WSPC03460

• File Number: 8272
• Description: Colorado River - Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program - CRBSCP
• State: CO
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 1/1/1998
• Author: DOI-BOR
• Title: Trans-Colorado Gas Transmission Project - Colorado-New Mexico - Supplement to Final EIS
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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United States Department of the Interior

BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
Montrose District Office
2465 South Townsend
Montrose, Colorado 81401

Dear Reader:

Enclosed for your review and comment is the Draft Supplement to
the 1992 Final Environmental Impact Statement for the
TransColorado Gas Transmission (TransColorado) Project; Colorado
and New Mexico. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is the lead
agency for this project in cooperation with the U.S. Forest
Service (USFS). The TransColorado Project crosses lands managed
by the BLM in Montrose, Craig, and Grand Junction Districts in
Colorado and the Farmington District in New Mexico, and by the
USFS in the Uncompahgre/Grand Mesa/Gunnison and San Juan National
Forests.

After preparing a Draft and Final Environmental Impact Statement
(FEIS) in 1992, the BLM and USFS signed Records of Decision and
issued the right-of-way (ROW) grant and adjacent temporary use
permit for the construction, operation and maintenance of the
292-mile long TransCo1orado Gas Transmission pipeline from
Meeker, Colorado to Bloomfield, New Mexico. The Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a Certificate of Public
Convenience and Necessity for this project in June, 1994.
TransColorado completed 22.5 miles of the pipeline project in New
Mexico during 1996. TransColorado plans to construct the
remainder of the project during 1998.

This Draft Supplement to the FEIS updates resource information
gained since 1992, and addresses the environmental impacts of
construction, operation, maintenance and ultimate abandonment of
proposed:
1) route changes (greater than 100 feet from the centerline of
the existing ROW grant),
2) re-alignments (less than 100 feet from the centerline of
the existing ROW grant) ,
3) temporary use areas,
4) revised environmental protection measures,
5) conditions for realignments, and adjustments in temporary
use areas in the field during construction, and
6) re-authorization of a 25-foot temporary use area for the
length of the pipeline.

The purpose of this review of the Draft Supplement to the 1992
FEIS is to improve the impact analysis and the decision-making
process on the above listed proposed actions. We welcome your
comments. Written comments should be addressed to: