BLM has approved a 234-mile natural gas pipeline to transport natural gas liquid products across New Mexico and to markets in Texas.
On July 4, 2013, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) approved the construction and operation of the Western Expansion Pipeline Project III, a 234-mile natural gas pipeline from northwestern New Mexico to the southeastern Hobbs hub and finally to markets in South Texas to meet current and future demand. The approval comes approximately one week after President Obama unveiled his climate agenda, which included plans to increase the role of natural gas in the energy portfolio.
The pipeline was proposed by Enterprise Mid-America Pipeline (MAPL), and it’s approval comes after a comprehensive environmental assessment and consideration of public, state, and federal agencies’ comments on the assessment. The assessment found that the project will have no significant environmental impact.
The proposed pipeline route will include approximately 67 miles of BLM land, 26 miles of Navajo and Zia Pueblo tribal lands, 27 miles of state land, and 114 miles of private land. The $320 million project will add six loop segments to an existing pipeline corridor through a network of valves. MAPL’s Mid-America pipeline consists of three sections – Rocky Mountain, Conway North, and Conway South – that transport mixed natural gas liquids (NGLs) from processing plants in Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico to West Texas’ Seminole pipeline.
New Mexico is home to parts of the San Juan and Permian basins. The Rocky Mountain section of MAPL’s network connects the Overthrust and San Juan Basin regions to Hobbs on the Texas-New Mexico border. The Seminole pipeline transports NGLs from Hobbs and the Permian Basin region to markets in South Texas. The Mid-America pipeline and Seminole pipeline systems currently total 9,296 miles.
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