Kinder Morgan seeks county permission to survey pipeline route across Duchesne County property

Heather Ivy, landman for Kinder Morgan, asked the Duchesne County Commission to allow her company to survey a proposed Section 8 lateral pipeline that would cross property owned by Duchesne County and Duchesne City, including airport property, during the commission’s regular meeting.

Ivy said the lateral is roughly four to five miles and would include an 8-inch sales line and a 4-inch residue line. She described a preliminary engineering drawing that showed multiple tie-ins and temporary workspaces and asked the commission for permission to conduct a field survey and return with formal survey results and an easement proposal. “Just permission to survey,” Ivy said when commissioners clarified the immediate request.

The county chair and other commissioners probed routing options, temporary workspace, and potential impacts on county facilities. Ivy told the commission most of the route would hug the county’s gravel-pit boundary and that the orange line in the presentation reflected a preliminary centerline while blue lines indicated temporary construction workspace. She estimated the permanent easement would be a 30-foot strip with an additional roughly 40 feet for construction access; the final measurement would follow an official survey.

Commissioners also asked about site management after construction. Ivy offered to add a stipulation requiring operator weed-control and confirmed operations staff would assume responsibility for ongoing maintenance once the line was placed into service. Commissioners asked whether a fence could be located up to the easement edge; Ivy said the operator typically allows at least 10 feet from the line for safety on low-pressure residue lines and could accommodate fencing to the easement boundary.

After staff and commissioners discussed timing, Ivy said the company expected construction in January and initial service in May, contingent on contractor selection and final agreements. Commissioner (Speaker 2) moved to allow Kinder Morgan to complete their survey “pursuant to further discussions,” a motion that was seconded and approved by the commission.

The commission’s vote grants survey permission only; it does not approve a permanent easement or any pipeline construction. Ivy said Kinder Morgan would return with survey results and a formal easement proposal for the commission’s further review.

Next steps: staff will accept the survey when submitted, review any proposed easement terms (including requested weed-control stipulations), and return the project to the commission for authorization of any permanent conveyance or construction-related approvals.