U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT NEWS RELEASE
Nevada State Office
Nevada State Office
| Contacts: | Mark Mackiewicz | , 435-636-3616 | , mmackiew@blm.gov |
Ruby Pipeline Starts Delivery of Natural Gas
Reno, Nev.--The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has authorized Ruby Pipeline, LLC (Ruby) to start service on the Ruby Pipeline. The pipeline is a 42-inch diameter, 678-mile interstate natural gas pipeline that crosses 368 miles of Federal land beginning near Opal, Wyo., through northern Utah and northern Nevada, and ending near Malin, Ore.
The Ruby Pipeline Project was initiated in March 2008. In January 2010, FERC and eight Cooperating Agencies, including the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service released the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Ruby Pipeline Project.
The project was approved for construction by FERC on April 5, 2010, and the right-of-way grant and plan of development were approved by a Record of Decision issued by the BLM on July 12, 2010. The BLM issued Notices to Proceed for each segment in which all conditions and stipulations were met by Ruby.
Ruby is restoring the construction site, and restoration, final stabilization and final clean-up is scheduled to be completed this year. The FERC and the BLM will continue to closely monitor and evaluate restoration progress along the entire pipeline right-of-way for several years.
Questions concerning the project may be directed to Mark Mackiewicz, BLM National Project Manager, c/o 125 South 600 West, Price, UT 84501 or mmackiew@blm.gov.
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.