[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