JACKSON HOLE, WYO – In the aftermath of the Snowmageddon that brought its wrath down upon Teton Village Road in February 2017, many in the community wondered aloud whether burying the power lines wouldn’t be a better option. It was a solution that proposed to both improve views of the Tetons and reduce the likelihood of similar incidents.
The problem? Cost. Burying that much powerline would be extremely expensive and then there were right-of-way legalities to dance around. It wasn’t looking good for everyone’s favorite solution.
But one by one and little by little, momentum built. The hardworking team at Lower Valley Energy and a partnership of landowners, businesses, and the Jackson Hole Land Trust (JHLT) set their minds to improve power reliability as well as enhance the signature viewshed of the conservation easement-protected Snake River Ranch along Highway 390 leading to Teton Village and Grand Teton National Park.
The result will be celebrated May 15, as boards and staff of Lower Valley Energy, Jackson Hole Land Trust, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Teton Village Association, Shooting Star and Snake River Ranch will gather to celebrate the innovative solution all worked so hard to achieve over the last year. The event will take place at 11:30am across from Teton Village, and the community is invited to witness the ‘last’ power pole being decommissioned.
That epic weather event in February 2017 downed powerlines, caused energy service disruption, and spotlighted an opportunity to create energy reliability through undergrounding the Crystal Springs line that serves Teton Village and the Jackson Hole Airport. TVA, JHMR, the Airport, and Shooting Star helped champion the project, and the Snake River Ranch donated the easements for undergrounding the lines on private property as well as extensive project staging.
JHLT joined the partnership as part of its larger vision to work with LVE in the future on additional line burial projects located on conservation easement properties that directly impact the community and the scenic values of the land.
The pilot project provided an opportunity to extend the buried lines 2,700 feet farther south, which removed all of the powerlines from the highly visible and scenic Snake River Ranch meadowlands and into tree cover. JHLT funded this extension through open space transfer fees at Shooting Star.
“Lower Valley Energy is a member-focused cooperative and is always looking for opportunities to work with our members to provide the best service possible while maintaining competitive rates. We appreciate the efforts of all of our local partners to make this project a reality along with the help we received from FEMA,” Lower Valley Energy CEO Jim Webb said.
Laurie Andrews, JHLT president, added, “We are excited to be a partner in this community-oriented collaboration. We know that powerline burial is a priority for residents and we are looking forward to identifying and completing more projects like this on other conservation properties in the Valley. The open spaces of the Snake River Ranch are some of the most iconic in Jackson Hole and we were honored to be part of a solution to further preserving its character.”
An additional aspect of the project is a positive outcome for wildlife – a raptor perch will be placed per Wyoming Game and Fish instructions off of Highway 390 for bird safety and near trout-filled water at Shooting Star and the Snake River Ranch to help a resident raptor thrive. Birds had perched on the upper Highway 390 powerlines occasionally. LVE is donating that raptor perch.
