America's Clipboard Mentality When It Comes To Energy -- May 16, 2012

Wyoming is looking at a pipeline corridor to expedite the process of pipeline permitting; link here.

While data collection has begun, Jeffries said the Pipeline Authority will be filing a National Environmental Protection Act application. The process could take between three and five years to complete, but it would save companies years in their future permitting processes, he said. NEPA dictates the federal environmental review process for this project, just like other energy projects on federal lands.

Holy time machine, Batman! Five years to complete a study and an application! Kapow! Who knows how many years it will take for the Feds to act on the application! Wham! Three to five years now to save time in the future! Bam!

That one sentence in bold encapsulates America's clipboard mentality.

This is what the pipeline companies have to contend with according to the linked story: sage grouse, raptor nests, soil and topography erosion, historic trails, agriculture, mining, motor travel restrictions, wilderness study areas, backcountry byways and  "more."

The "more" includes objections from surface owners,  tribal burial grounds, paleontology studies, 100-year risk flood plains, bicycle paths, federal prison sites, potential Trump Tower sites, UFO landing locations, and departure pads for the rapture.

Any chance this initiative will succeed? Note:

No BLM representatives apparently attended the Pipeline Authority’s meeting at the Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. 

If I understand the story correctly, this is all about the BLM. I'm not following the story closely at all, so I'm probably misreading the entire thing. Silly me.