Bill allows maintenance on Glacier Park pipeline

A bill to allow maintenance of a natural gas pipeline that runs through Glacier National Park and supplies customers in the Flathead Valley was passed in the U.S. Senate on Jan. 2.

The bill was originally introduced into the House by Rep. Denny Rehberg in April 2012. The House passed a similar version of the Senate bill in December 2012.

Montana Power Company constructed the 118-mile long pipeline in 1962, which carries natural gas to 25,000 consumers in the Flathead. The company received its first special-use permit from the National Park Service for the pipeline in April of that year.

The permit was renewed through 1990, but the National Park Service later determined it did not have the authority to grant permits. Northwestern Energy, the current owner, wants to upgrade and maintain the 50-year-old pipeline.

Sens. Jon Tester and Max Baucus introduced a bill that allows the National Park Service to issue a permit to perform maintenance on the pipeline. President Barack Obama is expected to sign the bill.

“This bill cuts through red tape to keep Kalispell homes heated while protecting one of the most beautiful places on Earth,” Tester said after the bill passed in the Senate. “Responsible maintenance of the pipeline will prevent accidents and help keep Glacier National Park the ‘Crown of the Continent.’”

“This is a common sense bill to make sure Kalispell can continue getting the natural gas it needs the same way it has for the past 50 years,” Baucus said. “It’s a no brainer.”  

According to the bill, a permit can be issued as a right-of-way renewal consistent with National Park Service utility rights-of-way up to 25 feet on either side of the centerline.