BLM seeks comments on natural gas pipeline project in gorge
Río Grande Gorge Bridge as photographed in 2007.
The public has until Feb. 10 to comment on a draft environmental assessment regarding the relocation of 6 miles of a natural gas line in the Río Grande Gorge canyon along State Road 68.
The proposed project would be located primarily on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands, starting northwest of Rinconada and ending northeast of Pilar, according to a news release from the BLM.
The proposal is for the relocation of approximately 6 miles of the New Mexico Gas Co.’s “Taos Mainline.” It is a natural gas utility pipeline that serves as the only purveyor of natural gas to the communities of Taos, Questa and Red River.
New Mexico Gas Co. filed an application for a right of way to relocate a portion of the natural gas pipeline, according to the release. The project was put forth to address “stress related to the location of the existing pipeline within landslide-prone areas.”
If approved, construction of the proposed pipeline would begin in August 2017 and last approximately four months, according to the BLM.
The draft environmental assessment (EA) is used to assess the potential impacts of three courses of action: the proposed relocation, no relocation or another alternative.
The 30-day public comment period on the EA — mandated by the federal National Environmental Policy Act — began Jan. 10.
The public is encouraged to review the draft EA, available at eplanning.blm.gov. Copies of the draft EA may also be viewed at the BLM Taos Field Office.
Public comments can be submitted to the BLM via email at blm_nm_tafo_comments@blm.gov, by fax at (575) 758-1620 or by mail to Bureau of Land Management, c/o Brad Higdon, 226 Cruz Alta Road, Taos, NM 87571.
