noLNG

Overfull U.S. Gas Storage May Come Soon; LNG Import Terminals May Reverse To Export

With the threat of U.S. gas-storage centers and pipelines becoming overfull in coming months, pipelines may have to turn producers away.

Article By Nissa Darbonne Published Aug 28, 2009

http://www.oilandgasinvestor.com/Headlines/2009/WebAugust/item44545.php

The dirty side of LNG

PADDY MANNING

August 29, 2009

Western Australia's pristine Kimberley Coast is under huge development pressure and it's not just the massive liquefied natural gas processing facility proposed for James Price Point, 60 kilometres north of Broome.

LNG is the thin edge of a wedge meant to open up development of bauxite, coal, base metals and other resources of the West Kimberley region - and ultimately power refineries and smelters.

LNG is portrayed as ''clean and green''. The oil and gas industry says, depending on the technology used, LNG used for electricity lowers greenhouse gas emissions by 50 to 70 per cent compared with coal.

The industry also claims that for every tonne of greenhouse gas generated here from LNG production, between 4.5 and 9 tonnes are avoided when the gas is used to replace coal-fired power elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region.

Save the Kimberley campaigner Hugh Brown, a former oil and gas industry consultant who moved from Melbourne to WA and took up nature photography, says such figures are "absolute rubbish".

Complete article: http://business.smh.com.au/business/the-dirty-side-of-lng-20090828-f2gd.html

Roberts added to recall effort

By CASSANDRA PROFITA
The Daily Astorian

The recall campaign against Clatsop County Commissioner Patricia Roberts has begun.

Roberts is being targeted for her votes in favor of liquefied natural gas development, as are her fellow county commissioners Jeff Hazen and Ann Samuelson.

But unlike Hazen and Samuelson, Roberts is also under fire for her role in the mismanagement of the Northwest Oregon Housing Authority, which provides rent assistance to hundreds of low-income families in Clatsop, Columbia and Tillamook counties.

More: http://www.dailyastorian.info/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=398&ArticleID=63585

Landslide triggers tsunami along Columbia River

PORCUPINE BAY, Wash. -- A landslide struck the Blue Creek Campground along the banks of the Columbia River Tuesday afternoon, triggering a tsunami which wiped out some docks at the Porcupine Bay Campground on the other side of the river.

The landslide was first reported at around 1:30 pm on the north side of the Spokane River near the Blue Creek Campground located on Spokane Tribal lands.

Along with the damage to the Blue Creek Campground the docks at the Porcupine Bay Campground on the opposite side of the river from the slide were completely torn off.

A search is being conducted for anyone who may have been trapped by the landslide. So far, no one has been pulled from the debris, and authorities in the area report there are no reports of any injuries.

The Spokane Tribal Police are in charge of the incident, and they are being assisted by crews from Stevens County, Lincoln County, and the National Park Service. The command post has been set up at the Blue Creek Campground.

KXLY-TV in Spokane contributed to this report.

Remember the tsunami at Puget Island, so NorthernStar proposes to build a LNG facility right next to the unstable cliff in question. Go figure.

Mad Dash To Build LNG Terminals Over, U.S. Has Enough Gas
08/24/2009

The chances that the U.S. West Coast will ever see a liquefied natural gas import terminal are growing slimmer, based on the latest trends in the businesses that help America meet its energy demands.

The urgency to build terminals to receive foreign LNG has all but evaporated with the development of new techniques for locating and extracting domestic sources of natural gas. Fracing (pronounced "fracking"), combined with horizontal drilling has allowed the industry to tap into vast reservoirs of natural gas, including those from shale formations previously believed to have been drained or inaccessible. Fracing refers to the process of pumping a mix of sand and water into deep layers of dense rock, causing them to crack so that natural gas can flow through.

When the two techniques were combined in the early 2000s, massive new volumes of natural gas became available, according to a report released earlier this year by Stratfor Global Intelligence, an independent analysis and forecasting firm. Statfor reported that all that was needed to make the extraction techniques economically feasible, was the energy price spike that occurred in 2006-2008.

 - The Cunningham Report

It's about economic colonialism. (Editorial)

Sen. Jeff Merkley exposes the dirty little secret about Bradwood LNG
Hidden beneath the rationale of jobs and tax base that has been expressed by four Clatsop County Commissioners, the drive to develop a liquefied natural gas terminal at Bradwood is about enormous profit. All big private energy projects are, at bottom, about the big bonanza. Anyone in Clatsop County who doesn't get it - that jobs will be modest and tax base is problematic, but profits are huge - is either naive or standing in line for their share of the profit.

More: http://www.dailyastorian.info/main.asp?SectionID=23&SubSectionID=392&ArticleID=63451

Sen. Merkley moves to safeguard against LNG exports

Senator fears terminals could switch to exporting cheap gas

By CASSANDRA PROFITA
The Daily Astorian

U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley is taking action to restrict development of liquefied natural gas export facilities.

Fears of LNG import terminals switching their operations to export gas have surfaced over the past year, as expectations for domestic natural gas supplies have grown.

Merkley, D-Ore., recently proposed an appropriations amendment responding to those concerns, forbidding federal spending on permits for LNG facilities that could export domestic natural gas.

"The reason is quite simple," he said, in an interview with The Daily Astorian Monday. "The LNG terminals, when they were discussed, were all presented to the public as import only. We're in the middle of a broader debate about our energy independence, and it would be a tragedy if these terminals were turned around and used to export natural gas."
More: http://www.dailyastorian.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=395&ArticleID=63415

Port extends Warrenton LNG lease

Marquis expects criminal probe to conclude within a month

The Daily Astorian

The Port of Astoria Commission pulled a rabbit out of a hat Tuesday night after more than four hours of deliberation on the thorny state land lease for the Oregon LNG liquefied natural gas terminal.

Commissioners emerged from a lengthy executive session and unanimously approved a two-year lease extension with Oregon Department of State Lands for the 96-acre tract on the Skipanon Peninsula in Warrenton.

However, at the meeting's outset, Clatsop County District Attorney Josh Marquis addressed the board and told commissioners the state Department of Justice is conducting a criminal investigation into activities tied to the signing of the Oregon LNG land lease.
More: http://www.dailyastorian.info/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=398&ArticleID=63413

The Daily Astorian, Editorial

Rohne scorns the company line
Bradwood would be major development; dredging would have a negative impact
In the movie All the King's Men, the Southern political boss Willie Stark played by Broderick Crawford shouts at a minion: "You're bought, and you'll stay bought."

Watching four Clatsop County commissioners last Wednesday dutifully repeat the nonsensical mantra that the prospective liquefied natural gas facility at Bradwood is not a major development and that its dredging aspect will not harm the salmon population of the Columbia River conjures the scene from the 1949 movie of Robert Penn Warren's novel based on the career of Huey Long.

Like a scorned prophet, Commissioner Dirk Rohne had the lonely task questioning the company line as proclaimed by the Texas money that owns Northern Star LLC and its parrots.

It is long past saying that the former mayor of Warrrenton, Jeff Hazen, has been too in thrall of the dark side of power. Whether Commissioner John Raichl has drunk the Kool-Aid or merely taken the path of least resistance, he has been a keen disappointment for anyone who admired his long service as county sheriff.

The prospective Bradwood LNG terminal is a major project. It would transform the culture of the Lower Columbia River. Its dredging would have a negative impact on one of the most important salmon spawning grounds of the lower Columbia River.

Some people think they will prosper financially if the Bradwood project goes forward. Others already are gaining largesse. Like so many other purported energy bonanzas (Enron and WPPSS come to mind) the LNG gravy train is illusory. Some will grow rich, but the project will denigrate our region.

WFOR comment: Their Ex-Parte could read "Family members" or $-Street, Commissioner John Raichle should have recused himself, due to his lack of knowledge of the issues.

Thank you Commissioner Dirk Rohne to stand-up for your constituencies and to protect the Lower Columbia River estuary and our way of life.

 

Drowning in it!

Aug 13th 2009 | NEW YORK
From The Economist print edition