WASHINGTON, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Citizens have until next week to comment on plans to build a natural gas pipeline through a Utah canyon featuring historic sites, the government said.
Energy company Bill Barrett Corp. and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management last January signed a deal for the drilling of more than 800 natural gas wells on the Tavaputs Plateau in Utah.
Bill Barrett, in pursuit of development there since at least 2002, estimates available natural gas reserves at roughly 1 trillion cubic feet.
The energy company agreed to take measures to prevent damage to environmental and cultural resources in a canyon in Utah's Carbon County. The nearby Nine Mile Canyon is recognized for historic cave paintings made by American Indians in the region.
The proposed 7-mile pipeline is part of the development needed in the area for planned drilling operations, the Platts news service reports.
The BLM said the public will be able to comment on Bill Barrett's plans through Jan. 15. The region is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
