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Show i Pipeline issue I heating up - : By JUDY JENSEN Editor : BOUNTIFUL-Thc fight against : the Wasatch Variation of the Kern ; RiverW yCal is heating up. : The recent announcement by the ; Forest Service to allow not one, but two pipelines to be built across the foothills above Bountiful has solidified the opposition in their efforts to stop the project. Bountiful City and Bountiful Hills Residents and Concerned : Citizens Association (BHRCCA) have vowed to fight the Forest Service Ser-vice decision. That decision was made after a study by the Forest Service to decide if two pipelines would be more detrimental to the envir-onment. envir-onment. Forest Supervisor for the Wasatch-Cache national forest, Susan Giannettio stated in her deci- Osion, "I will allow two pipelines to be constructed in closely parallel 5 trenches if done concurrently. The right-of-way will not be established as a utility corridor. The pipelined) will be allowed only as one-time variance. " The Forest Service decision opens the way for two competing pipeline companies, Kern River Gas Transmission Company and Wyoming-California (WyCal) Pipeline Co., to build 36-inch natural gas pipelines through the Wasatch Variation, a five-mile stretch of land which crosses Mueller Park. Both companies were issued "optional expedited certificates of public convenience and necessity" by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in 1989, a move that is already being challenged in court by pipeline opponents. Democratic candidate for the 1 st Congressional District, Kenley Brunsdale, is representing the BHRCCA in its legal battle. He has announced he will the Forest Service Ser-vice decision to allow two pipelines. Brunsdale said he questions the quality of the study which indicates the environmental impact of two pipelines would be no greater with two pipelines. Brunsdale said their -, findings were based on superficial . studies. The pipeline issue has become a political football with charges and counter-charges being levied by Brunsdale and his Republican opponent, op-ponent, James. V. Hansen. Brunsdale has accused Hansen of "saying one thing and doing another" an-other" with respect to the pipeline project. On Feb. 20, 1990 Hansen introduced H.R. 4023 to stop the Wasatch Variation natural gas pipeline route. In a KTVX Channel 4 news report on June 21, John Harrington reported "Hansen put out a news release touting the legislation, but less than two weeks later, Hansen press secretary, Rick Gulden, told the California Energy Market's newsletter, a gas industry business bulletin, that Hansen did not oppose the Wasatch Variation, but in some cases only wanted to move the pipeline routing 'a few hundred feet off the planned route. At a news conference last week, pipeline opponents met in front of Hansen's campaign headquarters to challenge the congressman to be more responsive to his constituents. Dave Brown, spokesman for the BHRCCA, accused Hansen of ignoring ig-noring a perfect opportunity to advance ad-vance his pipeline bill out of committee. com-mittee. Brown said "Since May of 1988, Hansen has told his constituents consti-tuents and opponents of the Wasatch Wa-satch Variation that he would help us prevent it. Since introduction of H.R. 4023, Jim Hansen has done nothing to assure or work for its passage." Brown said Hansen could have stopped the pipeline by adding an amendment to H.R. 557, a bill that abolishes the 60-day review period for pipelines crossing federal lands, ' but he didn 't even make a speech," said Brown. Hansen submitted written opposition oppo-sition to the bill. He said the bill would take away his congressional rights to protect forest service decisions. deci-sions. Brown said the BHRCCA is proceeding pro-ceeding with legal opposition to the Forest Service decision. Extending from Wyoming to California, the total length of pipeline is over 800 miles. Now that the pipeline use of National Forest lands in the three Utah Forests has been approved, the Forest Service will begin finalizing mitigation plans and issuance of right-of-way grants. |
