The Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Departments of Energy, Agriculture, Commerce and Defense have released a draft programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS) for public review and comment. The draft proposes designation of energy transport corridors on federal lands in 11 western states in accordance with Section 368 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
The proposed energy corridors would facilitate future siting of oil, gas and hydrogen pipelines and electricity transmission and distribution on federal lands in the West to help address growing energy demand while protecting the environment.
Eighty-four percent of the corridors proposed and analyzed in the draft PEIS are located on BLM-managed lands, while 14% are on USDA Forest Service lands. The remaining fractional percentages are on lands managed by the Department of the Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation and National Park Service or the Department of Defense.
Interested members of the public, government agencies, American Indian tribes, states, and nongovernmental organizations are invited to submit comments on the draft PEIS.
The agencies will solicit comments during a 90-day public comment period on the draft PEIS. Public meetings will be held in each of the 11 states — Oregon, Washington, California, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Utah, Montana, New Mexico, Wyoming, Idaho — and Washington, D.C. During this period, briefings and consultation will continue to occur with each governor's office, tribes, Congress and historic preservation officials.
To submit comments and to review the draft PEIS, go to corridoreis.anl.gov.
