BLM Seeks Scoping Comments on Northern Border Pipeline EA

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT NEWS RELEASE
Havre Field Office

Release Date: 04/11/11

Contacts:

Kirsten Boyle 406-262-2829

BLM Seeks Scoping Comments on Northern Border Pipeline EA

The Bureau of Land Management’s HiLine District Office (BLM) is seeking public scoping comments on the Northern Border Pipeline’s continuing operation and maintenance activities on public lands. The scoping comments will assist in preparing an environmental assessment (EA) analyzing the renewal of the pipeline’s right-of-way grants.

The right-of-way grants will be renewed as required by law and federal regulations, however BLM must decide whether to continue using the existing terms and conditions or to revise them. Some of the preliminary issues raised during BLM’s internal scoping include public safety, boater safety, wildlife, invasive and noxious weeds, and soil erosion.

This pipeline is also known as the Eastern Segment of the Alaska Natural Gas Transportation System. The original grants were issued in 1981, and will expire in 2011. Those grants authorized a 42 inch, buried natural gas pipeline across approximately 21 miles of public lands managed by the BLM, U.S. Forest Service, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Phillips and Valley counties, Montana, and McKenzie, Dunn, Morton, and Emmons counties, North Dakota. Facilities for operating the pipeline are included in the grants. The entire pipeline runs approximately 1,200 miles from the Canada/Montana border to the Chicago, Illinois, area.

Please provide feedback or comments by email at MT_Havre_FS@blm.gov or in writing to the BLM, Havre Field Office, Attn: Kirsten Boyle, 3990 Hwy 2 West, P.O. Box 911, Havre, MT 59501. To be most useful, scoping comments should be received by May 15, 2011.

Copies of the EA will be provided to all who respond if personal contact information is included. However, before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your comment(s), you should be aware that your entire comment(s) – including your personal identifying information – may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment(s) to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

If you have questions or would like more information regarding this environmental assessment, please call Kirsten Boyle, at (406) 262-2829.

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.

--BLM--

Havre Field Office 3990 Hwy 2 West Havre, MT 59501

Last updated: 06-28-2012