Public Scoping Meeting Scheduled in Phoenix on November 3 to Discuss Federal Energy Corridor Designation

A public scoping meeting has been scheduled in Phoenix on November 3, 2005, to discuss the designation of right-of-way corridors on federal lands to improve energy transmission across the western United States. The meeting will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn located at 4000 N. Central Avenue in downtown Phoenix. The scoping meeting will include two sessions, one from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. and another from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Representatives from the BLM and other agencies involved in preparing a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) will provide information, take comments and answer questions from those attending. A Notice of Intent published in the September 28 Federal Register initiated the effort to prepare a PEIS supporting this effort. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 requires the BLM to work with the Department of Energy, the USDA - Forest Service and other federal agencies to designate corridors on federal lands in 11 Western States for oil, natural gas and hydrogen pipelines and electricity transmission and distribution facilities. This designation represents a major federal action under the National Environmental Policy Act, said Elaine Zielinski, BLM Arizona State Director. An interagency Environmental Impact Statement will be completed before corridors are designated so that States, the public and other interested parties may have the opportunity to be involved in scoping and planning for this process. After the PEIS is completed, the BLM and Forest Service will amend relevant land use plans as necessary to implement corridor designation on lands they manage. The Energy Policy Act requires that necessary updates to land use plans be completed by August 8, 2007. Public scoping runs from October 5, 2005, through December 4, 2005. More information about the corridor designation project is available online at corridoreis.anl.gov. This website also includes the means to submit comments electronically and to subscribe to an email list service for updates on the project.