Ruby Natural Gas Pipeline Project would cut through nearly pristine desert land

Ruby Pipeline, LLC, (hereafter termed “Ruby”) has proposed a 672-mile natural gas pipeline of which 360 miles are proposed in northern nevada, mostly through public land. The pipeline would stretch from opal, Wyoming to a terminus at malin, oregon, a major hub for natural gas. it will disturb nearly 20,000 acres in nevada alone during construction and result in a permanent roW for maintenance through nevada high desert steppe that is largely devoid of development or infrastructure of any sort.

The project, under FERC jurisdiction, necessitated an eis. This eis was done in approximately 11 months, ending with the FEIS official publication on January 15, 2010. This is an extremely short time relative to the scale of the project and relative to eis cycles for Blm or Usfs actions in nevada.

Local conservation leaders for the Toiyabe Chapter of the Sierra Club have participated in the eis process since its inception. in studying this issue, we have met with, or have been in contact with, BLM officials, Nevada Depart- ment of Wildlife staff, senator reid’s staff, other nGos, tribal representa- tives, and personnel from ruby itself.

This rushed EIS was done in such a manner that the public did not have ad- equate documentation to fully comment on the draft eis. The preferred route through nevada is essentially a straight line below the oregon/idaho border with nevada, passing mostly through nearly pristine public land.

Our major concern is that the eis did not study route alternatives which would have much less environmental impact and which should include a large segment of the designated West-WideEnergy Corridor in Nevada. Instead, the preferred route would disturb an alarming amount of sage-grouse habitat at the time that this species is being con- sidered for listing by the Usf&Ws.

Although alternative routes which appeal to us would add expense to the construction of the project, it is widely agreed among conservationists that the environmental impact would be significantly less. at the time of this writing, we are awaiting the FERC decision on whether to let construction proceed.

Our last administrative option would be to appeal the FERC decision. After the FERC decision, the BLM must issue a Record of Decision (ROD), based on the feis. This roD would govern construction of the project through Blm lands, the restoration of these lands, and many other factors surrounding the project.

What you can do. for a single action, this project will potentially have the largest impact on public land in nevada since the creation of the nevada Test site. Because we are dedicated to pro- tecting nevada’s lands and wildlife, we need to do everything we can to make sure this project doesn’t happen.

For more information, contact David von Seggern (vonseg1@sbcglobal.net)