noLNG

Fatal Blast Puts Focus on Web of Gas Pipelines
By Matthew Cardinale

ATLANTA, Georgia, Sep 30, 2010 (IPS) - A natural gas explosion in San Bruno, California that almost decimated an entire city earlier this month has fuelled concerns about the outdated, aging, and dangerous gas pipelines that underlie many U.S. cities.

Television stations across the U.S. broadcast dramatic images of firefighters spraying water on the gigantic fires which followed the explosion on Sep. 9 and destroyed 37 homes, killed eight people, and injured over 50 others.

"A full investigation must take place in the coming days to determine the cause of this horrible accident, and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has already dispatched a team to California," Speaker of the U.S. House, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, said in a statement.

More: including Olivia's comments.

http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=53014

By Brie Thiele, KCBY News Story Published: Sep 30, 2010 at 12:40 PM PDT
The local group, Citizens Against LNG, is putting up a fight against the Pacific Connector pipeline, by filing an appeal to their conditional land use permit.
On September 8th, the Coos County Commission approved the permit for the proposed pipeline.
More than 100 people participated in that public hearing, and the local citizens group believes they can show that the Pacific Connector application is not in compliance with land development ordinances.
Jody McCaffree, Executive Director of Citizens Against LNG, says, "there's also issues with actually the land use zoning, we feel that we will be able to show that it is not in line with some of the zoning so that's what we hope to do in our appeal that we file later."
McCaffree put together more than 500 pages of testimony showing the county's decision to approve the permit, goes against many of it's own rules meant to protect private property rights.
"How can we as a county and a country allow a foreign energy company the right to come in and take out permits on people's property that they don't own or have a right to, it just seems totally wrong."
The proposed pipeline would impact nearly 50 miles of Coos County, most of which is in rural areas.

http://www.kcby.com/news/local/104101478.html

A Utah-based coal company is looking to buy out Chinook Ventures' interest in the former Reynolds Metals aluminum plant, clean it up and turn it into a private port to export coal and import other materials, a company official said Tuesday.

http://tdn.com/news/local/article_0e7af782-cb78-11df-bc3c-001cc4c002e0.html

If Millennium Bulk Logistics of Salt Lake City can complete a deal, it would end six years of Chinook Ventures' troubled involvement on the site. The expanded port could be operating next year, employing more than 60 workers, said Michael Klein, a spokesman for Millennium's parent company, Australia-based Ambre Energy.

Gas Blasts Spur Questions on Oversight of Pipelines

At a Christmas Eve gathering in 2008, a natural
gas explosion in a suburban Sacramento neighborhood killed a 72-year-old man
and injured his daughter and granddaughter. Investigators determined that
Pacific Gas and Electric was to blame for a leak, but federal and state
regulators never cited the utility for safety violations.

Complete article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/25/us/25pipeline.html?exprod=myyahoo

County board OKs new review on pipeline

New evidence will be
allowed at meeting

By KATIE WILSON
The Daily Astorian

Jaws actually dropped
at the Clatsop County Board of Commissioners meeting Wednesday night after three
of four commissioners voted to allow new testimony and evidence on a liquefied
natural gas application decision.

"What it tells me is that they're
really listening," said Astoria resident and longtime LNG opponent Laurie
Caplan after the meeting. The commissioners' decision caught her completely by surprise.

More: http://www.dailyastorian.info/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=395&ArticleID=73551

Yemen LNG security "good" despite militant hand grenade attack

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKSGE68L05820100922

Yemen LNG security "good" despite militant hand grenade attack

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKSGE68L05820100922

Cheniere Plans Ambitious US LNG Export Scheme

By subscription

http://www.energyintel.com/DocumentDetail.asp?Try=Yes&document_id=687235&publication_id=8

Letter: Steps toward pipeline appeal

The Clatsop County Commissioners have a great opportunity to demonstrate their respect for the public's opposition to liquefied natural gas (LNG). Recently, the hearings officer hired by the county ignored the evidence presented in a public hearing and the county's professional staff recommendation and gave preliminary approval of the proposed Oregon LNG (OLNG) pipeline.

This pipeline would start in Warrenton on the Skipanon Peninsula, north of Harbor Drive, and rip through Clatsop County, to transmit regasified LNG to California. I am one of nine parties appealing that decision to the county. I encourage the current board of county commissioners to take several steps concerning this appeal:

http://www.dailyastorian.info/main.asp?SectionID=23&SubSectionID=393&ArticleID=73440

Letter: Let new commissioners decide

An open letter to the County Clatsop Commissioners:

I respectfully ask that you let the incoming recently elected commission decide the future of liquefied natural gas in Clatsop County.

The proposed Oregon LNG project would disturb hundreds of family farms, forestland, wetlands and one of the greatest rivers in America - the Columbia River. The Clatsop County Planning Department staff and their retained experts recommended denial of the LNG pipeline. However, the final decision rests with the board of county commissioners. 

More than 100 people testified in public hearings that the LNG pipeline would harm the community - fishermen, teachers, nurses, affected landowners and businesses in the valley. And, the people of Clatsop County overwhelmingly rejected the pipeline. The current board of county commissioners did not hear this testimony, and should not make any decisions without holding public hearings.

http://www.dailyastorian.info/main.asp?SectionID=23&SubSectionID=393&ArticleID=73455