Letter to Brian Baird

Wahkiakum Friends Of the River
P. O. Box  273
Cathlamet, WA. 98612

8.10.2006

Dear Representative Baird,

Thank you for taking  time to meet with the citizens of Wahkiakum County on July 7, 2006 in a town hall meeting.

As a follow up to the  meeting and per your request, we  submit, from Wahkiakum citizens the following comments and concerns.

Please note, these questions were also submitted to the Wahkiakum County commissioners on June 6, 2006 and have not been addressed as of this date.

1. If the LNG facility is built at Bradwood, OR. , who will handle the local complaints about air and noise pollution? Where will calls be directed and who will be in charge of resolving the complaints during the construction phase and then during the plant and vessel operating phase?

2. How much toxic waste will be forced into the air or the river from this facility? Many of these toxins are cancer causing agents. In the past, Wahkiakum County has been reported as having the highest per capita rate of cancer in the U.S. Is the LNG facility going to make it even worse?

3.With a proposal or study submitted by , Senator Patty Murray,  Senator Gordon Smith, and yourself consider the Lower Columbia River Estuary for National Heritage Area status, how will a LNG facility and the related vessel traffic with armed escorts and thruster tugboats fit in with the plan?

4. Since a LNG plant across the Columbia  River  will have a big effect on us for years and years, how do you stay updated on the politics, economics, and  safety issues surrounding this site?

5. FERC asked NorthernStar to “Provide a map and table that illustrates and lists all residences and commercial structures within 2.0 miles of the LNG terminal.” This 2.0 mile area is important because the federal government has recognized safety and exclusion zones around a LNG terminal. How can the Bradwood LNG terminal be sited and still comply  with the “Separation Distance” as per 49 CFR, Part 193?

6. What is the purpose of the exclusion zone? To protect the LNG carrier and facility  or to protect the people in the nearby areas and their properties. How can either one be realistically  achieved on this narrow river?

7. Can one be on the Puget Island beaches or at Skamokawa Vista park during LNG carrier transit?

8. NorthernStar submitted to FERC comments related to Columbia River bank stabilization of the shoreline, but there was no mentioning of the Puget Island shoreline which will be exposed to the thrust of these super tugs. Who will be taking care of and paying for the erosion?

9. How can the government ensure the safety of our citizens in case of an event or accident at the proposed facility? Who will take care of our elderly in case of an evacuation? Can  immediate medical care be provided to potential victims of such an event? Wahkiakum County infrastructure cannot support or respond to an event of this magnitude or scale. How will our infrastructure be enhanced to accommodate these needs and who will pay for material and staffing?

10.How will our home owners and the County be compensated for the decrease in property values and reduction of the tax base?

11. Will there be an Early Warning system in place for tracking of vapor clouds of Methane gas? Will CAMEO (Computer Aided Management of Emergency Operation) or a similar system be provided? Who will manage this system and pay for training and staffing?

12. The proposed facility will be using a tremendous amount of water from the Columbia River for hydrostatic testing of storage tanks and pipeline, ship ballast, ship equipment cooling, fire suppression testing, well water during construction, etc.   How will this  affect  the Lower Columbia River Estuary?  Is there a need to spill more water at the dams during fish migration?

13. The Submerged Vaporizers will create 160GPM, which equals 84,000.000GPY. Treated for acidity and dumped into the Columbia River at 0.4 of salinity, this be 10 times the current salinity of the river water at this location. What effect will this have on the estuary? 14. Dredging of the turning basin will be very controversial because of previous comments from Puget Island residents and submittal of data to FERC pertaining to a study in 1993 for the Lower Columbia River Bi-State Program, (eventually became known as the Lower Columbia River Estuary Program) which details heavy contaminants in the vicinity of Bradwood. Although a private company tested the dredge spoils and found no contamination or found contamination within acceptable limits, other river testing over the years has proven that the current state of science cannot detect contamination in dredge spoils as precisely as testing contaminant levels in benthic organisms and fish. As the dredge spoils are being used for fill on the proposed site, how will this affect the down wind residents of Puget Island and beyond?

15. It strikes us that, when comparing Bradwood to other U.S. LNG facilities by capacity v.s. total facility footprint, Bradwood would be the smallest in acreage with a very limited buffer zone to aquatic or natural zoning.   What would be the impact on this environmentally sensitive larger area?

We as concerned citizens of Wahkiakum County thank you for being receptive to take our comments and opinions. We look forward to answers  as these issues will affect our way of life.

Sincerely,

Wahkiakum Friends Of the River

George Exum, Co-Chair
Dr. Terry Kriesel , Co-Chair
Frans G. Eykel, Puget Island,WA.

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