noLNG

CORRECTION

The Source to the Sea film is on Wednesday- not Tuesday August 2, 2006.

NEW EFFORT TO HALT LNG

Gloucester County Times, Jul. 22, 2006
A NEW EFFORT TO HALT LNG
By Trish Graber, tgraber@sjnewsco.com

In the midst of a Supreme Court battle with New Jersey, Delaware has
taken another step toward blocking a liquefied natural gas terminal
proposed in Logan Township.

The State of Delaware has asked the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission (FERC) for "rehearing and clarification" of the project
approval granted to energy-giant British Petroleum in June.

Delaware's Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
argues that federal officials violated state

regulations and failed to
address public concerns in approving BP's Crown Landing project
planned for construction on the banks of the Delaware River .

BP has proposed building the $600 million plant and shipping 120
million gallons of LNG -- natural gas chilled to minus-260 degrees --
to the facility for processing each week.

OPEN HOUSE ON BRADWOOD

Oregon and federal agencies involved in reviewing the proposed Bradwood LNG terminal and pipeline will hold an open house from 4PM to 7:30PM on Thursday, Aug. 3, 2006 at the Knappa High School commons/cafeteria. The high school is located at 41535 Old Highway 30 in Astoria, OR. At 6PM agencies will present a brief overview of each program's involvement in the Bradwood review.

Although FERC has jurisdiction over siting LNG terminals,the proposed project must also apply for other required permits or work though other processes that remain under the jurisdiction of the state or other federal agencies. The goal of this open house is to provide information about these other permits or processes, including ways in which interested members of the public can participate in their reviews.

Agencies participating in the open house include:

• Clatsop County
• Oregon Department of Energy
• Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
• Oregon Department of Wildlife
• Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development
• Oregon Department of State Lands
• Oregon Department of Water Reserves
• NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service

For more information call 1-800-221-8035 or check the web site at www.oregon.gov/energy

   

CHECK THIS OUT

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Notice of Application Accepted for Filing and Soliciting Motions
To Intervene, Protests, and Comments

July 10, 2006.
    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection:
    a. Type of Application: Preliminary Permit.
    b. Project No.: 12672-000.
    c. Date filed: April 28, 2006.
    d. Applicant: Oregon Tidal Energy Company.
    e. Name of Project: Columbia Tidal Energy Project.
    f. Location: The project would be located in mouth of the Columbia
River in Clatsop County, Oregon and Wahkiakum and Pacific Counties,
Washington.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contacts: Joseph A. Cannon, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw
Pittman LLP, 2300 N Street, NW., Washington, DC 20037, phone: (202)
663-8000, and Charles B. Cooper, TRC Environmental, Boott Mills South,
116 John St., Lowell, MA 01852, phone: (978) 656-3567.
    i. FERC Contact: Robert Bell, (202) 502-6062.
    j. Deadline for filing comments, protests, and motions to
intervene: 60 days from the issuance date of this notice.
    The Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure require all
intervenors filing documents with the Commission to serve a copy of
that document on each person in the official service list for the
project. Further, if an intervenor files comments or documents with the
Commission relating to the merits of an issue that may affect the
responsibilities of a particular resource agency, they must also serve
a copy of the document on that resource agency.
    k. Description of Project: The proposed project would consist of:
(1) 50 to 150 Tidal In Stream Energy Conversion (TISEC) devices
consisting of rotating propeller blades, (2) integrated generators with
a capacity of 0.5 to 2.0 MW each, (3) anchoring systems, (4) mooring
lines, (5) interconnection transmission lines, and (6) appurtenant
facilities. The project is estimated to have an annual generation of
8.76 gigawatt-hours per-unit per-year, which would be sold to a local
utility.
    l. Locations of Applications: A copy of the application is
available for inspection and reproduction at the Commission in the
Public Reference Room, located at 888 First Street, NE., Room 2A,
Washington, DC 20426, or by calling (202) 502-8371. This filing may
also be viewed on the Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov

using the ``eLibrary'' link. Enter the docket number excluding the last
three digits in the docket number field to access the document. For
assistance, call toll-free 1-866-208-3676 or e-mail
FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov. For TTY, call (202) 502-8659. A copy is

also available for inspection and reproduction at the address in item h
above.
    m. Individuals desiring to be included on the Commission's mailing
list should so indicate by writing to the Secretary of the Commission.
    n. Competing Preliminary Permit--Anyone desiring to file a
competing application for preliminary permit for a proposed project
must submit the competing application itself, or a notice of intent to
file such an application, to the Commission on or before the specified
comment date for the particular application (see 18 CFR 4.36).
Submission of a timely notice of intent allows an interested person to
file the competing preliminary permit application no later than 30 days
after the specified comment date for the particular application. A
competing preliminary permit application must conform with 18 CFR
4.30(b) and 4.36.

IMPORTANT FORUM REMINDER

Wahkiakum Friends of the River and Columbia Riverkeepers are sponsoring an important informational forum at Wendt Grade School, Cathlamet 7:00 PM Tuesday July 25, 2006. Expert speakers will cover:

• Background on LNG development and safety- Jim Reed, former LNG executive
• Local legal/ environmental issues- Brent Foster, attorney and executive director of Columbia Riverkeepers
• Salmon and fishing impacts- Hobe Kytr, executive director of Salmon for All
• What's next- How can we all get involved

Welcome Christopher Swain

Please join RiverVision and Columbia Riverkeeper in welcoming Christopher Swain to Astoria!

The movie Source to Sea: The Columbia River Swim will be shown on August 2, 7pm at the Columbian Theater (1102 Marine Drive in Astoria). 

$5, all ages welcome.

There will be a reception for Christopher at 5:30 pm at the RiverVision Office (433 13th Street)

for more information, call 503.325.4485

http://www.myspace.com/columbiaswimfilm

SOURCE TO SEA: THE COLUMBIA RIVER SWIM (90 minutes), an all-volunteer collaboration of over thirty Pacific Northwest filmmakers, tells the story of Christopher Swain's swim for clean water and human rights down the entire 1,243 miles of the Columbia River. The film pays special attention to salmon issues, the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, Celilo Falls, petroglyphs, Kettle Falls, the river in Canada, and the challenges Christopher encountered.

The Portland Alliance chose STS as the "pick of the month" - not bad for a month with the world famous Longbaugh film fest in town and dozens of new releases gracing our screens.

STS also had glowing reviews in the Oregonian and Willamette Week and two shows on KBOO dedicated to the film.

What was the result of all this great press? The Portland show sold out! Thanks to all who came that night!

The Columbia Riverkeepers were in attendance and they will now be sponsoring the film up the river! Stops will include Astoria, Hood River, The Dalles, Tri-Cities, Wenatchee, Spokane, Kettle Falls, Golden, BC, and Canal Flats, BC. Dates will be announced soon!

Willamette River Keepers may be sponsoring Eugene and Corvallis...

"A fascinating film!" - Bill Bradbury, Oregon Secretary of State.

LNG SHIP CATCHES FIRE

AMMAN — Nineteen people were injured on Thursday after a fire broke out on a ship loaded with liquid gas anchored in the Port of Aqaba, officials said.

“Twenty people were on deck at the time and fifteen of them were suffering from exposure to thick smoke,” said Lieutenant Colonel Farid Shara.

Four Jordanians were among the injured admitted to hospital, which also included 13 Filipinos, one Russian and one citizen of Montenegro, according to the official.

“The fire started on the ship at around 9:40am, when one of the pumping pipes exploded,” Shara told The Jordan Times.

The Panamanian-flagged vessel, chartered by a Jordanian company, was carrying 4,200 tonnes of gas, of which 2,144 tonnes had been transshipped, the official said.

“The ship was moved half a kilometre offshore in order to hose down the fire, which swept through 30 to 40 per cent of the vessel,” said Shara.

Firemen from Aqaba’s Civil Defence Department, Aqaba Airport, Maan Governorate and the Royal Navy brought the fire under control after two hours, Shara said.

The ship is now anchored one kilometre offshore and five fire engines are on standby in case the fire spreads again. “Some would leave the ship in water for fire to burn it down. But, we insisted to contain the fire and rescue its crew,” said Shara.

An investigation committee has been formed to determine the cause of the blaze, he added.

The port currently handles 22 million tonnes of goods per year and has a capacity to handle 30 million tonnes. 

Friday-Saturday, July 14-15, 2006

PIPELINE DISCUSSIONS

To view LNG pipeline discussions in Cowlitz County go to http://www.tdn.com/townsquare/index.php?topic=84.0

LNG UPDATE

Wahkiakum Friends of the River are sponsoring an LNG Update at Wendt Elementary School Multi-purpose Room in Cathlamet  7:00- 8:30 PM July 25, 2006.

Expert speakers, including an attorney and a former LNG executive, will present an update and current views of what is happening at the Bradwood site in terms of the siting process, FERC actions, and their possible implications for area residents.

ALL ARE WELCOME!

COUNTY TO FILE IN LNG CASE

From the Wahkiakum Eagle July 6, 2006:

Reversing a stand taken several months ago, Wahkiakum County Commissioners Mark Linquist and Dan Cothern voted Wednesday to file as interveners in the Bradwood Landing liquefied natural gas (LNG) permit application process.

In a press release, Cothern said the board's decision was based on additional information provided by Prosecuting Attorney Fred Johnson who had consulted with the law firm Perkins Coie, a specialist in Federal Energy Regulatory Commission proceedings.

Cothern said the board would like to be able to comment throughout the FERC proceedings; commissioners want to make sure the needs of the county are met, and to do this, they now believe it would be best to file as an intervener.

The commissioners said they would remain neutral during the proceedings in an effort to work with all parties "to best represent" the needs of Wahkiakum County.

BAIRD TOWN HALL MEETING REMINDER

This is a reminder of Congressman Brian Baird's Town Hall Meeting in Cathlamet July 7, 2006. The meeting will take place at the River Street meeting room at 7PM. The main topic will be his letter to FERC and the role the state of Washington should play in permitting the LNG facility at Bradwood.

To make sure you are heard, be prepared to speak at the meeting, or you can put your questions about LNG or any other topic in writing for his consideration. Katie Stevens, policy advisor for Congressman Brain Barid's office, says "Thank you for your advocacy on this issue. We will remain intimately engaged on this process and will address your concerns and questions at any time."

WAHKIAKUM COUNTY COMMISSIONERS FILE AS INTERVENER!

A spokesperson from the Wahkiakum County Commissioners Office reports that the commissioners did file as interveners for Northern Star's Bradwood site application to FERC. More information will follow.

THIS IS YOUR BLOG!

This web site is for people who are concerned about the proposed Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) facility on the Columbia River at Bradwood.

Individuals can post excerpts and links to articles they think others will find interesting by commenting on a topic on the main page.To do this you can click onto the word "comments" at the end of each entry. You will then see any other comments that have been made, and there will be a space for your entry.

This gives us an opportunity to share information, give opinions, agree and disagree- in other words a dialog can be initiated. In order to view comments, again click on the word "comments" at the end of an article.

SAVE THE DATE!

Wahkiakum Friends of the River is sponsoring a Citizens Update on LNG and the Bradwood Proposal on July 25, 7PM at the Wendt Grade School Multipurpose Room in Cathlamet. A panel of knowledgeable speakers will address legal and environmental issues, salmon impacts, and a perspective from inside the international LNG industry.

Questions and audience discussion will be possible. More details will be available next week. HOLD THE DATE and encourage friends and relatives to attend.

BAIRD EXPRESSES CONCERNS TO FERC

Congressman Brian Baird expressed a number of concerns about Bradwood to FERC in a letter dated June 30, 2006. His isssues include:

• The EPACT failed to provide a voice for non-host states whose citizens may be equally or even more affected by a terminal's safety issues than the host state.
• The EPACT leaves emergency planning- one of the most important planning pieces of LNG siting- until one of the very last stages of the process.
• The EPACT requires that the emergency response plan include a cost-sharing plan with the state and local agencies and entities affected by a potential emergency. Under the EPACT, communities pay in part to provide adequate capacity to deal with a potential emergency.
• There is no national or regional comprehensive plans regarding LNG faciliity need and placement.

Thank you, Congressman Baird for this letter! Congressman Baird will be handing out his letter at the Cathlamet Town Hall meeting scheduled for July 7th at 7PM in the River Street Meeting Room. 

The letter can also be retrieved from the FERC docket search engine. It is filed under Docket #CP06-365.