Linear Projects
WESTECH has conducted baseline inventories, prepared permit applications, monitored environmental compliance and performed post-construction monitoring for over 5,000 miles of linear facilities. These projects have included pipelines, powerlines, railroads, fiberoptic lines, river and roads. The following list identifies a selection of some of our linear projects.
| Project | Work Description | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Altamont Pipeline | All biological baseline inventories for 600-mile pipeline in Montana and Wyoming. Completed Presidential Permit and state and federal permitting, all biological FERC resource reports, and BLM Plan of Development. | central Montana and Wyoming |
| Alturas Powerline | Contributed to baseline biological surveys, NEPA, and CEQA documents. Completed all reclamation planning and monitoring on 345kv, 180 mile powerline in northeastern California. Continue to manage noxious weeds. | northeastern California and western Nevada |
| Bakken Marketlink | Wetland, wildlife, noxious weed, and threatened and endangered species surveys, route evaluation and refinement, permitting and agency consultation for 5-mile crude oil connecting pipeline in southeastern Montana. | southeastern Montana |
| Bakken ONEOK | Completed wetland, wildlife, noxious weed, and threatened and endangered species survey, route evaluation and refinement, and agency consultation for 210-mile crude oil pipeline in eastern Montana. | southeastern Montana |
| Bison Pipeline | Completed migratory bird surveys and agency consultation on 302-mile pipeline in Wyoming, Montana, and North Dakota. Continue to complete post-construction reclamation monitoring and noxious weed management and agency consultation. | northeastern Wyoming, southeastern Montana, western North Dakota |
| Bonneville Power Administration Hot Springs to Anaconda Rebuild | Conducted pre-construction environmental surveys for wetlands and waterbodies, sensitive species (plants and wildlife), and noxious weeds on the proposed rebuild of approximately 120 miles of an existing 230-kV transmission line in western Montana. Completed site assessments for fish and wildlife habitat as well as initial reclamation inventories for soil salvage and revegetation planning. Developed GIS database and resource reports for project planning, environmental permit acquisition and preparation of the Biological Assessment and portions of an Environmental Impact Statement. | western Montana |
| Colorado Hub Connection Pipeline | Managed all environmental permitting including completion of wildlife, vegetation, wetlands, and noxious weed surveys, BLM Plan of Development, FERC Resource Reports, and applicant-prepared Environmental Assessment, and state and local permits for a 27-mile, 24-inch gas pipeline in northwest Colorado. | western Colorado |
| Culbertson Project | Inventoried fish and wildlife resources, mapped vegetation and delineated wetlands for a small peaking power plant and associated 230 kV transmission line. Wrote biological portions of an applicant-prepared Environmental Assessment for the Rural Utilities Service, and wrote the BA for endangered species for submittal to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. | northeastern Montana |
| Cushing Extension | Completed pre-construction reclamation and noxious weed surveys and prepared county noxious weed management plans for 300-mile crude oil pipeline in Kansas and Oklahoma. Continue to assist with post-construction reclamation oversight and consultation. | eastern Kansas and northeastern Oklahoma |
| Express Pipeline | Completed routing assessment, development, and overall project environmental management for 550-mile crude oil pipeline in Montana and Wyoming. Duties included wildlife, vegetation, threatened and endangered species baseline inventories and wetland delineation, BLM Plan of Development, Major Facility Siting Act application, 404 permitting and all and local state permitting. Oversaw 5 years of post-construction reclamation monitoring and noxious management including substantial reporting and coordination with Montana Department of Environmental Quality. | central Montana and Wyoming |
| Fish Springs Water Supply Pipeline | Completed all pre-construction environmental surveys including wetland delineation, threatened and endangered species search, and noxious weed survey for a utility right-of-way development project that consisted of groundwater production wells, a system of lateral pipelines, main water transmission pipeline, water storage tanks, natural gas transmission lines, various electronic utility facilities (transmission lines and substations) and fiber optic communication lines in Nevada. Also prepared and submitted the BLM Plan of Development and all other environmental permits for construction. Continue to be involved in post-construction weed management. | western Nevada |
| Gas Transmission Northwest Pipeline | Managed environmental permitting for several FERC Blanket Certificate projects on the GTN system, including new delivery points and facility improvements. | western Washington and Oregon |
| Georgia Strait Crossing (GSX) | Completed all environmental baseline inventories and routing analysis including wetlands, wildlife, threatened and endangered species, and vegetation. Managed environmental permitting including the preparation of FERC Environmental Resource Reports and numerous associated federal, state and county permits for a proposed 30-mile GSX natural gas pipeline project in northwestern Washington. | northwestern Washington |
| Helena Valley Lateral Reroute | Completed wetland delineation and permitting for pipeline reroute near Helena, Montana. | western Montana |
| Highwood Generating Station | Prepared biological resources portion of application for proposed power plant and associated transmission line. | central Montana |
| Interstate 15 Highway | Completed wetlands delineation and mitigation planning for upgrade of I-15 between Conrad and Vaughn, Montana. | central Montana |
| Keystone Pipeline | Completed pre-construction reclamation and revegetation surveys, noxious weed inventories and county noxious weed control plans, managed revegetation materials for 1080-mile pipeline in North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois. | eastern North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and northern Missouri |
| Keystone XL Pipeline | Currently participating in route evaluation and refinement, permitting and agency consultation, threatened and endangered species survey and other resource inventories, migratory bird permit application and consultation, reclamation planning, noxious weed plans management, soils assessments, stakeholder meeting participation, alignment sheet preparation for 875 miles of oil pipeline in Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska. Prepared portions of applicant-prepared Biological Assessment, 318, 401, and stormwater permits, contributed to final Major Facility Siting Act application and continue to coordinate with Montana Department of Environmental Quality on environmental specifications, prepared portions of BLM Plan of Development, prepared migratory bird special purpose permit, prepared Sand Hills reclamation plan, and participated in numerous public meetings regarding landowner concerns in Montana, South Dakota, and Nebraska. | eastern Montana, western South Dakota, central Nebraska |
| Mines Management Transmission Line | Completed wetlands, vegetation, land use, wildlife and sensitive species inventories and prepared portions of Montana Major Facility Siting Act application and environmental impact assessment for 230kV transmission line alternatives in western Montana. | western Montana |
| Montana-Alberta Tie Project | Co-prepared Presidential Permit application for international boundary crossing of 230-kV transmission line, reviewed preliminary application materials for Montana Major Facility Siting Act application, contributed to reclamation planning for 214-mile transmission line in west-central Montana. Completed post-construction noxiuos weed and reclamation monitoring, and avian mortality monitoring. | northcentral Montana |
| Montana Railroad | Completed state land easement application, stormwater and stream crossing permits and weed control plan for rail link in southeastern Montana. | southeastern Montana |
| Montanore Project | Participated in routing assessment and alternatives evaluation, completed wildlife, vegetation, wetlands, and threatened and endangered species surveys, and assisted with preparing Major Facility Siting Act application for transmission line in northwest Montana. | northwestern Montana |
| Narco Bowdoin Pipeline | Completed baseline biological resources inventories, wetland delineation, and 404 permit application for 19 mile gas line in north-central Montana. | northcentral Montana |
| Noranda Minerals Transmission Line | Completed baseline inventories and permit applications, including environmental impact assessment and Montana Facility Siting Act application for a transmission line in northwestern Montana. | northwestern Montana |
| Northern Border Pipeline Company | Managed and completed environmental permitting for many FERC Blanket Certificate projects on the NBPL system, including new delivery and receipt points, and meter station expansion projects. Coordinated cultural resources inventory, permitting, and tribal consultation when applicable. | eastern Montana, western North Dakota, eastern South Dakota |
| Pah Rah Transmission Line | Mapped reclamation and construction constraints, inventoried rare plants, noxious weeds, and wetlands. Mapped and inventoried environmental “fatal flaws” for proposed 30-mile transmission line in Nevada. | western Nevada |
| Parnon Pipeline | Managed all biological and cultural resource surveys and completed all environmental permitting for a 100-mile crude oil pipeline in Oklahoma. | central Oklahoma |
| PG&E 2003 Pipeline Expansion Project | Prepared several FERC Environmental Resource Reports and applicant-prepared environmental impact analysis, upland reclamation plan and wetland restoration plan for pipeline expansion project in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. | western Idaho, eastern Washington and Oregon |
| PG&E GTN Pipeline Expansion | Prepared noxious weed management plan and reclamation specifications for 21 miles of 42-inch natural gas pipeline in Idaho. | western Idaho |
| Questar Mainline 104 Project | Conducted right-of-way erosion control and maintenance inspections on pipeline in Utah. | eastern Utah |
| Ruby Pipeline | Prepared threatened and endangered species section of FERC-issued EIS for a 675-mile, 42-inch natural gas pipeline in Wyoming, Utah, Nevada and Oregon. | southwestern Wyoming, northern Utah and Nevada, southern Oregon |
| Seminoe Pipeline | Supervised erosion/sediment control and reclamation activities of pipeline in eastern Montana. | eastern Montana |
| Shoshone Pipeline | Prepare Resource Report 3 of FERC Environmental Report for conversion of a petroleum to natural gas pipeline in Wyoming. | western Wyoming |
| Silver Bow Generation Project | Prepared vegetation, fisheries and wildlife portions of an EIS for natural gas pipeline looping, compressor station expansion and gas-fired power plant in western Montana. | western Montana |
| Silver City Loop | Completed wetland delineation for a pipeline looping project in western Montana. | western Montana |
| Stillwater Mine Wastewater Pipeline | Completed biological resource inventories, 404 permit application and reclamation plan for tailings pipeline and county road reconstruction in southwestern Montana. | southwestern Montana |
| Sundance Trail Expansion Pipeline | Overall project environmental management including completion of wildlife, vegetation, wetlands, and noxious weed surveys, BLM Plan of Development, FERC Resource Reports, and applicant-prepared Environmental Assessment, and state and local permits for a 16-mile, 30-inch gas pipeline in southwestern Wyoming | southwestern Wyoming |
| Susanville Lateral | Conducted vegetation surveys, prepared revegetation mixtures, coordinated seed acquisition and conducted revegetation monitoring on pipeline lateral in northeastern California. | northeastern California |
| Tongue River Railroad | Participated in routing assessment, resource inventories, EIS assistance and miscellaneous environmental support for proposed railroad between Miles City, Montana and Sheridan, Wyoming | southeastern Montana |
| TransColorado Pipeline | Completed revegetation planning, seed procurement and reclamation consultation and inspection during construction for a 272-mile gas pipeline in Colorado. | western Colorao |
| Triangle Communications | Environmental permitting, including stormwater management and sage grouse program compliance, for new fiber optic infrastructure projects. | central Montana |
| Tuscarora Gas Transmission Pipeline | Completed pre-construction environmental inventories and construction oversight, permitting and post-construction monitoring for 228 miles of gas pipeline in Nevada, California and Oregon. Continue to provide noxious weed management services. | southern Oregon, northeastern California, western Nevada |
| Wadsworth Lateral | Prepared vegetation resource report, prepare revegetation mixtures, coordinate seed purchase and acquisition and provide seeding oversight for pipeline lateral in Nevada. | western Nevada |
| Yellowstone Pipeline | Completed NEPA-alternative route analysis of five potential pipeline routes between Missoula, Montana and Cataldo, Idaho. Key duties included baseline data collection in support of impact analysis for wetlands, old-growth forest, wolf, grizzly bear, and lynx habitat. Facilitated agency coordination and authored U.S. COE 404 b(1) Showing detailing NEPA-analysis of wetland impacts | western Montana |