The conversion of the 42-year-old Trailblazer pipeline through Lincoln County will reach a crucial phase this week, said Lincoln County Commissioner Chris Bruns.
He told his county board colleagues on Monday that Tallgrass Energy was ready to flare — that is, burn — the last of the natural gas in the pipeline so it could begin transporting carbon dioxide for storage in eastern Wyoming.
Tallgrass authorities have said that will happen as early as Tuesday where Trailblazer runs alongside U.S. Highway 83 near Wellfleet, Bruns said. They said it will take about 24 hours to burn off the remaining gasoline.
Bruns brought up the planned operation at Monday’s meeting because “any concerned citizen who sees a gas line with a large flame coming out of it might have concerns,” he told commissioners.
However, local fire departments have been alerted and will remain on standby “to contain grass fires or anything that could get out of control,” Bruns said.
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Trailblazer’s flushing operation, he said, comes after the remaining natural gas pressure in the pipeline has already dropped to 25 pounds per square meter, he added.
In another action on Monday, the district council decided the following:
• It was agreed that Scott Tallmage may appeal the denial of a new property tax exemption on the grounds that he is a fully disabled veteran.
• An intermunicipal agreement with Red Willow County has been approved to house that county’s inmates at the Lincoln County Detention Center if needed. At least 14 inmates will be moved north because the McCook jail is struggling with structural problems, County Sheriff Jerome Kramer said.
