Redfish Lake Cell Tower

January 27, 2024 — Advocates for the West filed an Application for Review, asking the Federal Communications Commission to review the denial of our Petition for Environmental Review and to require an Environmental Impact Statement or Environmental Assessment in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act for AT&T’s proposal to construct a commercial cell tower in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area.

September 19, 2022 — Advocates for the West filed a reply in support of our Petition for Environmental Review.

September 1, 2022 — Advocates for the West filed a Petition for Environmental Review with the Federal Communications Commission to protect scenic and historic values from a proposed 195-foot commercial cell tower on a ridge overlooking Idaho’s iconic Redfish Lake.

Advocates for the West, the Idaho Conservation League (ICL), Sawtooth Interpretive and Historical Association, and the Sawtooth Society have raised major concerns over the tower proposal since it was announced in January 2020, urging the opportunity for public comment and an environmental review. The cell tower was originally pitched under the guise of improving emergency communications in the area. After public opposition and indications that AT&T might abandon its proposal, the company now seeks to build a standard commercial cell tower at the same site in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area.

The Sawtooth National Recreation Area, Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve, historic sites, and scenic vistas would all be negatively impacted by the cell tower. At three times the height of surrounding trees, the proposed tower will protrude above the landscape, impacting the views of this iconic area that hundreds of thousands of people enjoy every year.