Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Yellowstone Pipeline Rights-of-Way Renewal Across Trust and Allotted Lands of the Flathead Indian Reservation, Montana

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs

Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Yellowstone

Pipeline Rights-of-Way Renewal Across Trust and Allotted Lands of the

Flathead Indian Reservation, Montana

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of DEIS and public hearing dates.

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SUMMARY: The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) is for the

proposed renewal of rights-of-way for an existing petroleum products

pipeline. Constructed in 1954, this pipeline transports gasoline,

diesel fuel, and jet fuel from refineries in Billings, Montana, 588

miles west to Spokane and Moses Lake, Washington. A portion of the

pipeline crosses both tribal and allotted trust lands on the Flathead

Indian Reservation in northwestern Montana.

The Yellowstone Pipe Line Company (YPL) and the Confederated Salish

and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation (CSKT) executed a lease

agreement for these trust lands for the period April 21, 1975, through

April 21, 1995. It was approved by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA),

which serves as the federal trustee for the lands. The YPL requested a

renewal of its lease from the CSKT in order to continue operating the

pipeline through the year 2016.

A third party consultant, L.W. Reed Consultants, Inc. of Fort

Collins, Colorado, is preparing the EIS for the BIA. They signed

vouchers saying that they have no interest in the final decision of the

BIA and have no conflict of interests involving YPL. The BIA required

that YPL fund the EIS.

This notice is published pursuant to Sec. 1503.1 of the Council on

Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR, Parts 1500 through 1508)

implementing the procedural requirements of the National Environmental

Policy Act of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), Department of

Interior Manual (516 DM 1-6) and is in the exercise of authority

delegated to the Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs by 209 DM 8.

DATES: Public hearings on the DEIS will be held on the following dates:

Thursday, May 11; Monday, May 15; Tuesday, May 16; Wednesday, May 17;

and Thursday, May 18. Written comments must arrive on or before June

26, 1995, at the address given below. We will consider all comments

received during this period in preparing the Final EIS.

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be submitted at the public meetings, or

sent to: Mr. Ernest Moran, Superintendent, Flathead Agency, Box A,

Pablo, MT 59855.

Public hearings on the DEIS will be held at the following locations

and times: Cavanaugh's River Inn, Spokane, WA, Thursday May 11, 7 p.m.;

Ruby's Reserve Street Inn, Missoula, MT, Monday May 15, 7 p.m.; St.

Ignatius Community Center, St. Ignatius, MT, Tuesday May 16, 4 p.m.;

CSKT Tribal Complex, Pablo, MT, Wednesday May 17, 11 a.m.; Tribal

Senior Citizens Center, Hot Springs, MT, Thursday May 18, 4 p.m.

If you would like a copy of this DEIS, please contact Mr. Lanny

Reed, Lanny Reed Consultants Inc., 516 Spring Canyon Court, Fort

Collins, Colorado 80525, or call toll-free at (800) 695-9305. We have

sent copies of the DEIS to all agencies and individuals who previously

requested them.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Jim Beyer, Flathead Agency Box A,

Pablo, Montana 59855, telephone (406) 675-7200 ext. 260, or you may

call toll-free at (800) 695-9305.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of the Interior classifies

the renewal of an existing right-of-way ``where there would be

essentially no change in use and continuation would not lead to

environmental degradation'' as a Categorical Exclusion under NEPA. In

this case, two large spills and five smaller ones on the Reservation

during the life of the pipeline indicated that continuation might lead

to significant environmental degradation. Therefore, the Superintendent

of the Flathead Agency, BIA, in consultation with the CSKT, decided

that an EIS would be required prior to any federal decision concerning

lease renewal.

The Proposed Action consists of the YPL's request to renew existing

rights-of-way across trust lands, with added pipeline safety

improvements. The action is needed in order to continue: (1) Operation

of the pipeline to serve the needs of the public; (2) transportation of

[[Page 20503]] refined petroleum products to consumers in the greater

Spokane area; and (3) transportation of military jet fuel to Fairchild

Air Force Base in Spokane. The pipeline now supplies approximately 34

percent of all consumer gasoline and diesel fuel to the Spokane market,

100 percent of the military jet fuel to the Fairchild Air Force Base,

and 100 percent of the commercial jet fuel to the Grant County Airport,

which supports the Boeing Aircraft and the Japan Air Lines pilot test

programs.

The Proposed Action would allow continued use of the existing

rights-of-way, with additional safety improvements designed to improve

the maintenance of the pipe, the detection of leaks and ruptures,

should they occur, and the containment of any product spills. These

safety improvements include: (1) Hydrostatic pressure testing every 10

years to identify weak place in the pipeline; (2) instrumented ``smart

pig'' testing every 10 years to detect areas of corrosion that might

lead to leakage or rupture; (3) monthly ``shut-in'' testing to detect

low volume leakage; (4) close interval survey of cathodic protection

every 10 years; and (5) better, all-weather, spill contingency

planning.

The No Action alternative would deny renewal of the rights-of-way.

Petroleum products would thus have to reach the Spokane area markets

through alternate modes of transportation.

Because the response to market vacuum resulting from this

alternative would be market-driven, it is difficult to predict. Most

likely, for the first six months following cessation of pipeline

service from Missoula, Montana, product would be supplied by truck from

Missoula and from Pasco, Washington; by rail car from Seattle,

Washington, or Portland, Oregon; and by a slight increase in flow in

the Chevron pipeline from Pasco to Spokane. In the six month to four

year period, it is likely that flow in the Chevron pipeline would

increase and that shipment by barge would replace shipment by rail,

thus increasing traffic on the Columbia River from Portland to Pasco.

A Modified Existing Route Alternative would use the safety

improvements identified in the proposed action. It would also re-route

the pipeline around five identified sensitive areas in order to reduce

(1) the chance of rupture due to stream scour and/or ground movement

during earthquakes and (2) the exposure of people, cultural and aquatic

resources, and other sensitive receptors in those areas to the adverse

effects of petroleum products. This alternative would add four remote

control block valves and two new check valves, designed to reduce the

volume of product spilled by drain-down in the event of rupture.

Dated: April 21, 1995.

Ada E. Deer,

Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.

[FR Doc. 95-10220 Filed 4-25-95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310-02-P