Idaho approves burial of Snake River gas pipeline to replace aging span

POCATELLO, Idaho (UI) — The Bureau of Land Management has approved a project to relocate and bury a natural gas pipeline beneath the Snake River near American Falls in southeast Idaho.

Intermountain Gas will remove about 1,500 feet of existing pipeline bridge and install a new six-inch-diameter section of pipe underground to meet growing industrial demand.

The pipeline currently runs across parcels managed by the BLM, Bureau of Reclamation, and Idaho Department of Lands near the BLM Pipeline Campground. Construction is scheduled for the winter months to minimize disruption to recreation, with fewer than three surface acres expected to be affected. Temporary closures of BLM facilities will be required once work begins.

“This pipeline amendment will allow Intermountain Gas to remove the aged infrastructure of the existing pipeline bridge and replace it with an underground pipeline, which would continue to serve natural gas customers,” BLM officials said in a statement.

The project is intended to modernize infrastructure, reduce risks tied to aging aboveground facilities, and support national energy priorities.

According to the BLM, the final environmental assessment, finding of no significant impact, and decision record are available on the agency’s National NEPA Register.

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