[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 163 (Wednesday, August 23, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43810-43811]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-20848]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
[WY-010-5101-00-K012, WYW-128830]
Express Pipeline Inc. (Express); Draft Environmental Impact
Statement
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability and Notice of Public Meetings on the
Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Express Pipeline for
public review and comment.
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SUMMARY: A Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for Express
Pipeline Inc. (Express) to construct, operate, and maintain a 24-inch
pipeline on public lands to transport crude oil between Wild Horse,
Alberta, Canada and Casper, Wyoming, is available for public review.
The DEIS was prepared by Greystone, a third-party contractor for the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) under the provisions of Section
102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended
(NEPA). The DEIS describes and analyzes three alternatives and
discloses each alternative's environmental effects. Public meetings
will be held in communities along the proposed pipeline route.
DATES: Written comments concerning the analysis will be accepted for 60
days following the date the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
publishes the notice of filing of the DEIS in the Federal Register,
which is expected to be about August 18, 1995. Meetings will be held in
communities along the proposed pipeline route to provide opportunities
for the public to meet with representatives from the BLM and the
Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), co-lead agency with
BLM, and comment on the DEIS. (Representatives from DEQ will attend the
Montana meetings only.) These meetings will be held in Havre, Montana,
and in Casper, Wyoming, on September 11, 1995; in Lewistown, Montana,
and Worland, Wyoming, on September 12, 1995; and in Billings, Montana,
on September 13, 1995. The BLM will announce the specific times
[[Page 43811]]
and locations for the meetings through local media when they are set.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the DEIS may be reviewed at the following
locations: Lewistown District BLM Office, 80 Airport Road, (contact
Robert Padilla, Realty Specialist), Lewistown, Montana; Worland
District BLM Office, 101 South 23rd Street, (Don Ogaard, BLM Project
Manager) Worland, Wyoming; Casper District BLM Office, 1701 East ``E''
Street, (Pat Moore, Realty Specialist), Casper, Wyoming; Montana State
Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) (Art Compton) 1520 East 6th
Avenue, Helena, Montana; and county and city libraries along the
proposed pipeline route.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Don Ogaard, BLM Project Manager, Bureau of Land Management, Worland
District Office, P.O. Box 119, 101 South 23rd Street, Worland, Wyoming
82401-0119, telephone 307-347-9871.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Express Pipeline, Inc. proposes to
construct, operate, and maintain a 24-inch pipeline from Wild Horse
(located on the border between Montana and Canada) to Casper, Wyoming,
to transport Canadian crude oil. Nationwide, the demand for and
consumption of petroleum in the U.S. has exceeded production for more
than 20 years. In recent years, this gap has been widening as the
demand for crude oil increases while domestic production declines.
Because of this, the U.S. needs to locate additional, dependable
sources of crude oil. The overall purpose of the proposed pipeline is
to address the needs of refineries in the U.S., particularly in the
Rocky Mountain Region, and the producers of Western Canada. The Express
Mountain Region, and the producers of Western Canada. The Express
pipeline would provide a new source of crude oil to refineries located
throughout the Rocky Mountain Region and other parts of the U.S.
through the existing network of pipelines.
The DEIS is not a decision document. The purpose of the DEIS is to
provide sufficient information to make an informed decision about
Express's proposal. It is a document disclosing the likely
environmental consequences of implementing the proposed action or one
of the alternatives to that action. This document describes the likely
effects of constructing or not constructing the proposed pipeline.
Before Express can construct the pipeline, it must obtain numerous
Federal, State, county, and local permits. Because the route crosses
public land administered by the BLM and the Bureau of Reclamation,
Express must obtain a Right-of-Way Grant from the Federal Government.
As part of the process for granting the permits, these agencies must
consider Express's proposal under NEPA. Regulations implementing NEPA
(40 CFR 1500) encourage agencies to incorporate any previous NEPA
analyses by reference to eliminate repetitive discussions of the same
issues and to focus on specific issues of the proposal. The proposed
pipeline would follow the routes of two other pipelines for which EIS's
were previously issued by Federal agencies. Accordingly, this DEIS
incorporates by reference the PGT/PG&E and Altamont Natural Gas
Pipeline Projects Final EIS (FERC 1991) and the Amoco Carbon Dioxide
Projects Final EIS (BLM 1989).
Dated: August 16, 1995.
Alan L. Kesterke,
Associate State Director.
[FR Doc. 95-20848 Filed 8-22-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-P
