And now:[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Date: Thu, 18 Nov 1999 11:25:54 -0700 To: "Wild Rockies Alerts" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> From: Wild Rockies InfoNet <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: A PIPELINE RUNS THROUGH IT Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed" From: "Judi Brawer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> A PIPELINE RUNS THROUGH IT The proposed re-route of the Yellowstone Pipeline (YPL) threatens water quality, native fish, wetlands, old growth, roadless areas and wildlife. Comments are due on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement on Monday, November 22. The proposal consists of two related actions: 1. Granting of a Special-Use Permit for the Yellowstone Pipeline Company for the construction and operation of a new pipeline segment between Missoula and Plains, Montana, to reconnect their Billings, Montana, to Moses Lake, Washington, YPL system. 2. Changes to the existing pipeline for renewal of a Special-Use Permit for a right -of-way easement across National Forest System lands between Missoula and Kingston, Idaho. Why does YPL need to reconnect their pipeline? Because the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes kicked YPL off their land due to YPLs failure to clean-up spills that impacted water quality and native trout. Why does YPL need changes to the existing pipeline for renewal of the permit? Because the current pipeline is having chronic impacts on streams and fisheries habitat inconsistent with Forest Plans and the Inland Native Fish Strategy (INFISH). Without changes, repairs and mitigation measures, the chronic damage will continue. There are a total of six alternatives which propose different new routes and varied changes to the existing pipeline: * The action proposed and favored by the Pipeline Company is the 67 mile Ninemile Valley East route that connects Missoula and Plains using a route following a portion of the Montana Rail Line Right of Way along Interstate 90 and through the eastern portion of the Ninemile valley. * Two other alternatives impact the Ninemile valley, which contains significant wildlife and fisheries habitat. * Another alternative follows I-90 all the way to Kingston Idaho, while another follows I-90 and then heads north at St. Regis to parallel the Clark Fork River and tie into the existing pipeline at Weeksville near Plains. * Included is a "no action" alternative which would continue truck and rail transport of products between Missoula and Thompson Falls. The "no action" would also renew YPL's lease across National Forest Lands from Plains to Kingston without subjecting YPL to any new permit conditions. The favored Ninemile East route requires: * 71.2 miles of new pipe across almost 25 miles of federal land, 2 miles of state land and over forty miles of private land. * 60 stream crossings, and the existing pipeline to be renewed has 104 stream crossings. * Two major stream crossings on the Clark Fork River. The pipeline to be renewed has 5 existing stream crossings on the Clark Fork River and 20 crossings on the Coeur d'Alene river in Idaho. The permit renewal proposal would eliminate 15 crossings of the Coeur d'Alene river. * Over fifty miles of road reconstruction POTENTIAL IMPACTS AND ISSUES Wildlife: Construction of the Right of Way (ROW) for the pipeline is similar to road construction, and would have similar impacts including habitat and migration corridor fragmentation and wildlife displacement. The ROW would be maintained at 50 feet wide, clear of trees and brushy vegetation. Logging and soil disturbance are required to construct the ROW. These impacts would be permanent and could severely fragment wildlife habitat, especially in portions of the undisturbed habitat in the Ninemile Valley. In addition, the ROW may lead to increased and illegal off-road vehicle use. * Potential significant impacts to wildlife from ROW construction and maintenance, spills, and clean-up activities include destruction of wolverine denning habitat, and removal of elk and lynx security habitat. The area of greatest sensitivity to impacts on the threatened gray wolves is along the Ninemile Valley East route. * There is potential for the pipeline to result in a "take" on endangered, threatened or proposed species, or to lead to the listing of other wildlife species. This is in violation of the Endangered Species Act. * The pipeline may also impact hunting and wildlife viewing because of wildlife displacement, habitat and migration corridor fragmentation, and increased and illegal motorized use. Wetlands: Construction of any of the new pipeline routes could cause significant impacts on wetlands, including impacts from clearing of vegetation causing alteration of the wetland, creating conditions optimal for weed infestation, and increasing access to wetlands to livestock and other browsing wildlife. Leaks and spills would have additional serious impacts. Vegetation: All of the routes through the Ninemile valley adversely affect whitebark pine stands, and all of the alternatives impact old growth forests. This may have significant impacts on old growth-dependent wildlife species. Roadless Areas: Two of the routes proposed through the Ninemile Valley would impact Inventoried Roadless Areas on the Lolo National Forest. The proposed alternative would cross 1.5 miles of the North Siegel Roadless Area and parallels it for another five miles, along a road. Another route proposed across the Ninemile Divide would cross eight miles of the Stark Mountain Roadless Area. Potential impacts include wildlife displacement during construction and maintenance, increased access by motorized vehicles that will illegally use the ROW as a road, and disruption of the natural integrity and solitude of the roadless area. In the Ninemile Divide alternative the ROW cuts through the very center of the roadless area. This could, in fact, impact the viability of several roadless sections by segmenting them from the main roadless area. Groundwater Quality: There is a high density of water wells along the pipeline routes in the Missoula Valley. The beginning of the new route between Missoula and Huson would cross the Missoula Aquifer, a sole source aquifer that serves the City of Missoula and other surrounding areas. There are also water wells along other portions of the pipeline that may be impacted by spills or leakage. Surface Water Quality: Impacts to water quality include increased sedimentation and the discharge of chemical contaminants into streams from construction and maintenance activities, and potential leaks and spills. The Forest Service claims that construction impacts can be reduced to non-significant levels through the use of mitigation measures. Significant and unavoidable impacts may occur from spills. * The new route will cross from 28 to 34 streams that have been evaluated as so impaired that they could not sustain any further impacts. * Within the newly constructed pipeline route, the miles of streams at high risk from spills ranges from 140 miles to over 190 miles. The "no action" alternative, which would continue truck and rail transport of products, will result in 290-over 310 miles of stream at high risk from spills. * Three of the alternatives would locate portions of the pipeline adjacent to sections of the Clark For River proposed by the Lolo National Forest as suitable for "Recreation River" designations under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. Fisheries: All alternatives adversely affect bull trout (a threatened species) and westslope cutthroat trout (sensitive and petitioned for listing as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act). Potential impacts are from construction, operation and maintenance, leaks and accidental spills which may cause increased sedimentation, increased pollutants, and loss of protective streamside riparian habitat. * The new route will cross between 61 to 77 westslope cutthroat trout streams, and 20 to 30 bull trout streams. These crossings will have potentially significant impacts to these streams. This may result in a "take" of the bull trout, in violation of the Endangered Species Act. * None of the new route alternatives comply with the Inland Native Fish Strategy (INFISH), which amended the Forest Plans for certain National Forests to provide additional protections for bull trout and other inland native fish such as westslope cutthroat trout from habitat degrading activities in riparian areas. There will be direct and significant impacts on Riparian Habitat Conservation Areas and all of the alternatives will retard the attainment of Riparian Management Objectives. None of the alternatives were developed to avoid these impacts and comply with INFISH. * In addition, none of the proposed revisions to the existing pipeline permit were designed to comply with the Forest Plans as amended by INFISH. SPILL RECORD Dating back to 1954 when the pipeline was first permitted, the pipeline has had 78 spills. For 64 of these spills there is no record of any emergency response to clean-up these spills which leaked hundreds of thousands of gallons of gasoline, diesel, oil, fuel, and kerosene into soils and surface water. In fact, there is evidence of slow, or no response by YPL to clean-up their spills. OTHER ISSUES Why address re-permitting the YPL only from Missoula, Montana to Kingston, Idaho? Why not address all federal lands crossed by the YPL on its route from Billings, Montana to Moses Lake, Washington? CONCLUSION The proposed construction of a new YPL route and the re-permitting of a portion of the pipeline may cause significant environmental impacts. In fact, none of the alternatives are viable because they do not comply with water quality and land management laws such as the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act and the National Forest Management Act. The Forest Service needs to go back to the drawing board and develop a range of alternatives that complies with federal and state laws and that will not adversely impact water quality, native fish and wildlife species, roadless areas, old growth, wetlands, and recreation opportunities. Send comments to: Deborah Austin Lolo Forest Supervisor C/o CAET: YPL 200 E. Broadway P.O. Box 7669 Missoula, MT 59807 ************************************************************************ This list is a public service provided by WIN: http://www.wildrockies.org Reprinted under the Fair Use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html doctrine of international copyright law. <><<<<<>>>>><><<<<> Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ <><<<<<>>>>><><<<<>
