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Imagine, by 2011, a 670-mile natural gas pipeline may stretch from Wyoming to Northern California.

The project, known as the "Ruby Pipeline," aims to bring natural gas from the Opal Hub in Wyoming to Malin, Oregon, just outside of the California border. The project is estimated to cost about $3 billion, and will, according to Ruby Pipeline, the company developing the project, "will have an initial capacity of between 1.3 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) and 1.5 Bcf/d, depending on the final level of customer commitments."

The project will cross a number of sensitive environmental and cultural landscapes, including the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge and the Summit Lake Indian Reservation, both located in northern Nevada. The Summit Lake Paiute Council is strongly opposed to the Ruby Pipeline Project.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is currently soliciting public comment on the Ruby Pipeline Project. Public comments are part of the environment review process, and will be incorporated into FERC's production of the EIS, or "Environmental Impact Statement," a document that will assess the potential environmental impact of the Ruby Pipeline project.

Public comments are extremely important. They help guide the federal agency in charge of preparing the EIS. In this case, public comments will help FERC decide which environmental issues are important and deserve serious study. In short, your public comments will provide FERC with an outline for the EIS report. This is a powerful tool, and environmental activists should take full advantage of the public comment period.

However, FERC will close its public commentary period on October 29, 2008, so please submit your comments asap. Comments may be submitted verbally or in writing.

You may submit comments in writing through FERC's Quick Comment website. Reference this code: "Gas 1; DG2E; PJ-11.1."

If you run into problems, do not despair. You can call eFiling staff at 202-502-8258, or email them at this address: efiling@ferc.gov

You can also file your comments by mail. Send an original and two copies of your letter to:

Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
888 First Street NE; Room 1A
Washington, DC, 20426

Label one copy of your comments for the attention of: Gas 1; DG2E; PJ-11.1.