BLM signs Record of Decision for Kern River Delta Lateral Project
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FILLMORE, Utah — In support of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s 2022 certification of the Kern River Delta Lateral Project, the Bureau of Land Management today authorized a 24-inch-diameter high pressure natural gas pipeline and ancillary facilities on 6.9 miles of BLM-managed public land in Millard County, Utah. The BLM will issue a 30-year right-of-way grant and a temporary use permit to construct and operate the pipeline.
The approximately 36-mile project crosses BLM, state of Utah and private land, and connects the existing Kern River pipeline system north of Holden, Utah, to the existing Intermountain Power Project, north of Delta, Utah. The facility currently generates electricity using coal and the switch to natural gas is a step in the project’s goal of transitioning to 100 percent hydrogen fuel by 2045.
“We are committed to meeting the public’s energy needs while considering all potential impacts to the land and resources we manage,” said BLM West Desert District Manager Michael Gates.
The Kern River Delta Lateral Project will be constructed between Spring 2023 and Spring 2024 and the pipeline’s construction workforce will average 200 workers.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is the lead federal agency under the National Environmental Policy Act for the project, and the BLM is a cooperating agency. The Final Environmental Impact Statement published on Feb. 25, 2022, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission certified that project on May 19, 2022.
The record of decision and Final EIS can be viewed on the BLM’s NEPA planning website: https://bit.ly/3Wf8540.
For more information about the project, contact BLM Fillmore Field Manager, Cindy Ledbetter, at cledbett@blm.gov.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.