Municipal officials in Davis County who oppose the route of a proposed pipeline will take their case to Utah's congressmen.
The city officials want the 30-inch natural gas line to run through forest land instead of the foothills above Bountiful and North Salt Lake, and they hope the congressmen can get the Forest Service to go along.Wyoming-California Co. (WyCal), a subsidiary of Coastal Corp., had originally proposed putting the line through the Uinta National Forest, but federal officials objected.
"There is no reason why it should run here instead of there," said Bountiful City Administrator Tom Hardy. "The Forest Service may have more creeks to cross and slide areas to consider, but we have creeks and slopes, too.
"They don't want it to damage the environment - that's a big consideration for them," he said. "But we have big considerations, too - people."
South Davis residents contend the pipeline would run too close to their homes and would damage watersheds.
The Federal Energy and Regulatory Commission on Jan. 11 approved an environmental impact statement that gave WyCal a permit to bury the pipe from southwestern Wyoming to the oil fields near Bakersfield, Calif.
State officials have agreed to stand against the foothills route, but Gov. Norm Bangerter still favors having the pipeline go through Utah because of its financial benefits, said Douglas Bischoff, the governor's deputy chief of staff.
He said a meeting with Utah's five congressmen has been tentatively set for next Friday.