Umatilla County community development staff and commissioners on Dec. 10 publicly thanked Senior Planner Carol Johnson for her work on local permitting tied to the Boardman‑to‑Hemingway (B2H) transmission project.

At the meeting a staff member said Johnson led permitting efforts that began in 2010, noted the project received an initial site certificate in 2022, and described local permitting activity from 2023 through 2025. The staff presentation listed local B2H components in Umatilla County including approximately 36.8 miles of existing roads, about 49.3 miles of new access roads, roughly 101 single‑circuit lattice towers, multiple temporary work areas and ancillary sites. The presenter credited Johnson with writing findings for one land‑use decision and three subsequent amendments, reviewing requested changes, researching ownership for over 50 tax lots and issuing 34 zoning permits tied to the project.

Commissioners and colleagues praised Johnson’s role in coordinating between county staff, the Oregon Department of Energy and Idaho Power staff and noted the complexity of the transmission permitting process, calling it among the county’s most complex permitting efforts.

Johnson did not speak at length during the recognition; commissioners invited community development staff to join for a photo following the remarks.