BLM Colorado
For Immediate Release: October 5, 2005 |
Contacts: | Scott Powers BLM 406-896-5319 |
Public Scoping Begins in Federal Energy Corridor Designation
A Notice of Intent published in Friday’s Federal Register (http://corridoreis.anl.gov/documents/docs/corridornoi.pdf) has initiated preparation of a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) supporting the designation of right-of-way corridors on federal lands to improve energy transmission across the Western U.S.
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 requires the BLM to cooperate with other Federal agencies to designate corridors on federal lands in 11 Western States for oil, natural gas and hydrogen pipelines and electricity transmission and distribution facilities.
“Corridor designation represents a major Federal action that may have significant environmental impact under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA),” said Doug Koza, Acting Colorado State Director. “An interagency programmatic EIS will be completed before corridors are designated so that States, the public and other interested parties may have the opportunity to be involved in scoping and planning for this process.”
After the PEIS is completed, the BLM will amend relevant land use plans as necessary to implement corridor designation on lands it manages. The Energy Policy Act requires that necessary updates to land use plans be completed by August 8, 2007.
Public scoping runs from October 5, 2005 through December 4, 2005, with a public scoping meeting scheduled in Denver on October 25, at the Colorado Convention Center, 700 14th Street (Denver, CO 80202).
Each scoping meeting will include two sessions, one from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. and another from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Representatives from the BLM and other federal agencies involved in preparing the PEIS will attend each scoping session to discuss corridor designation and take comments and questions from those attending.
More information about the corridor designation project is available online at http://corridoreis.anl.gov. This Website also includes the means to submit comments electronically and to subscribe to an email listservice for updates on the project.
The BLM manages 262 million surface acres, located mostly in 12 Western States, including Alaska – more land than any other Federal agency. With a budget of about $1.8 billion, the Bureau also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the U.S. Managing these lands gives the BLM a central role in implementing the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Acting as steward of numerous energy resources – coal, oil and gas, geothermal, hydropower, solar, wind, and biomass energy resources – is part of the agency’s multiple-use mission to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
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