noLNG

Letter: Bag the carpetbaggers

What a grand idea ("LNG opponents launch recall campaigns against two Clatsop County commissioners," The Daily Astorian, July 21). Thank you to Jack Guyot and the two district groups who filed.

It's time we took our county back. With the exception of Dirk Rohne, the board of commissioners has been an embarrassment for far too long. The embarrassment has turned to real fear as this board inched us closer and closer to having huge liquefied natural gas tankers on our doorstep.

The welcome mat they rolled out for the Texas Money Men can be rolled back up. The precise and telling list of reasons for the recall should be pasted on every voter's forehead.

MARY TANGUAY WEBB
Astoria

Federal court orders release of list showing people affected by proposed LNG pipelines

The Daily Astorian

The U.S. District Court in Portland has ruled in favor of Columbia Riverkeeper and Willamette Riverkeeper in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit regarding the Palomar pipeline.

The Court ordered the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to produce a list of landowners affected by the proposed pipeline.

In response to the request by the Riverkeeper groups, FERC had initially denied that a list of landowners existed.

FERC subsequently acknowledged a list, but refused to release the names. Friday's decision orders FERC to release an unredacted list.

The case was argued by attorney Brenna Bell for Willamette Riverkeeper and by Columbia Riverkeeper executive director Brett VandenHeuvel.

Over the past several years, some landowners along proposed pipeline routes have failed to receive notice of public hearings and have urged FERC to be more transparent and responsive.

Paul Dryden, a Woodburn-area landowner, received no notice about a key public hearing. He attended anyway, only to find that the pipeline had been rerouted through his farm.

"It is just incredibly frustrating to try and deal with these pipeline projects without having basic information before comment periods come up," he said.

"There are thousands of people in Oregon affected by these projects, and many of them are still in the dark about what has been proposed. We hope that this is a step in the direction of making FERC change its approach."

Oregon LNG sues Port of Astoria

Read all about it: http://www.dailyastorian.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=395&ArticleID=62770&TM=66722.75

What a mess, Port Commissioners and County Commissioners burning-up tax payers money on, litigation, appeals, hearing, etc. but still ignoring their constituents. Also read the editorial: http://www.dailyastorian.info/main.asp?SectionID=23&SubSectionID=392&ArticleID=62733

This newspaper has been a great asset to the Lower Columbia River region with up to date news on the LNG issues and their award winning articles on Global warming.

Letters to the Editor

For access to the MANY letters to The Daily Astorian editor click here:

http://www.dailyastorian.com/main.asp?SectionID=23&SubSectionID=393&TM=64632

Letter: Corruption concerns

Public corruption is one of the FBI's top investigative priorities-behind only terrorism, espionage, and cyber crimes. Why? Because of its impact on our democracy and national security. Public corruption can affect everything from how well our borders are secured and our neighborhoods protected.to verdicts handed down in courts to the quality of our roads and schools. And it takes a significant toll on our pocketbooks, too, siphoning off tax dollars."

This quote, taken directly from the FBI's Web site, captures the essence of the issue at hand regarding the Bradwood Landing project and the clear, well justified local opposition to it. Our county commissioners are doing the bidding of a corporate entity at the expense of safety and well-being of the community, and they are using our tax dollars to do it.

For the commission to hire, at taxpayer expense, a team of people to examine the impact of Bradwood, and then disregard the findings as if they have no relevance, is corruption.

Voting for a project clearly opposed by the people is corruption.

Actively advocating at the state level, at taxpayer expense, the desires of a private corporate entity is corruption.

Manipulated membership of the planning commission to control its decisions and actions is corruption.

When you look closely at recent FBI cases where county commissioners have been arrested and jailed on corruption charges, they very frequently involve land-use decisions that benefit a large corporation or land developer.

So, while I applaud the recall campaigns, they are softball in a hardball game. It is clear that we have reached the point were law enforcement needs to be brought into the picture. Read more on the FBI's Web site: www.fbi.gov/hq/cid/ pubcorrupt/pubcorrupt.htm

And click on the "report corruption now" link to report our commissioners and finally get some accountability.

SHAWN KOZAK
Astoria
http://www.dailyastorian.com/main.asp?SectionID=23&SubSectionID=393&ArticleID=62790&TM=64708.09

Once more, into the pit (Editorial)

County commission gives us more years of litigation, appeals, political turmoil
With depressing predictability, a majority of Clatsop County commissioners last week again flowed through the LNG pipeline, as unthinking as the methane that promoters want to unload here.

The admirable exception was Commissioner Dirk Rohne. He displayed good sense and intellectual honesty in resisting the majority's tortured logic. The other four essentially rubber-stamped the developer's prepared findings that Bradwood Landing isn't a major development on an isolated rural riverbank, and that it furthermore protects endangered salmon and traditional fishing areas.

More: http://www.dailyastorian.info/main.asp?SectionID=23&SubSectionID=392&ArticleID=62733

Recall targets two over LNG

Petition filed against Jeff Hazen and Ann Samuelson

By JOE GAMM
The Daily Astorian

Petitions for recalls of two county commissioners were filed this morning with the Clatsop County Elections Office.

Two newly formed groups are targeting Jeff Hazen and Ann Samuelson.

District 1 for the Columbia (D1C) filed paperwork to recall Clatsop County Board of Commissioners Chairman Hazen and Democracy in District 5 (DD5) filed paperwork to recall Commissioner Samuelson.

Complete article:
http://www.dailyastorian.info/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=398&ArticleID=62659

RECALL ANN SAMUELSON

Contact:  Marc Auerbach, 503 755-2415 or 503 701-1437

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

IN THE WAKE OF A CONTROVERSIAL BRADWOOD LANDING DECISION, VOTERS INITIATE RECALL EFFORT

Democracy in District 5 (DID5.org) today announced it had filed papers in Clatsop County to recall Commissioner Ann Samuelson.

Because of her continued irresponsible performance, a group of local citizens feels it had no choice but to seek a Recall Election to remove Commissioner Samuelson from office. “A hefty majority of Clatsop County voters are fed up with three commissioners who have steadily ignored the popular sentiment that is opposed to an LNG terminal at Bradwood.” (The Daily Astorian, 7-15-3009). This morning one of those three commissioners faces potential recall from a group calling itself Democracy in District 5 (DID5.org).

The group plans to have volunteers with petitions at the Cannon Beach and Seaside post offices Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. till 2 p.m. starting Friday July 24th.

“Commissioner Samuelson’s repeated votes in support of an LNG facility on the Columbia River in the face of a 67% vote against LNG related pipelines, overwhelming and negative public comment, and the facts in the LUBA remand case, left us no choice but recall to ensure the will of the people is followed,” said Betsy Ayres, Chief Petitioner and resident of Cannon Beach.

Commissioner Samuelson is no stranger to controversy. She was recalled from the Jewell School Board on May 20, 2008.

In January 2009, the Oregon Ethics Commission found that she had attended illegally held meetings on three separate occasions while on the school board.

In July 2009 she was removed from her appointed position as precinct committee person for the Democratic Party.

“Commissioner Samuelson recently described herself as, ‘a pretty tough broad’. What’s tough is getting through to her even when the message is loud and clear,” commented constituent Carolyn Eady of Jewell.

The reasons for the recall action cited in the Petition are the following.
By her actions as a Clatsop County Commissioner, Ann Samuelson, has harmed the future of Clatsop County and its residents through:

• Repeatedly voting in support of proposals overwhelming opposed by the public, and the objections of professional staff.
• Squandering public funds by choosing to hire planning and management consultants and expensive attorneys but disregarding their professional advice and findings;
• Squandering public funds by unnecessary, unproductive and ill-advised travel;
• Undermining common values, adopted plans, established policies, and regulations of the County;
• Failing to be open and transparent in decision- making and development of policy, violating the spirit of public meetings law;
• Ignoring and failing to respond to the advice and concerns of paid staff, volunteer committees, and the public;
• Manipulating the membership of the Planning Commission in order to control the Planning Commission's decisions and actions;
• Endangering the public and disregarding public safety by failing to require funding guarantees for emergency services and personnel from major industrial proposals;
• Creating a divisive environment that is acrimonious and counterproductive in doing the public's business.

Once the Recall Petition has been accepted and approved by the County Clerk, recall supporters will have up to 90 days to collect the roughly 500 signatures necessary to force a recall election. When the signed petitions are submitted, the county will have 10 days to verify the signatures and then Commissioner Samuelson will have 5 days to either resign or respond. If she resigns, she leaves office immediately. Otherwise, the recall election must be held within 35 days.

All registered voters who live in Samuelson’s district (District 5) are eligible to sign the petition.

The official description of the district is as follows: DISTRICT 5 covers the area from Sunquist Road in Seaside east of U.S. 101, and Cannon Beach, Arch Cape south to the Tillamook County line, east to the Columbia and Washington county lines, including Hamlet and Jewell.

Precincts: Cannon Beach (20), Elsie (24), Hamlet (26), Jewell (28), Necanicum (35), Seaside (37), Seaside (40) and Arch Cape (45).

Information about DID5 and the recall effort is posted at the recall website, www.DID5.org

Email: info@did5.org

Donations may be sent to the following address:

PO Box 896
Seaside, OR 97138

County helps Bradwood make the bed (video)

Commissioner Rohne stands alone against LNG

By CASSANDRA PROFITA
The Daily Astorian

Clatsop County Commissioner Dirk Rohne stood his ground Thursday as he alone voted against the Bradwood Landing liquefied natural gas project.

The Board of Commissioners met to deliberate and vote on two zoning issues that are blocking the LNG development. Project supporters and opponents rallied on street corners in downtown Astoria for the occasion, and more than 80 people crowded into the Judge Guy Boyington Building to watch the proceeding.

During the meeting, commissioners responded to the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals remand of two county land-use decisions made last year in approving zone changes for the Bradwood Landing project.

Rohne firmly argued the proposed LNG terminal clashes with local land-use laws, as it is too big for the Bradwood site and does not protect traditional fishing areas or endangered fish.

Complete article including video: http://www.dailyastorian.info/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=398&ArticleID=62560

 

They have no shame.

County board sides with Bradwood 4-1

By CASSANDRA PROFITA
The Daily Astorian

At a special meeting Thursday evening, the Clatsop County Board of Commissioners voted 4-1 to side with Bradwood Landing liquefied natural gas project developer NorthernStar Natural Gas Inc. of Houston in responding to two unresolved land-use issues.

Commissioner Dirk Rohne voted not to side with the developer, arguing the company had not adequately addressed the two problems raised by the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals. In approving the land-use application for the Bradwood LNG terminal last year, the county agreed the development was "small to moderate" in scale and that it would adequately "protect" traditional fishing areas and fish habitat.

In February, LUBA remanded those two land-use decisions back to the county. NorthernStar submitted supplemental findings to the county that respond to LUBA's concerns and conclude that the development still complies with county land-use laws. Last week, the County Commission held a hearing on the remand and took arguments from NorthernStar, the public and the parties that appealed the original county decision.

On Thursday, the board deliberated, with Rohne making a case for voting not to adopt the company's findings. Commissioners Jeff Hazen, Ann Samuelson, Patricia Roberts and John Raichl voted to tentatively adopt the company's findings pending two minor changes to the language used in the text.

Read more about the board meeting in Friday's edition of The Daily Astorian.