1 transmission line.  The Hot Springs-Rattlesnake No. 1 transmission line extends 59 miles from BPA's Hot Springs Substation west of Flathead Lake across the Confederated and Salish Kootenai Tribes’ Flathead Indian Reservation to NorthWestern Energy’s Rattlesnake Substation just north of Missoula.

This project would involve replacing existing wood poles, hardware and conductor with new 230-kilovolt H-frame and single pole strucutures, including fiber optic cable for transmission network communications. The rebuild project would primarily follow the existing route with similar pole heights where feasible.

ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW

To understand the potential environmental impacts of this proposal, BPA will conduct an environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The environmental review would describe anticipated impacts to natural and human resources and will identify minimization measures to help avoid or minimize impacts. During this process, BPA will work with landowners, tribes, federal, state and local agencies, and interest groups.

The proposed schedule for the environmental review is as follows:

Scoping comment period – May 5 to May 19, 2026

Public scoping meeting – May 5, 2026

Environmental review completion – Summer/Fall 2026

If decision to build, construction start – Spring 2027

CURRENT STATUS

BPA is requesting public scoping comments to help determine the issues that should be addressed in the environmental review. You may send us your comments so they may be considered as we analyze the issues or attend an informal, open-house meeting where we will answer questions and accept comments. The meeting will be held on:

Tuesday, May 5, 2026
6:00-8:00 PM
Garden City Harvest - Community Barn
1657 River Road
Missoula, Montana 59801

Please send your comments by May 19th, 2026, so they may be considered in the environmental review. When commenting, refer to the full project name. All comments will be posted on the BPA comment website. There are several ways to comment:

Online: https://publiccomments.bpa.gov/
Mail: BPA Public Involvement
P.O. Box  3621 Portland, OR 97293
Toll-Free: 800-622-4519

 

CONTACT

For environmental information, contact:
Doug Corkran         Toll-free: 800-622-4519
Environmental Protection Specialist Direct line: 503-230-7646
Bonneville Power Administration - ECT-4  Email: dfcorkran@bpa.gov 
P.O. Box 3621
Portland, OR 97208-3621

For project information, contact:
Meadow Nelson         Toll-free: 800-622-4519
Project Manager        Direct line: 360-619-6230
Bonneville Power Administration - TEP-TPP-1 Email: mdnelson@bpa.gov  
P.O. Box 491
Vancouver, WA 98666-0491

DOCUMENTS

Scoping:
Scoping Comments Received
Project Letter (04/14/2026)
Project Map Website