Petition to our elected representatives serving in Washington DC and Pierre, SD.

We, the undersigned South Dakota and/or United States residents seek intervention in the Black Hills Power (BHP) proposed Tekla-Osage-Rapid City Transmission Line which will cross Black Hills National Forest (BHNF) and is proposed to not properly mitigate the resulting impacts.

The proposed transmission line is proposed to go from Wyoming to Rapid City, South Dakota. It will cross the lands of the United States: Black Hills National Forest. In crossing the BHNF, a 100 foot wide easement will be required to be clear cut for the development and maintenance of the transmission line corridor. This is approximately 37 miles in length and equates to an area exceeding 450 acres.

Recreational and residential development has occurred proximate to the BHNF. This development has occurred, in part, because of the pre-existence of the National Forest. The proposed transmission line will adversely impact the values of these developments due to the impacts on the National Forest. While attempts to avoid environmental impacts through the administration of NEPA, the loss in value to the National Forest and adjacent development has not been adequately defined, quantified, mitigated nor compensated.

While it is understood that timber value and a fee are paid by BHP into the General Fund of the U.S.; the Forest Service and the users of the National Forest receive no direct benefit from the loss of habitat, change in function, and the modification of natural environment into an industrial corridor that will result from the project.

Tourism is a vital industry in South Dakota, and the Black Hills National Forest is a key element of it. The project will permanently have a negative impact on an environment that has been deemed to be worth maintaining in the form of a National Forest. The forest is for the benefit of all people, not just BHP. BHP will benefit from the construction of their proposed project. The costs of the impacts to the BHNF, and to the people of the US, have not been properly identified, nor are they proposed to be mitigated.

Proposed alignment of the transmission line will result in its crossing the National Forest, and the associated modification of a trail into an industrial corridor, at the Forest's closest access point to Rapid City. Repeated attempts to work with BHP to modify the alignment to a less intrusive location have not been successful. The alignment also crosses over the Westberry Trails Fire Scenic Overlook on Nemo Road.

In other areas of environmental stewardship, the U.S. has seen fit to protect natural resources by requiring the replacement of unavoidable disturbances to wetlands. Such protection has not yet been required of woodlands. Such protection has also not been extended to woodlands deemed to be of import to the nation and designated as National Forest.

We, the undersigned residents of the United States and/or South Dakota, request that our elected officials act to protect our designated natural treasures, specifically:

1) Require replacement of National Forest impacted by this project by requiring BHP to replace the 450 acres of woodland lost to their project. This land would be purchased by BHP and added to the BHNF, in keeping with USDA Forest Service objectives for the BHNF, and be near impacted private land owners near the BHNF.

2) Modify National/State law to provide future protection to designated National/State Parks, Forests, Grasslands, and the like, by requiring replacement of impacted resources similar to how wetlands are protected.

3) Require full and proper valuation of public and private costs for loss of aesthetic value, decrease in property value, impairment to recreational enjoyment and potential health endangerment; and provide fair compensation to all the impacted parties based on these costs.