Notice of Availability of a Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Yellowstone Pipeline Easement Renewal Across Trust and Allotted Lands on the Flathead Indian Reservation, MT

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs

Notice of Availability of a Final Environmental Impact Statement

for the Yellowstone Pipeline Easement Renewal Across Trust and Allotted

Lands on the Flathead Indian Reservation, MT

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the

proposed easement renewal on tribal and allotted lands on the Flathead

Indian Reservation, Montana, for an existing petroleum products

pipeline from Billings, Montana, to Spokane and Moses Lake, Washington,

is now available for public review. This notice is furnished in

accordance with Council on Environmental Quality Regulations, 40 CFR

1503 and 1506.9.

DATES: The public comment period closes on December 24, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be addressed to: Mr. Ernest Moran,

Superintendent, Flathead Agency, Box A, Pablo, MT 59855. Copies of the

FEIS are also available at this address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Ernest Moran at the above address,

by telephone at (406) 675-7200 ext. 260, or toll-free at (800) 695-

9305.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Yellowstone Pipe Line Company (YPL) had

a lease agreement with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of

the Flathead Nation (CSKT) for an easement from April 21, 1975, to

April 21, 1995, across trust lands. The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA),

which acts as the federal trustee for the lands, approved the lease.

The YPL wishes to renew the lease in order to continue using the

pipeline through the year 2016. The FEIS describes the proposed action,

alternatives and affected environment, and evaluates potential impacts.

The Proposed Action, is the renewal of YPL's existing easement

across trust lands, with added pipeline safety improvements. The action

would allow the YPL to continue serving the needs of military and

civilian consumers in the greater Spokane area for petroleum products.

The 10-inch pipeline currently 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 FEIS includes two alternatives, No Action and a Modified

Existing Route Alternative. The No Action alternative would not renew

the easement. Petroleum products would thus have to be transported to

the Spokane markets by means which cost more and pose more risk to the

environment than would the upgrading and use of the existing pipeline.

The Modified Existing Route Alternative has safety improvements

similar to those for the Proposed Action, but re-routes the pipeline

around areas where it may be unusually vulnerable to rupture from

natural hazards, and where the concentration of people and resources

that a pipeline rupture would adversely affect is unusually high. The

BIA has designated this as the Preferred Alternative.

The BIA has afforded the public the opportunity to participate in

the preparation of this FEIS. The Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS

was published in the Federal Register on September 15, 1994. Seven

scoping meetings followed between September 29, 1994, and November 21,

1994, in Pablo, Arlee, Frenchtown, St. Ignacious, Missoula and Hot

Springs, Montana, and Spokane, Washington.

While the Draft EIS was being prepared, four open houses and four

workshops were held during the week of February 20, 1995. These focused

on the alternative-route-screening analysis and the work plans for the

EIS studies. Information on these topics was also mailed to interested

individuals via newsletter, and distributed to information centers in

the vicinity of the study area. In addition, the EIS study team made

presentations to both the CSKT Tribal Council and Cultural Committees.

The Notice of Availability for the Draft EIS was published in the

Federal Register on April 26, 1995, with a 60 day public comment period

ending on June 24, 1995. During this period, five open house meetings

were held to inform the public about the Draft EIS alternatives, study

methods and results and to provide additional opportunity for public

comment.

Dated: November 7, 1995.

Ada E. Deer,

Assistant Secretary, Indian Affairs.

[FR Doc. 95-28612 Filed 11-22-95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310-02-P