noLNG

Court tosses out Port of Astoria's latest LNG move

By CASSANDRA PROFITA
The Daily Astorian

The Port of Astoria has tried and failed once again to get Oregon LNG's lawsuit against the agency thrown out of U.S. District Court.

According to court records, Magistrate Judge John Jelderks denied the Port's second motion to dismiss the company's breach of contract suit this week.

The Port has objected to Jelderks' finding, which will be referred to a federal judge for a formal ruling.

Oregon LNG is suing the Port for delaying a 30-year renewal of its lease of state land for the company's proposed liquefied natural gas terminal in Warrenton.

In a controversial deal signed in 2004, the Port leases 92 acres from Oregon Department of State Lands for $38,400 and subleases it to Oregon LNG for the same amount.

Oregon LNG plans to build a $1 billion LNG import terminal at the site, as well as a 117-mile transmission pipeline that would run southeast from Warrenton to a natural gas hub in Molalla.
Full story: http://www.dailyastorian.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=398&ArticleID=66807

Yemen gas shipments to Boston stir worry

Can anyone imagine a potential threat like this to come up the Columbia River. LNG importation is mainly from less friendly sources than our current supply, which there is plenty of.

Read the Boston Globe article: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/12/31/yemen_gas_shipments_to_boston_stir_worry/

Letter to FERC Chairman Mr. Jon Wellinghoff

Dear Chairman Wellinghoff:

We are writing you today to request your assistance in initiating an investigation into the abuse of

Oregonians in the FERC review process for LNG terminals and pipelines. We are also

requesting you use your position to change the current FERC application and review process for

these projects, due to the fact that the existing model for review of such projects is fundamentally

flawed in the following ways:

Complete letter: Download Letter Straughan

Fish and Wildlife says more information needed to assess Jordan Cove LNG proposal

Monday, December 28, 2009 2:58 PM ET
By Robert Walton

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is asking the Army Corps of  Engineers to hold off on issuing a water quality permit being considered for the Jordan Cove LNG terminal in Oregon, until an "adequate site-specific and broader analysis" has been submitted. The agency said it is concerned with the extent of the water crossings proposed, and the general approaches being proposed.

The Jordan Cove LNG import terminal would be located in the North Spit of Coos Bay in Coos County, Ore., and would provide up to 1 Bcf/d to customers in the Pacific Northwest. The 234-mile Pacific Connector pipeline would transport gas from the terminal to a point near Malin in Klamath County, Ore., on the border with California.

Full story: http://www.snl.com/Interactivex/article.aspx?CdId=A-10527072-11068

Before TRAXLER, Chief Judge, HAMILTON, Senior Circuit Judge, and Mark S. DAVIS, United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Virginia, sitting by designation.

 

U.S. Senate vote to confirming Mr. Norris

Chairman Wellinghoff:

"We at FERC are pleased and excited to welcome John Norris to the Commission, and we are looking forward to his tenure with us. John brings to FERC a wealth of experience, talent and knowledge that will help us to meet the challenges of providing reliable, efficient and sustainable energy for consumers."

FERC press release: http://www.ferc.gov/news/headlines/2009/2009-4/12-24-09-norris.pdf

LTE The Daily Astorian

Letter: Driven by heart
It is amazing how desperate NorthernStar and the other liquefied natural gas advocates have become as they resort to mudslinging to thwart the tide of public opinion that is turning against them. Filing an IRS complaint against Columbia Riverkeeper    , along with their accusations that LNG opponents are "anarchists" and "extremists," is their slimy attempt to deflect attention from the mounting evidence that the proposed LNG projects are in deep trouble. The most recent example of their failing is outlined by the National Marine Fisheries Service listing more than 150 problems with Bradwood Landing.

The Texas LNG promoters do not do this dirty work themselves, they have millions of dollars to work with, so they hire public relations firms to carefully craft their message and to hide the facts. They persuade pseudo-journalists to invade and disrupt community meetings and they throw a lot of money around to buy influence. Energy Action Northwest (a front for the LNG companies), cannot deny the science and they cannot refute the facts, so they are resorting to personal attacks.

And who are they mounting this big smear campaign against? Local citizens who have realized just how harmful LNG will be for our local economy, the river and the salmon. Small groups of citizens, who formed on both sides of the river, realized in order to stand up to NorthernStar and the LNG's millions, we would need additional resources. As local citizens, we invited Columbia Riverkeeper     to work with us in this fight to protect our river, its resources and the families who are dependent on it. Columbia Riverkeeper     has been working to protect the river since 1989 (formerly as Columbia River United), long before LNG reared its ugly head in the estuary.

The LNG industry's mouthpiece, Energy Action Northwest, has millions of dollars - while we have heart. And heart means grassroots organizations made up of local teachers, fishermen, librarians, contractors, laborers, doctors, businessmen and farmers who believe in democracy. Heart means local citizens volunteering their time and donating their hard earned money to protect our livelihoods and our way of life. Heart means using the tools democracy provides.

As patriotic citizens we not only have the right, indeed we have the responsibility to make our voices heard on issues affecting our local communities and our families. We will not be intimidated by slanderous attacks from Energy Action Northwest. We will not be silenced by the innuendo and half-truths of the LNG industry. We will continue to work peacefully and to stand up for our river, our homes and our way of life.

CHERYL JOHNSON
Astoria

U.S. court blocks proposed LNG terminal at Sparrows Point

Unanimous decision upholds Maryland's denial of water-quality permit

A federal appeals court in Richmond, Va., upheld Maryland's denial of a water-quality permit for a proposed liquefied natural gas terminal in eastern Baltimore County, issuing a decision Tuesday that halts the $400 million project for the time being.

The terminal and a related 88-mile pipeline have the approval of federal energy regulators, but Virginia-based gas company AES cannot proceed with construction until it secures the required state permits and meets nearly 170 conditions imposed by government agencies, most of them involving environmental and safety issues.
Full story: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-county/bal-md.co.pipeline23dec23,0,2782658.story

Merry Christmas from the Friends of the River to all our blog readers  click on the picture

Battles continue for Bradwood Landing (Opinion)

by Rick Nelson

Northern Star Natural Gas continues to press forward on its efforts to obtain permits to construct a liquefied natural gas terminal at Bradwood, Ore., across the Columbia River from Puget Island.
The conflagration has had several recent battles:
--Clatsop County voters defeated the latest recall measure, this one aimed at county Commissioner Patricia Roberts. Recall leaders opposed her decision to approve the Bradwood Landing LNG facility and also cited her role in mismanagement of the Northwest Oregon Housing Authority, which provides rental assistance for hundreds of low-income families.
In an earlier election, Commissioner Jeff Hazen survived a recall vote, but Commissioner Ann Samuelson lost her seat by a margin of four votes.
--Energy Action Northwest, a business and labor coalition, on December 1 filed a complaint with the Internal Revenue Service claiming that Columbia River Keepers, a coalition of anti-LNG groups, violated regulations for tax-exempt organizations by their activities in the recall elections.
--The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)has told the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) that it wants more information from NorthernStar for its review of the proposed Bradwood Landing plant's biological assessment.

Full article: http://www.waheagle.com/thursday/opinion.html