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Gas pipeline right-of-way bill passes Legislature
Kristen Nelson Petroleum News
Senate Bill 70, allowing for rights of way for a gas pipeline through portions of Denali State Park, Captain Cook State Recreation Area, Nancy Lake State Recreation Area and Willow Creek State Recreation Area, has passed the Alaska Legislature.
The Senate voted 20-0 in favor April 14; the House voted 40-0 April 18; the Senate concurred with House changes 20-0 April 18.
SB 70 was an administration bill, and in a statement Gov. Bill Walker thanked legislators for its passage, calling the right of way “a necessary component to building a future natural gas pipeline in Alaska. By setting the wheels in motion now, we will be better prepared down the road.”
A briefing paper prepared by the Alaska Department of Natural Resources notes that the bill would authorize a corridor adequate for either the Alaska LNG project or the Alaska Stand Alone Pipeline and requires the corridor to be managed as parkland and recreation areas until a right-of-way lease is issued. Upon termination of the lease, the land would be returned to original park and recreation area management.
Right-of-way leases under SB 70 must be issued before Jan. 1, 2025, and pipeline construction must begin within 10 years of the effective lease date.
Different widths Ben Ellis, director of DNR’s Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation, told House Resources in an April 17 hearing that the bill does not identify a right of way, but opens a sufficient amount of state park acreage from which a right of way can be selected. He said the right of way would be approximately 120 feet wide for construction, reduced to 53 feet for operation, for the ASAP line, and approximately 180 feet for construction and 100 feet for operation for the AKLNG project.
Ellis said the bill would not affect hunting and fishing access, with access remaining the same as it is now until a right-of-way lease is issued and construction begins, at which time there may be temporary hunting and fishing restrictions for construction.
Ellis said there would be an access road on top of the pipeline once it is in the ground, but a discussion on how much of a road has not yet occurred. It would provide access to the pipeline, he said, and would provide ATV access, which isn’t now available, and could also provide snowmobile access in winter.
Unlike the trans-Alaska oil pipeline, where there is limited access, the gas pipeline will be below ground and access should be as free as it is today once the pipeline is in the ground, Ellis said.
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