noLNG

Shale gas blasts open world energy market

A stretch of coastline on the Texas-Louisiana border provides a startling glimpse of Europe’s energy future. There, where Lake Sabine empties into the Gulf of Mexico, a giant port was completed last year. Built at a cost of $1.5 billion (£900m), it was meant to be a vital new part of America’s energy infrastructure.

Full story: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/natural_resources/article6898015.ece

Letter: Monopoly and LNG

Gazprom in Russia wants 10 percent of our natural gas market now, and more later ("Falling gas prices," The Daily Astorian, Oct. 16). Royal Dutch Shell has already signed a 20 year contract for Russian liquefied natural gas and Sempra Energy (Southern California Gas) is a recipient of that Russian fossil fuel in Southern California. Sempra and Shell are 50/50 partners in Costa Azul, and they "ain't stoppin' there." Royal Dutch Shell has big plans for Australia and North America.

Didn't NorthernStar state that they "intend" to buy LNG from Australia? Isn't Sempra all tangled up with Joe Desmond? Isn't Venoco Inc. all tangled up with Sempra? Didn't Venoco come to Washington state and swear up and down they had nothing to do with NorthernStar? Doesn't NorthernStar have a contract with Venoco in regard to one of their off shore platforms (platform Grace), and doesn't Venoco supply Sempra's SoCal Gas Co. with natural gas from their off shore platform, Holly, in Southern California?

Don't they pipe it into underground depleted gas reservoirs? And doesn't Wakiakum County, Wash., have the same geology as its next door neighbor, Lewis County, which is being used for natural gas underground storage? And didn't Venoco mention that they spudded two wells and found depleted natural gas conditions there? That is regional geology, like the Columbia River being regionally shared by Washington and Oregon.

And yes, Royal Dutch Shell is connected to Iran now. Which gives it access to Russia, Iran and Australia, Nos. 1, 2 and 3 in natural gas abundance. Follow the dots. Sempra didn't fall off a turnip truck, and they want the Pacific North Coast. Ever heard of monopoly?

VONDA KAY BROCK
Longview, Wash.
http://www.dailyastorian.info/main.asp?SectionID=23&SubSectionID=393&ArticleID=65306&TM=79422.25

Hazen survives recall attempt; Samuelson losing by just 4 votes; automatic recount set for Nov. 9

Full story:

  http://www.dailyastorian.info/main.asp?FromHome=1&TypeID=1&ArticleID=65210&SectionID=2&SubSectionID=398

Letter: LNG & climate change

Last year when the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the Bradwood liquefied natural gas project, Jon Wellinghoff, now the chairman of FERC, issued a dissent in which he stated:

"The evidence demonstrates that the Bradwood Project is not in the public interest ...There is inadequate support for the majority's finding that the Bradwood Project is needed to meet the projected energy needs of the Pacific Northwest. Moreover, there are reasonable alternatives to the Bradwood Project to serve the projected energy needs of the Pacific Northwest in a more efficient, more reliable, and environmentally preferred manner. Finally, significant environmental concerns about the Bradwood Project have not been fully or fairly evaluated." (Sept. 18, 2008)

More:
http://www.dailyastorian.info/main.asp?SectionID=23&SubSectionID=393&ArticleID=65142

Reauthorization Bill May Limit New LNG Construction

WASHINGTON, Oct. 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Abraham Energy Report's new
edition released today to subscribers includes an article highlighting a
little-known provision in the $10 billion Coast Guard Reauthorization bill
passed on Sept. 24 by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
which could place additional limits on construction of new liquefied natural
gas (LNG) facilities in the United States.

Full story: http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS186639+19-Oct-2009+PRN20091019

$184,291 versus Vote YES

$184,291.  That's the campaign chest of Oregonians to Maintain Community Standards, a Portland-based Political Action Committee actively campaigning in support of Hazen and Samuelson.   I wonder what the PAC wants to buy . . . .   And why Hazen and Samuelson need this group to help them stay in office.

Vote "YES".  Ballots are due by Tuesday, October 27 at 8 p.m.

LNG Opponents challenge Clatsop County’s decision to allow LNG-related pipelines in protected area; decision overrules citizen referendum

Columbia Riverkeeper     has challenged Clatsop County’s decision to allow LNG-related pipelines through an area near Westport Slough where pipelines are prohibited.  Columbia Riverkeeper     filed its Notice of Intent to Appeal to the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) on October 14, 2009. 

“Once again, the Commissioners are promoting the agenda of the LNG companies, not the citizens,” stated Brett VandenHeuvel, Executive Director of Columbia Riverkeeper    .  “Last year, 67% of the voters passed a referendum prohibiting pipelines from this very land.  Now, the Commissioners are overruling 67% of the people they are sworn to represent.”

Bradwood Landing LNG seeks to place its 36-inch gas pipeline across the land currently zoned Open Space, Parks, and Recreation (OPR) immediately east of Westport Slough.  However, the pipeline is prohibited because the OPR zone does not allow pipelines.  In 2008, the Commissioners tried to change the text of the zoning code to allow pipelines on this land, but the voters rejected this change in a September 16, 2008 referendum.  Allowing LNG pipelines in the OPR zone is expressly contrary to that referendum. 

The land at issue is owned by Sam Karamonos, who stated that he wants the zone change to restore wetlands on his land. 

“Four Commissioners said this change is needed to allow wetland restoration, but that’s already allowed.  The elephant in the room is the LNG pipeline, which the Commissioners refused to even mention.  This County is starving for honest discourse,” stated Brett VandenHeuvel.   

Marilyn Putnam, a River Ranch resident near the rezone, asked whether she could create wetlands on OPR property.  The County Planning Department answered, “yes.”  During testimony at the public hearing, the Commission itself expressly asked whether the restoration proposed by landowner would be allowed in the OPR zone.  The County Planning Department acknowledged that wetland restoration is allowed in the OPR zone.  Citizens repeatedly asked, “If there is no legitimate reason for the zone change, then why do it?”

##

In other news...

Our 9^th Circuit challenge to FERC’s approval of Bradwood is moving forward.  The Court ordered FERC to produce the record for the case by November 12, 2009.  The Court also set a schedule when the parties written arguments are due (our opening brief is due January 11, 2010).  This is good news.  We believe our claims are very strong.  Bradwood asked the Court to delay the case indefinitely.  Our challenge states that: FERC failed to analyze the environmental, economic, and social impacts of the LNG terminal, failed to confer with the States of Oregon and Washington regarding water quality standards and the Coastal Zone Management Act, and failed to finish consultation with the National Marine Fisheries Service as required by the Endangered Species Act.  Oregon, Washington, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and the Nez Perce tribe are also challenging FERC’s approval. 

- Brett VandenHeuvel, Executive Director, Columbia Riverkeeper    

FERC Appeals Decision on FOIA Request Regarding Palomar Gas Pipeline Proposal

Posted: October 15, 2009

FERC has filed a notice of appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on a ruling this summer by a federal magistrate requiring FERC to comply with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request of two environmental groups regarding the Palomar natural gas pipeline project. The FOIA request seeks mailing lists used by FERC to notify landowners along the planned route of the proposed Palomar pipeline of public hearings regarding the pipeline, which is associated with the Bradwood Landing LNG project. The lower court ruled that FERC must produce the mailing lists. The documents related to this case, including FERC's Notice of  Appeal, are available in the PACER system under Docket No. CV 09-936-HU.

Get Real, Editorial of TDA.

U.S. natural gas inventory has been enlarged – terminals are for export
The biggest misconception about liquefied natural gas (LNG) is that America's natural gas inventory is approaching empty. The spectre of diminished American natural gas supply is the premise on which NorthernStar LLC and Oregon LNG base their proposals for LNG terminals at Bradwood and on the Skipanon River.
Full story: http://www.dailyastorian.info/main.asp?SectionID=23&SubSectionID=392&ArticleID=64895&TM=52455.86

If there's no need for the more expensive LNG, why would anyone build a $650 million facility? (Blogger)

LNG Development Company, LLC (d/b/a Oregon LNG) and

Oregon Pipeline Company, LLC

Docket Nos. CP09-6-000 and CP09-7-000

Final Report for Oregon LNG Northern Spotted Owl and Marbled Murrelet Surveys

Complete document:  http://elibrary.ferc.gov/idmws/search/fercgensearch.asp

And enter Docket number: CP09-6