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BLM briefs Fallon County on Bridger pipeline scoping; commissioners urged to submit substantive comments
Summary
A BLM field office representative described the Bridger pipeline scoping window, the extent of public land crossings and opportunities for county input; commissioners were told scoping closes May 1 and the draft EIS is expected this fall.
A Bureau of Land Management representative told Fallon County commissioners that the agency is wrapping up the scoping period for Bridger'submitted plans for a proposed 36-inch crude pipeline and asked the county to submit substantive scoping comments.
Eric Lipisto of the BLM Miles City Field Office said the proposed pipeline would run roughly 647 miles overall and cross about 64 miles of BLM-managed lands in Montana. The project would include multiple pump stations, temporary and permanent access corridors and an estimated 100-foot permanent right-of-way width with a 50-foot temporary construction corridor.
"We're in scoping now; it ends May 1. After we analyze comments we'll draft the EIS this fall," Lipisto told the commission, summarizing the BLM timeline and noting that cooperating-agency status allows counties earlier access to draft materials for technical review.
County staff asked about road impacts and haul agreements. Lipisto said Bridger has previously negotiated road-haul agreements that include pre- and post-assessments and either funding or manpower commitments for repairs; he encouraged Fallon County to evaluate temporary-access plans and to flag economic or resource impacts in scoping comments to ensure they are analyzed in the EIS.
Why it matters: The pipeline would cross multiple jurisdictions and private lands; scoping comments that raise specific, technical issues (access points, road use, hydrology, cultural resources, grazing and wildlife impacts) are those BLM expects to analyze in the draft environmental impact statement.
What's next: The commission asked staff to review the BLM materials and consider whether Fallon County should participate as a cooperating agency or formally submit substantive scoping comments on roads, access, and socioeconomic impacts.
