West-wide Energy Corridor Amendment

Background

Section 368 of the National Energy Policy Act of 2005 requires the United States Department of Energy (DOE), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and U.S. Forest Service (USFS), in cooperation with the Departments of Commerce and Defense, to designate new right-of-way corridors on federal lands for electricity transmission and distribution facilities, and oil, gas, and hydrogen pipelines. As directed by the Act, the DOE, BLM, and USFS prepared a West-wide Energy Corridor Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) that evaluated issues associated with designation of energy corridors on federal lands in eleven Western states (see map). Public scoping meetings for the West-wide Energy Corridor PEIS were held in California on November 1, 2005, and the public scoping comment period ended November 28, 2005. Based upon the information and analyses developed in the PEIS, each federal Agency amended its respective land use plans by designating appropriate energy corridors.

The Record of Decision that amended the Cleveland National Forest Land Management Plan was signed on January 14, 2009.

Overview

Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-58)
Section 368

1. Mandated by Congress
   1. No later than August 8, 2007, complete Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for 11 Western States
   2. Consult with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, states, tribes or local governments, affected utility industries, and other interested parties
2. Requisite actions by agencies
   1. Designate corridors for oil, gas, and hydrogen pipelines, and electricity transmission and distribution facilities on federal lands in 11 Western States
   2. Perform any environmental reviews required to complete corridor designation
   3. Incorporate designated corridors into relevant agency land use plans
3. Ongoing responsibilities
   1. Ensure additional corridors on federal lands are promptly identified and designated as necessary
   2. Expedite applications to construct or modify facilities within such corridors, taking into account prior analyses and environmental reviews

Documents

• Link to the Final Programmatic Enviromental Impact Statement

• Record of Decision:  USDA Fores Service Designation of Section 368 Energy Corridors on National Forest System Lands in 10 Western States

• Link to West Wide Energy Corridor Final PEIS Maps

• USDA Forest Service News Release

Additional Information

• Link to the West-wide Energy Corridor Information Center home page

• The Energy Policy Act of 2005

• Extract of Section 368.  Energy Right-of-Way Corriders on Federal Land

• The GIS data sets for the West Wide Energy Corridors for California are posted to the R5 GIS Clearinghouse.