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Vantage to Pomona Heights Executive Summary 230 kV Transmission Line Project FEIS October 2016 PAGE ES-vi highest miles of low residual impacts on recreation resources (44.0 miles) and Alternative C would have the least number of miles with low residual impacts (19.9 miles). For the Agency Preferred Alternative and the NNR Alternative – Underground Design Option the miles of no identifiable (11.0 miles) and low (29.5 miles) impacts would be lowest compared to the Action Alternatives and no moderate or high impacts would occur. The Agency Preferred Alternative and NNR Alternative –Underground Design Option would require the least amount of total new road construction (23.5 miles). Although the disturbance calculations for the NNR Alternative – Underground Design Option used the same access road assumptions as the Agency Preferred Alternative, grading requirements of the access road (and duct bank) would require the disturbance of more land in steep terrain for the Underground Design Option. Alternative F would require the most new and spur road construction (45.3 miles), but would not require the crossing of I-82. All Action Alternatives cross State Route 243 in one or two locations. One potential crossing location is approximately 0.3 miles north of Wanapum Village with the other potential crossing located 3.3 miles west of the Vernita Bridge. The Agency Preferred Alternative would have the lowest total mileage of high impacts on visual resources (4.4 miles). Alternative H would have the highest total mileage of high impacts on visual resources (17.0 miles). Alternatives E, F, G, and H would cause higher impacts on residences in the Moxee Valley and Alternatives A, C, D, and H would cause higher visual impacts to recreational viewers in the Saddle Mountains, Milwaukee corridor, and residences located in the vicinity of Beverly. Alternatives B, C, E, and G would have higher impacts on residences viewing from Desert Aire and recreationists using Priest Rapids Lake. All Action Alternatives would be compliant with BLM Interim Visual Resource Management Class III designation. Socioeconomics and Environmental Justice Socioeconomic impacts on the Study Region (defined as Grant, Kittitas and Yakima counties) economy would be predominantly beneficial, as job opportunities increase due to any of the Action Alternatives. Impacts as a whole would not greatly vary between the Action Alternatives. This lack of distinction arises because (1) impacts are so low as to be nearly imperceptible themselves and (2) the scale of construction (duration, employment, and purchases of local goods and services) varies only moderately between the Action Alternatives. Impacts on employment would be generally very small under any Action Alternative. The impacts of 23.7 to 41.0 direct jobs would translate to, including all ripple effects, a total of 58.9 to 66.3 jobs for the Agency Preferred Alternative, NNR Alternative – Underground Design Option, and NNR Alternative - MR Subroute, respectively, and a total of 88 jobs for Alternatives A-H. However, such small differences in the initial stimuli to the regional economy caused by the Action Alternatives would not create discernibly different socioeconomic impacts, when viewed region-wide or even by community. No significant impacts on minority or low-income populations are expected with the implementation of any of the Action Alternatives. Although, some of the Census Block Groups within three miles of the Action Alternatives do contain substantial populations of minority and low-income populations, appreciable concentrations of such populations are more distant than one mile, limiting the potential impact of the Action Alternatives to no more than minimal and not significant. Differences in impacts among Action Alternatives would be extremely small with the Agency Preferred Alternative, NNR Alternative – Underground Design Option, with or without the NNR Alternative – MR Subroute, impacting the smallest proportions and number of Census Blocks containing potentially affected populations.