Guest columb in The Daily Astorian.

12/17/2008 1:26:00 PM

Guest column: Will the commissioners undermine your vote? By Brett VandenHeuvel and Cheryl Johnson For The Daily Astorian On Oct.10, the Oregon Department of Justice sent a letter to Clatsop County, asking a very simple but important question. After the referendum prohibited LNG pipelines in areas zoned parks and open space, is the Bradwood pipeline compatible with local law? The keen interest by Department of Justice shows the importance of the referendum - state agencies cannot process Bradwood's permits unless the project meets local laws. The planning staff and county counsel decided the obvious answer is that a portion of the proposed Bradwood pipeline is not allowed after the referendum. But, the Commission, three months later, still refuses to give the state the courtesy of a response. The handful of "LNG-at-any-cost" commissioners do not like that the referendum stops Bradwood's free ride. After the planning staff requested to send an honest response to the state, several Commissioners revealed whose bidding they're doing, and it's not the voters of Clatsop County. At the last hearing, the first question from the Commission was: Commissioner Jeff Hazen: "Did you talk with Bradwood about this?" Planning Director: "I talked with our legal counsel, Andy Jordan, about this. Yes." Commissioner Ann Samuelson: "But not, but not Bradwood Landing." It's not clear why the county would need Bradwood's permission to respond to the Department of Justice. One thing is clear: the Commission's loyalty to Bradwood trumps their promise to represent the voters. The Commission's attempt to hide the effect of the referendum, after an astounding 67 percent rejected LNG pipelines from protected areas, is somewhere between unprofessional and devious. Citizens were told that the commission would include the long overdue response letter in the Dec. 17 meeting, but it is not on the agenda. County residents should attend the meeting to see which commissioner has the dignity to uphold the law, and which will try to undermine your vote. Brett VandenHeuvel is executive director of Columbia Riverkeeper and Cheryl Johnson of Astoria is a longtime LNG opponent