Public Comment. Volume III - Montana Legislature

v
6 -
c
U
:Preferable, maybe. Desirable? Hardly.
he C.S. Forest Seniu thisweek
declared a route paralleling
to
T
(D
Intenute 90 from Midr
-
. . kgston, Idaho, the "preferred* mute
o: Yellowstone Pipe Line Co. m build
2 new 'pcline to carq gasoline and
g ;:*I P ~ek.
fi The pipeline company doesn't like
kr, bemuse this is one of the most
fi -rpensiue pwsible router through
(D
-
Senice says this
route is preferred
IIIYUUW. The bccausc it appean
" Sorvjce to be the route
U) iestern Montana. But the Fmn
m
acating the last tible to rpik 112.
las named 'he impact on . ~ eo~le . I3Iic ratu supply vcl*
)referred route and the
or Yellow stone environment.
)ipeline's
Preferable to
what, thou@?
fissi~ link- BY Referable to
my rAe. the - running
kudpipelineis I&
pcline abng
L's desired
isky.
mute uu throunh
> the ~&rnilc
P. Vf ley? Maybe.
0 jut preferable 10 even worse
~!tcrnati~zs isn't the same 8s wjing the
ur rsidcnt-prone Y PL pi cline is
$ urdwlarly desirable a P ong any rouu
z hug& western Montana.
W Even along the Missoula-Kingston
' ate that the Forest Scnicc prefers as
- wing the least likely Lprct on people
.nd the environment. this is an
mpralatable proposal. How so? Turn to
L he Forest Service's analysis ofthe
~~=kned route end let us munt the
m iLyS:
"
Sumber of pipeline spills a d leaks
$I xperienocd since 1954: 71.
Number of fuel spilts of 100,000
allons or more: 14.
I Surnkr of spills of 50,MQ p:lons
P. .r more: 20.
Total gallons of hei leaked by YPL
I 0 date: 3.5 million.
Mites of roposcd mnstruaion OG
er). steep %per: L1.6. ,
,, ? I
failure potential: 39.4.
Miles of higb roil-liquekain
potenti& 52.
h s of poor rcdunrtioa potential
after mnsmction: 154.
Water counes asred: 107.
Water quality-limi~ed streams
affcctcd by construction: 32
Sediment prctduction within first
year of constnuxion: 72 tans.
Yumkr of new Clark Fork River
crouings: 5.
Number of new Clark Fork
crossings on existing bridge% 2.
Miks of highly ensitive aquifer
susceptible to contamination: 28.
Number of wlcs with more than 10
well, per mile: 13.
Nmbtr of homes, within 100 feet,
tulnerable to 6re: 116.
Number of pcrcaoirl stream
crossings: 8.
Bull trout md cunhrort stream
xgmcntr affectad: 77.
Miles of sacam potentidly affected
by spik 145.2
Mia of right of waywithin 300 feet
of perennial stcems: 53.6
Constmixion work force: 798;
number of noa-local workers: 655.
Tax revenuer: 194,000.
Acres of potential agricdhrral land
disrupted: 254.
Miles of pipeline outside existing
rransporution corridors: 1 1.
.4crcs of u land forest cleared: 380.
Number ofresidences w i t b i i
feet of pipeline: 1,800.
Wurnber af schools within 1,000 feet
of pipeline: 7.
Remation areas potentia@
affected: 12 sites; 9.6 miles of trails.
Number of sipihnt new mad
croaings: 16.
Mile of new roadr: 12.
New nil croaiap: 10.
Miles of ponlkl saaodmcnt on
rails: 18.
YPL k lodrinq to reroute its
through thz FIat..teac indian
Reservation. T!I~ Confederated Salisb
and KootcariTribcs fl their fill OF
YPtDs fuel-spilling accidents and
umspmive mauagem=ot, and 1013
YPL to get bn
Since Ikn: Billiags refineries tavc
wd trucks and jail can [a keq, tie
fuel floaiog'to :astern Wasbbgtnn
markcis
Tnch mc raikords an,
sutCTlicdIy qmluq, riskier Cqrn
pipelica. Tbea qir. there ham':
been a major hd spill b &=tern
htontma s n a the mIcs shut dm.
[heir rnrtinn nf rhr rjru)inr
uninterrupted pipdine liknp
refineries in Billiags *i~h roarkets in
eastern Wuhingtcn is ur.derntandable.
>'PL's more ran: mfq record is
rnuch improved, and che cxpany
apptan share in tr)ing to bc a better
oxparale citizen.
What's not en!ircly dear iswhat
rercoo anyone in westerr. Mootarm hrs
for aaommo&ting the piplint.
Spokwt will get oomptit~~~ly priced
ftel, while wcrtern Mantrrrans amme
all the eaviconmcaul rish.
Attberiskofsreminga j;t&is)r
here, r. we I jw a bave w a&: What's in this