The Bureau of Land Management last Friday approved the assignment of an existing right-of-way grant held for a natural gas pipeline to Cadiz Real Estate, LLC as part of a change of ownership. You may recall that Cadiz is the multi-million dollar development firm that has had its eyes focused on sending billions of gallons of ancient aquifer water from under the San Bernardino Mountains to thirsty communities in Orange County.
The reassignment of the right of way includes an unused 71-mile portion of a 30-inch diameter, buried gas pipeline extending 217 miles between Cadiz Valley east of Twentynine Palms and Wheeler Ridge, near Bakersfield, California.
The BLM added conditions to make clear the decision is limited and does not allow Cadiz LLC to use the line for transporting anything other than natural gas.
Although Cadiz previously expressed an interest in converting the pipeline to convey water, this assignment would not give Cadiz any future right to use the pipeline for such a purpose.
