Brigham City landowners oppose natural gas line

By Amy Macavinta

October 21, 2008 | BRIGHAM CITY -- Ruby Pipeline Project, LLC -- part of El Paso Corp. based in Houston -- calls its proposed 42-inch pipeline through Northern Utah "a win-win project for natural gas cunsumers and producers."

Landowners call it the loss of a legacy they have worked a lifetime for. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has spent the last six months taking such statements into consideration and is planning on completing an environmental impact statement that will help determine if the Northern Utah route it the best one.

A number of hearings were held in April, and a second round was held last week, including a meeting Thursday night at the senior center. Only a handful of people took the opportunity to address Dave Swearingen, the environmental project manager for FERC. One of those was Jared Johnson, speaking on behalf of Brigham City Corp.

While the bulk of his comments were offered to FERC in writing, he did voice the city's concern with the impact on construction of the gas line, largely due to its proximity to a fault line identified by the USGS. The city's water sources are a concern as well.

"I have 18,500 people I have to respond to and supply water to," said Johnson. "An interupption of service is not an option."

There was no one present representing Box Elder County.

The project has the backing of the the Bureau of Land Management , which is listed as a cooperating agency in the process of gathering public input.

Most of the speakers from last week's meeting were from Weber County, with the exception of Lane Schumann, representing Arimo Corp. and the C Bar Cattle Co.

Arimo Corp. owns property in the west desert, land that is used for winter range for their cattle. Schumann said he is concerned about re-vegetation of the land after the pipe is installed, saying it would draw cattle closer to the highway, increasing the hazard to motorists passing through the area.

To date, this area has been an open grazing area. Schumann suggested Ruby Pipeline Project fence the grazing area on completion.

The gas line, as it is proposed now, would pass through the northern edge of Brigham City, continuing west through Box Elder County. The company has provided a basic maps showing the path of the pipeline, however, more details are available at www.stoprubypipeline.org, a Cache Valley group in opposition to the pipeline. Their website includes PDF images of the specific regions to affected by the proposed route.

Some of those regions include Salt Wells, Kelton Pass, Thatcher Mountain and Lampo Junction.

The total project consists of almost 700 miles of 42" pipe starting near Kemmerer, Wyo. and supplying gas to Malin, Oregon, on the Oregon/California border.

Ruby Pipeline is in the process of securing easements from private landowners, but have stated they will acquire the required right-of-way by eminent domain if necessary. The company will require at least 115-foot right-of-way, which would be reduced to 50 feet for maintenance when the line line is operational.

The line will be buried between 3 1/2 and 4 1/2 feet deep, depending upon the land use. Swearinger said it is extremely important that landowners participate fully in the hearings so the company has every opportunity to address their concerns.

Dan Gredvig, the land and right-of-way supervisor for El Paso Corp. said on completion, the pipeline will be monitored continually, and it would be fitted with valves that can be shut off remotely in the event of a leak. The line will also be periodically inspected by by air and by foot to make sure the valves remain operational.

"El Paso is definitely very safety conscious and we build our pipelines with that in mind," he said.

Part of their safety procedures include maintaining an open line of communication between El Paso and local emergency service personnel.

However, some landowners remain skeptical of the process. Bruce Peterson owns land near Monte Cristo. He told FERC he has emailed Ruby Pipeline multiple times and had no response.

"How do I get answers from these people?" he asked. And then, he issued a personal invitation to Swearingen come sit on the front porch at his cabin, where Peterson says he has often watched moose and their calves.

"I paid good money and worked my butt off to have that be a part of my life," he said. "I don't want to see it destroyed."

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