noLNG

Does it take a dummy to figure this out? When it says NO LNG, it means NO LNG.

Preserve, Protect, Restore, Enhance...........

Would you help "Preserve, Protect, Develop, and where possible, to Restore or Enhance, the the resources of the Nation's Coastal Zone for this and succeeding generations", well that be the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) passed by Congress in 1972.

To protect the Columbia River, we need your help, please make your tax deductable contribution by clicking on this link  https://columbiariverkeeper.ejoinme.org/MyPages/Donate/tabid/5203/Default.aspx  Thank you.

Who needs LNG?

Sempra buys 25 percent stake in Sunstone Pipeline
Monday June 16, 6:07 pm ET

Williams: Sempra Energy buys 25 percent stake in Sunstone Pipeline, will provide gas

NEW YORK (AP) -- Sempra Energy will buy a 25 percent stake in and provide "a significant amount" of capacity to a natural gas pipeline proposed by Williams Cos. and TransCanada Corp., Williams said Monday.

The Sunstone Pipeline is expected to cost $2.34 billion and run from the Rocky Mountains to Oregon. The 585-mile conduit will have capacity of up to 1.2 billion cubic feet per day when it begins operation in 2011.

Seven other companies have also agreed to ship gas through the pipeline, Williams said. The natural gas producer and shipper did not say how much volume was covered by the agreements, or disclose financial terms.

"Many of those that executed Sunstone Pipeline precedent agreements have agreed to cost-based rates for the project," Hal Kvisle, president and chief executive officer of TransCanada, said in a statement.

Signatures Validated.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                             June 17, 2008

Signatures Validated, LNG Referendum A Go

Date Set For a Vote on LNG Pipelines in Parks in Clatsop County

(Astoria, OR) Despite Northern Star's attempts to derail it in court,
Clatsop County residents will be able to vote on allowing LNG-related
pipelines in their parks.  Cathie Schurman, Interim County Clerk, today
certified 1117 of the 1255 signatures submitted (91%), far in excess of the
598 needed.  She set the date of the county-wide vote as September 16, 2008.
The ballot measure number is 4-131.

Northern Star first sued in Clatsop County court to stop the referendum
entirely; then to radically change the ballot language.  They failed on both
counts.

The change in the zoning ordinance to allow pipelines not only affects the
area near the LNG terminal, but would allow pipelines in all areas
designated open space, parks, and recreation.  This includes Camp Cullaby,
Carnahan County Park, Fishhawk Falls County Park, North Fork Nehalem County
Park, and Sigfridson County Park.

"As a community we implement laws that aid in the protection of our
children.    How, in good conscience, could we as a community allow a
36-inch, high-pressure, interstate gas pipeline three feet below where our
children play?" said Teri Sund, an Astoria mother of two.

Debbie Twombly, Astoria resident and also a chief petitioner, added, "Even
people who support the LNG projects do not support the Commissioners making
such a sweeping change to our laws to accommodate one company."

The group Clatsop County Citizens for Common Sense (
<outbind://1/www.ClatsopCommonSense.org> www.ClatsopCommonSense.org) is
raising money and organizing for the vote.  "We expect a vigorous campaign
from a well-funded opposition, but we expect to prevail," said Marc
Auerbach, one of the referendum petitioners and chair of the Northwest
Property Rights Coalition. 

----
Clatsop County Citizens for Common Sense
Marc Auerbach
Chair Northwest Property Rights Coalition and Petitioner
marc@nwprc.org
503.755.2415

Don West
Vice President, Columbia River Business Alliance and Petitioner
donwest10@gmail.com
503.298.9937

Brent Foster
Executive Director of Columbia Riverkeeper
brentfoster@gorge.net
541.380.1334

Clatsop Common Sense
P.O. Box 186
Warrenton, Oregon 97146
www.ClatsopCommonSense.org

Terror Targets!

The LNG Threat

Back to

Liquefied Natural Gas Tankers Remain Giant Terror Targets

Cindy Hurst

June 16th 2008

Jordan Cove LNG.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said Friday that it plans to issue a ruling on the proposed liquefied natural gas terminal project by May 14, 2009. A final environmental impact statement is scheduled to be released three months earlier, by Feb. 13, 2009. FERC’s final verdict is subject to scheduling changes, as has been the case with agency decisions on the project along the way.

The Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals has postponed its decision on a land use case involving the project.

The board was expected to issue a ruling Thursday on whether Jordan Cove Energy Partners’ application properly dealt with environmental and archeological concerns on Coos Bay’s North Spit. Instead, it delayed its decision to June 26.
http://theworldlink.com/articles/2008/06/14/news/doc48536bb69f705166432231.txt

Oregon's US Reps. write the FERC.

WU, DeFAZIO, and HOOLEY WRITE FERC
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Representatives David Wu, Peter DeFazio, and Darlene
Hooley wrote to the chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
(FERC), Joseph Kelliher, on June 12 to request additional time to address
ongoing concerns about the liquefied natural gas (LNG) licensing
process. 

"Once again, FERC has unilaterally moved forward in the LNG licensing
process, ignoring repeated requests from both the governor and
congressional delegation for meaningful community input," said Wu.  "The
FEIS is incomplete without sections addressing the latest research and
proposal changes, and the entire licensing process is inadequate without
the opportunity for the community to have its concerns resolved."

Round One, Low Blow.

Read the LOW BLOW by NorthernStar's CEO.

Click on the FERC generate PDF file: http://elibrary.ferc.gov/idmws/file_list.asp?accession_num=20080613-0053

US LNG import slide.

ANALYSIS-US LNG import slide stirs concerns about supply
06.13.08, 11:01 AM ET

United States - By Joe Silha

NEW YORK, June 13 (Reuters) - A sharp drop in U.S. liquefied gas imports in 2008 has stirred worries about tight supplies and helped spike natural gas prices 70 percent this year, but some industry experts question whether current fundamentals justify prices at 2-1/2-year highs.

"There are plenty of reasons for the market to be nervous right now, crude is on a roll and we could have an active hurricane season or a hot summer, but if that doesn't happen, U.S. supply should be sufficient to get inventories back to comfortable levels," said Stephen Smith of Stephen Smith Energy Associates, a consulting firm in Mississippi.

While LNG is still only a small part of overall supply, providing just over 2 percent of total U.S. demand, record imports last year of 770 billion cubic feet, or about 2.1 bcf per day, helped build inventories for last heating season to all-time highs above 3.5 trillion cubic feet.

Utilities typically stockpile gas in inventory from April through October to help meet peak winter heating demand.

More; http://www.forbes.com/reuters/feeds/reuters/2008/06/13/2008-06-13T150157Z_01_N12289358_RTRIDST_0_ENERGY-NATGAS-SUPPLIES-ANALYSIS.html

FERC, The Rubberstamp Express!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you, FERCers. Now you realy got us pissed off. See you at the ballot box........

Don't quit pressure on Bradwood LNG
FERC will treat us like peasants only if we allow ourselves to act like peasants
Considering that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has made plain its desire to scatter around as many liquefied natural gas receiving terminals as possible, it would have been shocking if its final environmental report on Bradwood Landing had been anything more than a rubber-stamp.

The default judgment at FERC staff is that enormous industrial projects are valid. Local objections to such massive facilities are completely expected. Those objections are fed into the process like spice into a sausage-making machine. Local anguish may influence the final flavor of the project, but the sausage gets made nevertheless.

Even so, with a change in the White House in the offing, FERC may be ever so slightly more inclined to listen. Citizens and elected leaders have a greater chance of success in lobbying for a rational decision.

This will only occur if citizens remain actively engaged and do not assume all the cards have been dealt, simply because the word "final" appears in front of Bradwood's environmental impact statement. The only final thing is FERC's skewed assessment. Considerations about whether this terminal is built are infinitely more complex. They can still be shaped.

We residents of the Lower Columbia are a small and isolated community, but even so, we will only be treated like peasants if we allow ourselves to act like peasants. In fact, we are guardians and stewards of one of the world's premier estuaries - the meeting place of the Great River of the West and the Pacific Ocean. Just as Billy Frank has come to have a heroic influence over salmon management by virtue of the Northwest Indian tribes' profound connection with that sacred resource, we must be the voice for our river and shore.

Successful stewardship is largely about forging effective alliances, patiently showing up for every meeting, and mastering every nuance of your subject matter. If enough residents are willing to do this, they can perhaps still make the federal government take a genuine look at such basic questions as whether to allow private firms to engage in a great land rush, pushing through LNG permits that will then be marketed to third parties.

At the very least, such proactive stewardship will force FERC and LNG promoters to do their utmost rather than just going through the motions. If local citizens are unable or unwilling to insist on such respect, then we will merely be dismissed as typical "not in my backyard" bumpkins.



Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski and our congressional delegation can go a long way toward proving their credentials as independent Oregonians by sticking with us on this. Intense and sincere interest at this highest political level matters.

It is also important to pass the referendum on the Clatsop County Commission's judgment on the Bradwood Landing LNG terminal.

FERC is incapable of objectively analyzing this project. We must do our own analysis and make sure it isn't ignored.

Ref; www.dailyastorian.com  Opinion.

Do not Take your Eye off this One!

June 11, 2008 05:14 PM Eastern Daylight Time  Oregon LNG Continues on Permit Approval Path with Report to Coast Guard Water Suitability Assessment Confirms that Project Site Provides Safety, Flexibility WARRENTON, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oregon LNG recently delivered its Water Suitability Assessment (WSA) to the U.S. Coast Guard, moving the liquefied natural gas project further on its expected schedule toward permit approval. “The WSA shows that tankers can safely navigate the Columbia River Bar to serve our facility,” said Peter Hansen, Oregon LNG chief executive officer. “It also confirms that our site is well-suited for the most modern vessels, including the Q-Max class.” Oregon LNG is a proposed liquefied natural gas import facility located on the Skipanon Peninsula in Warrenton, Oregon. The project is distinct from other LNG proposals in that it has taken a different route toward permit approval. “We focused extra time, attention and resources in the beginning to find what we believe is the best site,” Hansen said. Oregon LNG’s site is located near the mouth of the Columbia, which means tankers do not have to pass by Astoria or go under the Astoria-Megler Bridge to serve the facility – a significant advantage compared to upriver locations. “In addition, we started our process by focusing on local land use permits, and then moving to the federal process,” Hansen said. So far, Oregon LNG is the only LNG project in Oregon that has received its land use approvals and successfully defended these approvals against all legal challenges. “With the WSA report, we are moving forward with the federal process according to plan,” Hansen said. The WSA evaluated navigation for three liquefied natural gas tanker sizes — 148,000 cubic meters (m3), 216,000 m3 (Q-Flex) and 266,000 m3 (Q-Max). The WSA demonstrates that the Oregon LNG site can accommodate the three tanker sizes. Because the site and the tanker transit route are distant from population centers, bridges and other major infrastructures and because the impacts on other river users will be minimal, “the site is ideal from a safety and security standpoint,” Hansen added. Also, the site has far lower impacts on salmon than any other site on the Columbia River. As the only on-shore, LNG receiving terminal on the West Coast of the U.S. capable of accommodating the larger vessels, the Oregon LNG project will process up to 1.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day. The project will serve Oregon, Washington and other western states through a new 120-mile pipeline. Currently, Oregon imports nearly 100 percent of the natural gas used by Oregonians. Traditional supplies are expected to decline and competition for natural gas is increasing. Access to LNG would help meet Oregon’s demand for natural gas and help hold prices down. In addition to providing access to new supplies of natural gas, Oregon LNG also fully supports energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives. “We strongly support the state’s goal of meeting 25 percent of Oregon’s electric energy needs with renewable energy by 2025,” Hansen said. “But even with that aggressive goal, we will still need more natural gas.” The WSA report is a follow-on to the Preliminary Water Suitability Assessment, which was submitted to the U.S. Coast Guard on May 24, 2007. Oregon LNG expects to receive final federal permit approval in 2009 and anticipates delivering natural gas to customers by late 2013. Oregon LNG is a proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in Warrenton, Ore. Its sister company, Oregon Pipeline, is a proposed pipeline that will deliver affordable natural gas to customers in Oregon, Washington and other western states. Visit www.OregonLNG.com for more information.

Terms of Use   |   ©2008 Business Wire

Quote of the Day.

The FERC will require an emergency response plan but it may not require that the applicant agree to every item that the State requests.

Coos Bay, OR.

LUBA to make ruling on LNG

From Staff Reports

Wednesday, June 11, 2008 11:29 AM PDT

Arguments contending the proposed Coos Bay liquefied natural gas facility doesn’t meet state land use laws have been in the office of the state’s Land Use Board of Appeals for months. But not after Thursday.

LUBA is expected to make a ruling Thursday in an appeal of Jordan Cove Energy’s Coos County land use application. Opponents appealed the decision last December, arguing the company’s application ignores environmental and archeological concerns in locating an LNG facility on Coos Bay’s North Spit.

This is in no way the final step in the project. LUBA could remand it to the county for more work on the land use issues. Or, it could deny opponents’ arguments.

The project developer, Jordan Cove Energy Partners, also expects to receive a schedule this week from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on the timeline for issuance of an environmental impact statement. By July 1, the company expects to receive the waterway suitability report from the U.S. Coast Guard, said Bob Braddock, the project manager.

Article by The Forest Grove News-Times

Feds say Bradwood Landing LNG terminal would do little to damage environment

Final environmental impact statement says negative effects can be mitigated

By Christian Gaston

The Forest Grove News-Times, Jun 6, 2008, Updated Jun 6, 2008

Federal regulators released a report today that said a liquefied natural gas terminal near Astoria would have minimal adverse environmental impact if constructed.

The proposed terminal, Bradwood Landing, has drawn harsh opposition from environmentalists and property rights groups who say the project would harm salmon and fishery operations and that pipelines connecting to the project would undermine streams, farm and forest land.

One pipeline proposal, by Palomar Gas, would traverse Washington County near Forest Grove and Gaston. Both cities have passed resolutions opposing LNG terminals in Oregon based on environmental and economic concerns.

But in the Federal Energy Regulatory Committee’s final environmental impact statement, agency staff concluded that the impacts could be mitigated by implementing 110 changes to the proposal.

While FERC ultimately permits LNG facilities, the proposal still needs to cross hurdles at the local level, including a referendum fight in Clatsop County, and numerous concerns from state agencies.

Julia Krahe, spokesperson for U.S. Congressman David Wu, said that FERC’s decision to release the final environmental impact statement without taking more time for public comment was a mistake.

“It is just continued emphasis that FERC hasn’t really listened to Oregonians,” Krahe said.

Wu and other Oregon congress members have been pressuring FERC to slow down their process. Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski has gone further, saying that LNG siting decisions should rest with local officials.

Brent Foster, executive director of Columbia Riverkeeper, has been a key organizer in the opposition movement, which has gained traction with many Oregon Democrats in recent months.

Foster saw the release as a rebuke of those local politicians’ concerns.

“It is really unbelievable to see FERC essentially dismiss the serious concerns raised not just by the public, but by virtually every State of Oregon agency that reviewed their initial analysis,” Foster said in a press release.

Krahe said that FERC needs to return to the table to hear those complaints more fully.

“The concerns of the citizens of the affected communities deserve to be fully heard. Even if FERC doesn’t think that they’re going to learn anything new we still think its incumbent upon them to listen,” Krahe said.

But Foster, who has criticized the agency’s process in the past, said that FERC wasn’t interested in listening.

“The Bush Administration's FERC wants to bury their head in the sand, approve the project and then leave Oregon and Washington to clean up the mess they have created,” Foster said.

Copyright 2008 Pamplin Media Group, 6605 S.E. Lake Road, Portland, OR 97222 •          503-226-6397       

6/6/2008 1:19:00 PM

Feds say Bradwood LNG plan is 'environmentally acceptable' - if done right By CASSANDRA PROFITA The Daily Astorian Federal energy regulators have concluded the Bradwood Landing liquefied natural gas project would be "an environmentally acceptable action" - if it's done right. Friday the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission staff announced the completion of the Bradwood project's Final Environmental Impact Statement, a comprehensive assessment of all environmental issues. The document will be used by a five-member board to make a licensing decision on the project. The FEIS itself is not the final project approval. In a notice released Friday, FERC staff reported the project would have "mostly limited adverse environmental impacts" if project developer NorthernStar Natural Gas Inc. follows all applicable laws and regulations, completes all the recommended mitigation measures. Though the actual FEIS document was not immediately available, NorthernStar Vice President of External Affairs Joe Desmond said he's been reviewing it and has found the conclusions to be "very positive." Ted Messing, a project opponent who lives in Brownsmead near the proposed terminal site 20 miles east of Astoria, said he was expecting such an outcome from the FEIS, but he's still hoping the state will quash the project. "It's a sad day for the Lower Columbia River, but this project is not a done deal," he said. "The state still has some control. We're counting on the governor to deny the air and water permits and stop this destruction of one of the prime habitats for salmon in the world."

6/5/2008 8:43:00 AM

LNG vote campaigners file more than double signatures needed for ballot The Daily Astorian Backers of a referendum on Clatsop County's approval of the Bradwood Landing liquefied natural gas project submitted 1,255 signatures to the county clerk Wednesday - more than twice the 598 signatures needed to put the issue on the ballot in September. County residents Marc Auerbach, Debbie Twombly and Don West filed a ballot referendum petition in April to challenge the Clatsop County Commission's decision to change county law and allow gas pipelines from LNG terminals to run through lands zoned for open space, parks and recreation (OPR). In approving the Bradwood Landing land-use application, the county commission amended an ordinance to conditionally allow a 36-inch wide pipeline for the Bradwood Landing LNG terminal to run through OPR land near the project site 20 miles east of Astoria. The ordinance had previously prohibited natural gas pipelines from cutting through land zoned OPR. More:

http://www.dailyastorian.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=398&ArticleID=51875&TM=13826.21

6/5/2008 11:01:00 AM

LNG report rekindles salmon dispute NorthernStar submits Biological Assessment to feds; opponents criticize document for minimizing impact By CASSANDRA PROFITA The Daily Astorian NorthernStar Natural Gas Inc. submitted a 3,700-page Biological Assessment to federal energy regulators Wednesday, reaching another milestone in its development of the $650 million Bradwood Landing liquefied natural gas project. The document will be used by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife to determine whether the project complies with federal environmental laws, namely the Endangered Species Act. Project opponents argue the project will have severe impacts to salmon because of the extensive dredging required in the river to make way for LNG tankers, the removal of millions of gallons of ballast water from the river and the pipeline's stream and river crossings. Brent Foster, executive director of Columbia Riverkeeper, disputed the company's claims that its plans will improve salmon habitat. "We know that this project will kill salmon, yet Bradwood is asking us to believe that they will somehow restore salmon runs with $1 million per year over 40 years. At a time when we're spending hundreds of millions per year on salmon recovery, this is a drop in the bucket, and it ignores the huge negative impacts of this development to salmon." The entire Biological Assessment for the Bradwood Landing project is available on FERC's Web site, http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp. under docket no. CP06-365. More: http://www.dailyastorian.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=398&ArticleID=51877&TM=13826.21

Public Safety Concerns.

Northernstar's arrogance and their attitude of "take it or leave it" seems to works very well for the opposition. Remember the letter from the Warrenton, OR. city counsel and the Wahkiakum County Board of Commissioners as having the same issues with the energy speculators.

Not to mention the provisions for Wahkiakum County in NorthernStar's draft ERP, that be the "lack thereof".

6/3/2008 11:12:00 AM

Public safety fuels Astoria's LNG concerns City Council votes to send FERC a written response disputing NorthernStar’s claims on safety By SANDRA SWAIN The Daily Astorian Not satisfied with the Emergency Response Plan NorthernStar Natural Gas Co. has filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for its proposed liquefied natural gas terminal at Bradwood Landing, members of the Astoria City Council voted unanimously Monday to send a written response to FERC disputing the company's claim that safety issues have been adequately addressed. Ships carrying LNG would pass by Astoria on the way up the Columbia River to the proposed terminal, which would be located at Bradwood Landing, 20 miles to the east. "The city's concern is primarily focused on public safety issues," City Manager Paul Benoit said. "This motion asserts that no agreement with FERC has been reached." The letter requests that FERC give specific consideration to the public safety resource needs that have been identified before the project is approved. "Astoria categorically rejects and disputes any claim or characterization that the proposed Emergency Response Plan (ERP) and proposed cost-sharing agreements are acceptable to Astoria, or are otherwise fair and reasonable," the letter states, noting that city officials have met with NorthernStar "numerous times" in an effort to reach agreement on funding resource gaps and calling NorthernStar's proposals for fire and police cost-sharing "insufficient and unacceptable." The letter, to be signed by Mayor Willis Van Dusen and sent to FERC, concludes that the city "will not agree to the 'take it or leave it' approach" offered by the company. Astoria residents Lori Durheim, Gordon Story and Laurie Caplan all spoke against NorthernStar's Emergency Response Plan. Durheim and Caplan presented letters opposing the plan. Pete Hackett, the company's Bradwood Landing liaison, spoke in favor, saying, "We've been working diligently on this Emergency Response Plan, regardless of what the paper might say." ( Its not just the paper, all the communities along the transit route and terminal site,e.g. Warrenton, Astoria, Knappa and Wahkiakum County are having the same issues. blogger) NorthernStar cannot go forward with construction of its LNG terminal until its Emergency Response Plan is approved by the affected governmental entities, including public safety agencies in Astoria, Warrenton and the Knappa area.

One Down, Three (Oregon) more to Go.

Send the energy speculators back to Texas.

Jun 02, 2008 09:28 ET

Plans for $800 Million LNG Import Terminal in California Shelved, an Industrial Info News Alert

Highlighted Links

SUGAR LAND, TX--(Marketwire - June 2, 2008) - Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas) -- Sound Energy Solutions (SES) (Long Beach, California), a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corporation (PINKSHEETS:MSBHY) (Tokyo, Japan), has placed a liquefied natural gas terminal project in Long Beach, California on indefinite hold. It is not clear when or if the project will be revived.

For details, view the entire article by subscribing to Industrial Info's Premium Industry News at http://www.industrialinfo.com/showNews.jsp?newsitemID=133718, or browse other breaking industrial news stories at www.industrialinfo.com.

Sign of the Time.

5/30/2008 12:17:00 PM

Letter:Time to sign After watching in dismay and amazement as four Clatsop County Commissioners rolled over for the Texas liquefied natural gas speculators trying to force their Bradwood Landing project on our county, I was very glad to sign the petition to put an important question in the LNG battle to the voters. When former commissioner Richard Lee and three other commissioners (thank you Sam Patrick for your independent thinking) decided to open our county's parks and recreation lands to massive gas pipelines, they did so despite overwhelming public and expert testimony against the NorthernStar LNG project. It seems clear that NorthernStar supporters filed suit to stop the citizen ballot measure because they know the people of Clatsop County will vote against the idea of putting our parks, families and community at risk for the sake of LNG. These pipelines in our parks and open spaces would carry regasified, unodorized liquefied natural gas, which the Oregon Department of Energy has recently confirmed we do not need. I look forward to voting on this issue in the fall and stopping the further risk of harm to our community. Today there is an opportunity in many parts of Clatsop County for residents to sign the petition to put this referendum on the November ballot; more information is available at www.ClatsopCommonSense.org Carol Newman Astoria

"Huge Misunderstanding" by o'FERC

Would this be "Homeland Security"?    Talking about being paranoid!.....

Friday, May 30, 2008

By Nick Christensen

The Hillsboro Argus

The Argus

A spokeswoman for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said a "huge misunderstanding" prompted the agency to request armed guards at its scoping meetings in Oregon last week.

Opponents of proposed compressed natural gas pipelines through were outraged about the presence of the guards. Witnesses at a meeting in Woodburn said there were as many as 6 guards patrolling an auditorium where a FERC meeting was held.

The meetings were held by FERC to get feedback for an upcoming environmental review of the proposed Oregon Pipeline, part of Oregon LNG's plan to build a liquefied gas terminal near Warrenton and pipe the gas to Portland through Clatsop, Washington, Yamhill, Clackamas and Marion counties.

While there have been guards at prior meetings regarding the pipelines, they've never been seen carrying weapons. Witnesses of last Tuesday's FERC meeting at Banks High School said the two guards at that meeting were carrying Glock pistols.

"They were in combat position," said Gales Creek resident Paul Sansone, a pipeline opponent. "It's a confrontational, ram this thing through attitude and it's disrespectful. And it just fits in with everything else."

For the complete article click: http://www.oregonlive.com/news/argus/index.ssf?/base/news/1212166225280550.xml&coll=6