noLNG

Riverkeeper leader a hero to friends, obstructionist to foes

HOOD RIVER, Ore. — From his second-story office in an old househere, Brett VandenHeuvel has a fine view of the object of hispassion. Last Wednesday, the Columbia River coursed by in the neardistance, wide, cold and gray, with white hills rising above itsbanks after a recent snowfall.

VandenHeuvel, the executive director of Columbia Riverkeeper,has made it his duty to fight any project he considers harmful tothe 1,400-mile waterway. More: http://tdn.com/news/local/article_98d8f458-000f-11e0-b3c1-001cc4c03286.html ...Comment by Brett van den Heuvel, I think the thing that the story completely missed, and that perhaps you could comment on in letter to editor, is that the LNG victory was a huge group effort of hundreds and hundreds of people and over a dozen organizations, etc.  The story reads like Riverkeeper simply waved a magic wand in order to “bleed” LNG.  Nothing is further from the truth, as you’ve seen for years.  Riverkeeper was but one piece of an amazing coalition – a coalition that started in Cowlitz County and Clatsop before Riverkeeper even got involved.

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

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

Wu Introduces Bill to Return State Control Over LNG Decisions

At a time when Congress is expected take little action in the run-up to the November elections, U.S. Rep. David Wu (D-Ore.) has introduced a new bill aimed at returning state control over where to place liquefied natural gas facilities.

Wu, who’s running for re-election in the First Congressional District against Republican Rob Cornilles, on Tuesday introduced the Local Control for Energy and the Environment Act. The bill would repeal portions of the 2005 Energy Policy Act that stripped away much of the decision-making power over LNG facilities from the states.

 

Wu’s bill would return much of the authority states lost over LNG decisions in the Bush-era Energy Policy Act. It would also require FERC to consult with states about any inter-agency agreements over safety and security at LNG facilities

http://blogs.wweek.com/news/2010/09/16/wu-introduces-bill-to-return-state-control-over-lng-decisions/

 

 

Press release by Columbia Riverkeeper

Oregon Agency Formally Denies Bradwood LNG Project

 

Astoria, OR – On Tuesday, the State of Oregon’s Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) formally denied the Bradwood LNG project, deeming it inconsistent with Oregon’s Coastal Zone Management Program.  The news adds finality to the end of the Bradwood LNG proposal after Bradwood’s parent company, NorthernStar Natural Gas, filed for bankruptcy in May.

 

Brett VandenHeuvel, executive director of Columbia Riverkeeper, welcomed the news of Oregon’s denial of Bradwood LNG.  “This project has been lingering in bankruptcy, and today’s emphatic denial by the State of Oregon effectively renders Bradwood LNG worthless for any prospective buyers.  This is a very significant nail in Bradwood’s coffin.”

 

Added VandenHeuvel, “When combined with Washington’s denial of a Clean Water Act permit for this project, today’s decision by Oregon makes it abundantly clear that Bradwood LNG has no future.”

 

George Exum is a marine engineer and chair of Wahkiakum Friends of the River who lives across the Columbia River from the bankrupt LNG terminal proposal.  He stated, “We’ve known for a long time that this project isn’t viable.  Bradwood LNG’s high-profile failure is a strong signal that LNG will never move forward in the Pacific Northwest, including the proposed Oregon LNG and Jordan Cove LNG terminals in Oregon.”

 

Sandra Davis, a landowner along the proposed Bradwood LNG pipeline, expressed relief at the action taken by Oregon DLCD.  “After seeing the terrible disaster in San Bruno, we are relieved that this pipeline – which would have been just as large as PG&E’s, and non-odorized – has been formally rejected.  I certainly hope that Oregon LNG and the Jordan Cove LNG and Pacific Connector projects are soon to follow.”

 

Approval by the State of Oregon was a mandatory condition of FERC’s approval of the project.  Oregon’s denial came after the DLCD repeatedly requested additional information or an extension from Bradwood LNG and received no response from the company.

Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development

Read the Conclusion of ODLCD; Download OCMZ  document of 17 pages.

 

 

 

Get all the news from San Bruno, California

From the homepage of Pipeline Safety Trust

San Bruno Incident We have set up a website with information about the San Bruno Pipeline incident. You can read all about it here.

http://pstrust.org/ or http://pstrust.org/SanBruno.htm

Aging gas pipe at risk of explosion nationwide

By GARANCE BURKE and JASON DEAREN, Associated Press Writers Garance Burke And Jason Dearen, Associated Press Writers – 28 mins ago

SAN BRUNO, Calif. – An ominous theme has emerged from the wreckage of a deadly pipeline explosion in California: There are thousands of pipes just like it nationwide.

Utilities have been under pressure for years to better inspect and replace aging gas pipes — many of them laid years before the suburbs expanded over them and now at risk of leaking or erupting.

But the effort has fallen short. Critics say the regulatory system is ripe for problems because the government largely leaves it up to the companies to do inspections, and utilities are reluctant to spend the money necessary to properly fix and replace decrepit pipelines.

Full story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100914/ap_on_re_us/us_pipeline_explosion