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http://www.omniture.com --> Email Story to a Friend June 6, 2006 Gas line would cross upper Rogue region By paul fattig Mail Tribune A proposed 225-mile natural gas pipeline from Coos Bay to the lower Klamath Basin would cross through the upper Rogue River region near Shady Cove. Known as the Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline, it would link the proposed Jordan Cove liquefied natural gas terminal in Coos Bay to the major natural gas transmission line at Malin near the California state line. "We see it as a natural to provide gas supplies to the Pacific Northwest and the region," said Michele Swaner, spokeswoman for Williams Pacific Connector Gas Operator LLC, based in Salt Lake City. The pipeline and the Jordan Cove natural gas terminal, where ships could unload supplies, would provide an additional source of natural gas from overseas to the Pacific Northwest, California and Nevada markets, she said. All of the West Coast's natural gas supplies currently come from Canada or the Rocky Mountain area, she added. Three feet in diameter, the pipeline would deliver as much as one billion cubic feet of natural gas per day. The pipeline will be jointly owned by the Williams Pacific firm, Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. and Fort Chicago Energy Partners LP. The total cost is estimated to be between $700 million and $850 million, Swaner said. Construction on the pipeline is expected to begin in summer 2009 and be completed sometime in 2010. An open house to discuss the project with property owners who may be directly affected and other interested parties is planned from 4 to 7 p.m. June 15 at the Shady Cove Grange Hall, 95 Chapparal Drive, Shady Cove. A variety of experts will be on hand, Swaner said, noting that maps showing the likely route will be posted. "We are hoping people will come and look at the proposed route," Swaner said. "They will be able to ask all kinds of questions. One thing they need to remember is that the route is a changing thing. This map is at best preliminary right now. "But the open house is a great chance to participate in the process as it develops," she added. The pipeline will run from Coos Bay to Roseburg, where it will intercept a meter station then run southeast to the Shady Cove area, then over the Cascade Range to Malin. In addition to passing through numerous parcels of private land, the pipeline also would cross through some 40 miles of U.S. Bureau of Land Management land and 30 miles of national forest. If built, the pipeline is expected to cross portions of the BLM's Coos Bay, Roseburg, Medford and Lakeview districts as well as sections of the Umpqua, Rogue River-Siskiyou and Fremont-Winema national forests. The portion including the BLM's Lakeview District includes part of the western section of the Klamath Falls' field office. Because of the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, the BLM has jurisdiction over the right-of-way application. It has approved survey activities by the applicant for the proposed route. "All costs associated with the process will be paid by the applicant," said John Styduhar, a BLM official working on the project. In addition, an initial rental charge and an annual rent also will be required, he said, noting figures will be determined by the exact amount of pipeline that ultimately crosses federal land. Both the BLM and the Forest Service will be working closely with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission FERC, the lead agency in the process. "The big concern may not be crossing the Forest Service or the BLM land but crossing all the private, state, county and tribal lands," said Jake O'Dowd, the Forest Service's manager on the project. "There are a lot of people out there." The diversity of ownership does present a challenge, acknowledged Swaner. "We want to work with landowners," she said. "After we put the pipeline in, we return the land to its natural state as close as possible. We try to cause as little disruption as we can." A right of way across a parcel doesn't change ownership, she said. "When we buy an easement, we aren't buying the land," she said. "Property owners still own the land. We are simply buying the right to put the pipeline through." She declined to discuss the cost per foot to the builder, noting it depends on several factors, including market value. The U.S. Department of Transportation requires that the top of the pipe must be at least 30 inches below the surface of the ground. The firm will dig a trench at least five or six feet deep to bury the metal pipe, which will be coated with a material to retard corrosion, according to the firm. The pipe will be buried even deeper at places such as the Rogue River and road crossings. "Going under a stream or river is hugely expensive," she said, adding that a process known as "horizontal directional drilling" is used under streams. The decision to cross over or drill under a waterway is decided on a case-by-case basis, she said. "This is a long process," Swaner said. "We won't have anything operational until 2010." Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] . Advertisement s Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. 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