Daniels County Agrees To MOU Regarding Bridger Pipeline Project
The Daniels County commissioners have agreed to a Memorandum of Understanding with the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management regarding the proposed Bridger Pipeline expansion project.
The purpose of the agreement is for preparing the Environmental Impact Statement for the Bridger Pipeline expansion.
Bridger Pipeline’s proposed project consists of a 647-mile, 36-inch buried crude oil pipeline and associated infrastructure that would traverse federal, state and private lands in Montana and Wyoming. The project would enter the United States from Canada in Phillips County and travel through the Montana counties of Valley, Daniels, Sheridan, Roosevelt, Richland, Wibaux, Fallon and Carter. Wyoming counties in the plan include Crook, Weston, Niobrara, Goshen and Platte.
Under the MOU, responsibilities for Daniels County include providing information, comments and technical expertise to the BLM regarding elements of the project, and the data and analysis supporting them, in which it has jurisdiction or special expertise, or for which the BLM requests assistance.
Daniels County may participate in activities including identifying issues to be addressed; arranging for the collection and/ or assembly of necessary resource, environmental, social, economic and institutional data; determining the purpose and need; consultation on a project schedule; development of the alternatives; evaluating alternatives and estimating the effects of implementing each alternative; and carrying out any other task necessary for the development of the environmental analysis and documentation.
BLM’s responsibilities will include involving Daniels County throughout the process including identifying issues to be addressed, arranging for the collection and/or necessary resource, environmental, social, economic and institutional data; determining the purpose and need; consultation on a project schedule; development of the alternatives; evaluating alternatives and estimating the effects of implementing each alternative; and carrying out any other task necessary for the development of the environmental analysis and documentation.
BLM will also seek early and consistent involvement with Daniels County, consider the comments, recommendations, data and/or analyses provided by Daniels County in the EIS process, giving particular consideration to those topics on which Daniels County is acknowledged to possess jurisdiction by law or special expertise.
Each party agrees to fund its own expenses associated with the Bridger Pipeline expansion project’s EIS process, except and unless the BLM and Daniels County enter into a separate contract or agreement for technical studies within Daniels County’s jurisdiction by law and/or special expertise.
