Planning, designing, and constructing a pipeline can be difficult enough without the added pressure of avoiding the pitfalls associated with environmental laws. Oftentimes, the lack of understanding of environmental laws and their regulations result in expensive design changes, time delays, frustration, or worse, a violation resulting in civil penalties or in extreme cases, criminal penalties. The Endangered Species Act, Migratory Bird Treaty Act, Clean Water Act, floodplain regulations, National Environmental Policy Act, National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, and others can cause issues with a pipeline project. Knowing the potential pitfalls and how to address them in the planning stages can save a lot of time and money down the line. This presentation will discuss the various environmental issues and best management practices to avoid, or minimize, any delays associated with permitting.

Primary Author / Conference Presenter:
Peter McKone
Senior Project Director
Weaver Consultants Group
Fort Worth, Texas, USA

Co-Author:
Caleb Watkins, Senior Landman, Summit Midstream, Denver, CO