Environmental Study Will Consider Comments on
Impacts of Energy Corridors on Federal Lands in the West
After receiving hundreds of comments in response to the release of preliminary
working maps, the interagency team analyzing potential environmental
effects of designating energy corridors in 11 Western States has decided
that additional time will be needed to consider these comments as the
agencies conduct an environmental review of proposed corridor locations.
In order to ensure full consideration of the more than 200 comments
and suggestions on the preliminary maps, project managers from the Department
of Energy, the Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management,
the Department of Agriculture-Forest Service, and the Department of Defense
will take additional time to refine the alternatives to be presented
in the Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS).
The BLM and the Forest Service also must ensure that proposed routes
and the analysis of their impacts are consistent with the resource management
plans for lands they manage. The public will have an additional
opportunity to comment on the Draft PEIS after it is published.
In consultation with Indian Tribes, States, local governments and the
public, the four agencies are preparing the PEIS to implement Section
368 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which calls for designation of
energy corridors on Federal lands in 11 Western States for oil, natural
gas, and hydrogen pipelines and electricity transmission and distribution
facilities. The Act also sets a timeframe for completing the PEIS
and land-use plan amendments.
Corridors designated through this process will represent preferred locations
for pipelines and electricity transmission and distribution infrastructure
in the West. Future projects proposed for these corridors will
undergo further environmental review before necessary permits and rights-of-way
would be granted.
Details about the PEIS and opportunities for public involvement in the
designation are available on the project website, http://corridoreis.anl.gov .
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