217-mile natural gas pipeline in feds’ hands

Pipeline would cross national forest and scenic rivers, including Deschutes.

To deliver natural gas between the Columbia River and Central Oregon, a company has proposed building a 3-foot-wide pipeline that would span 217 miles, cross two Wild and Scenic Rivers — including the Deschutes River — and a national forest.

After more than a year of environmental studies and route planning, Palomar Gas Transmission LLC applied this week with federal energy regulators for the pipeline, which would connect with an existing pipeline in Central Oregon.

Federal land managers are working to determine what changes to the Mount Hood National Forest and Wild and Scenic River management plans would be necessary for the project to move forward.

The pipeline would give Portland a second source of natural gas, said Michael Burke, assistant project manager with Palomar, who added that the city is now one of the few large metropolitan areas that’s only served by one pipeline.

“Portland could access additional gas from Palomar,” Burke said

The $800 million Palomar pipeline, which could employ 1,800 construction workers, would be able to tap into TransCanada’s existing pipeline that goes through Central Oregon, he said. It would also extend west of Portland to Wauna, which is east of Astoria. There, a different company has proposed a liquefied natural gas terminal that would receive shiploads of natural gas, in a super-chilled, liquid form.

The Palomar pipeline would have to cross not only private land, but the Mount Hood National Forest and areas with old-growth forests.

“We’ve tried to come up with a route to minimize that, but we could not completely avoid old growth on the project,” Burke said.

In some areas, he said, the company would reduce the width of the construction zone — normally 120 feet wide — that would be cleared to install the pipe.

Palomar could do a variety of things to make up for cutting old-growth areas, said Paul Norman of the Mount Hood National Forest, who is working on the project. It could find nearby stands of trees that would be protected as old growth, or could try to speed up the formation of old-growth stands by thinning out small trees so the remaining trees would grow more quickly.

“There may be some mitigation measures in the way of finding replacement habitat,” Norman said.

And once the construction is done, he said, the company would replant and rehabilitate some of the area, leaving a 23-foot-wide corridor.

However, the pipeline project would not be able to meet some of the standards and guidelines in the forest’s management plan, Norman said. When it crosses above the Clackamas River, or under U.S. Highway 26, it would go against the visual quality standards, for example.

“If the pipeline is approved, then we need to make some changes to our forest plan to accommodate what they’re doing,” he said.

On Thursday, the national forest issued a notice asking for comments on proposed amendments to the plan related to the Palomar project.

The proposed pipeline would also cross the Deschutes River just north of Maupin. The company chose a site as close as possible to an existing Bonneville Power Administration power line that spans the river, and decided to route the pipeline over the river, Burke said.

“We chose to propose the aerial crossing there as a way to minimize impacts to the river,” he said, noting it was a popular rafting and fishing spot. Because of the basalt under the river, and the geometry of the canyon at that site, drilling under the river to route the pipe was not a good option, he said.

A pedestrian bridge could be built around the aerial pipeline, he said, or it could be enclosed in other materials and not be open to people.

The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs are concerned about the Deschutes River crossing, said Clay Penhollow, natural resource planner with the tribes. It could be a safety issue with boaters passing under, he said, but it also stretches over a section of the river designated as Wild and Scenic, which presents a conflict with the pipeline.

The tribes are also trying to work with the company to route the pipeline across the reservation, he said, where it could cross the Deschutes River at a section of the river that isn’t classified as Wild and Scenic. There, it could also potentially deliver gas to Warm Springs in the future.

The Bureau of Land Management has concerns with the crossing as well, said Molly Brown, field manager with the Prineville BLM district. As the proposal is now, it would require amendments to the area’s management plan as well as the Wild and Scenic River plan.

“This is going to be pretty low on the river, so visually it’d be quite a difference,” she said. The bridge’s structural supports would be about 19 feet above the river, according to the company’s reports.

The BLM co-manages the portion of the river designated Wild and Scenic with Warm Springs and other agencies, she said, so the agency can’t act on its own, and staff members are working on determining how to proceed. The BLM has already stated that it needs to consider other alternatives as well, she said, and would like Palomar to consider and analyze the Warm Springs proposal.

The company has written reports addressing safety issues, which includes construction standards, how it will work to minimize potential fire hazards and spill prevention.

On private parcels, Palomar’s hope is to negotiate easements with landowners, said David Dodson, spokesman for the company.

But if negotiations don’t work and the company receives a certificate from federal energy regulators, it will have the power of eminent domain, Dodson said.

Sean Stevens, with the conservation group Oregon Wild, said conservationists have multiple concerns with the pipeline proposal. They question whether liquefied natural gas is the best option for Oregon and so whether a connector to Wauna is needed, he said.

People also have concerns about how the pipeline and its construction will affect the aquatic ecosystem, old-growth forests and scenic views.

“It’s crossing Wild and Scenic Rivers; it cuts through the Pacific Crest Trail; it cuts through late successional reserves,” Stevens said. “We know we need alternative energy options, but do we want to sacrifice these things that make our state so special?”

Kate Ramsayer can be reached at 541-617-7811 or at kramsayer@bendbulletin.com.