noLNG

Follow the fight Bradwood v.s. Oregon LNG.

To follow the mud slinging of these two companies, click link and again click on FERC Generated PDF,

http://elibrary.ferc.gov/idmws/file_list.asp?accession_num=20081009-0048

Enjoy!!!

9/15/2008 12:42:00 PM

Letter: We don't need foreign natural gas I am taxing my brain to understand this Bradwood Landing issue. An out-of-state company (NorthernStar) wants to build a facility to import foreign fossil fuel. The U.S. imports 58 percent of its oil. Isn't that enough dependency on a nondomestic energy source? Especially when there is enough domestic natural gas in Wyoming and Colorado to meet our needs well into the future, and it's cheaper. Not to mention, it keeps the money here at home. The "plan" is to import this foreign liquefied natural gas in foreign vessels, which, realistically, the U.S. Coast Guard will have little control over. These tankers will suck in up to 16 million gallons of Columbia River water each as ballast for the return trip over the bar. The number could dramatically increase since LNG tankers have recently nearly doubled in size. Can you spell salmon salmonids? NorthernStar proposes to construct this facility in a major earthquake zone (the Pacific Rim) while the experts keep warning us that the "Big One" is a matter of time. The Lower Columbia area is also at the mercy of a tsunami, with all of its effects. "Tsunami preparedness" are watch-words around here, and a good reason not to construct gas storage facilities down close to the water line. Let's also not forget last December's hurricane or the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. Do the words "unstable area" come to mind? As you can guess, you don't have storage tanks without pipelines. These up to 1,500 pounds of pressure per square inch lines are to run only three feet deep through potential slide areas, under the Columbia River, unstable wetlands (Oregon LNG at Warrenton) and goodness gracious, open space, parks and recreation areas. If that doesn't give you pause about going for a family picnic in a park, what will? With regard to jobs, what about all the ones that will be negatively affected throughout the Columbia River Basin (cruise ships, tourism, trucking, fishing, etc.) because of the disruption of commerce ($16 billion per year) on the Columbia River? The Pacific Northwest Waterways Association estimates more than 40,000 jobs in the Columbia River Basin will be negatively affected. Isn't the American economy in bad enough shape? The "kicker" in all of this is that Bradwood Landing would somehow like us to believe that all of this is good for us. Am I missing something? Please vote "no" on ballot Measure 4-131 Sept. 16. Carl Dominey Astoria

8/8/2008 9:03:00 AM

Letter: LNG commitment Have you ever wondered where NorthernStar gets its money to pay for its expensive attorneys and to back all their promises of community sharing? Where do their revenues come from? After all, Bradwood is this tiny corporation's first project - ever. How old of a company is NorthernStar? Would it surprise you to know they are not a huge Texas energy company; have not generated any revenues; are surviving on loans and private investments; and have only been in business about four years? How stable a company is that - no income, only expenses? Are you aware the application they filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Dec. 15, 2006, has gone nowhere, and they cannot sell stock to the public to generate the necessary funds to finalize development of the project as stated in the initial public offering application? What are their plans to generate funds to build the project? Do you really think, in all honesty, they won't sell the permits (if issued) to a large corporation for a huge amount of money and then run, laughing, all the way to the bank? Do you really think the groups/organizations that have been promised yearly contributions by NorthernStar will receive those monies if the permits are sold? Wake up, people. Pete Hackett may care about Astoria and the state of Oregon but Cy Garrett and Paul Soanes only care about their bank accounts. Marjie Castle Longview, Wash.

Letter to the Gov.

Turning over Oregon to NoStar and FERC

Dear Governor Kulongoski,

There were many disturbing aspects of the Clatsop County
Commissioners' approval of the NorthernStar application for its
proposed LNG terminal and pipeline at Bradwood.  The overall effect
was of watching the commissioners becoming the company's lap dogs,
eager to please regardless of what was asked.  Defying public
testimony, science, common sense, and public opinion, they essentially
gave away the county to NorthernStar.

So it's up to you, sir, to hang on to Oregon.  Both NorthernStar and
Leucadia-Oregon LNG would love nothing better than to have free rein
with our state.  I'm surprised they haven't flat out asked for a
wholesale revision of the state's land use guidelines and laws just to
simplify things.  They would if they could.  Think how easy it would
be.  We could privatize the entire state and simply rezone all land as
Marine/Commercial/Industrial.  No more hearings.  No need for eminent
domain or easements or even negotiating a fair price.  Public
officials wouldn't have to weigh in with empty pronouncements about
FERC and its biased, predetermined process and sort through endless
correspondence from angry citizens.  We NO LNGers around the state
could resume our personal lives, nurture our families, and take care
of business.  So what if we kill salmon, Oregon's economy, property
values, and any remaining faith in any level of government?

That it's up to ordinary citizens to convince you to prevent
NorthernStar from taking 15 billion gallons of Columbia River water
for corporate profits is appalling.  Why is this even an issue for
discussion?  I'm no scientist, but I know that 15 billion gallons of
Columbia River water will have disturbing consequences, many as yet
unknown, on salmonids and other fish, water temperature and flow , and
on the precious habitat of flora and fauna.  I can't begin to imagine
the consequences to those who depend on the river as it is for their
livelihoods.

Please use your authority to stop the looting of Oregon to benefit
NorthernStar and the other LNG investors.  Tell the Water Resources
Board to say NO to NorthernStar.  Please stop this farcical LNG
situation now and say NO to LNG in Oregon.

Laurie Caplan

Letter to Brian Baird

Wahkiakum Friends Of the River
P. O. Box  273
Cathlamet, WA. 98612

8.10.2006

Dear Representative Baird,

Thank you for taking  time to meet with the citizens of Wahkiakum County on July 7, 2006 in a town hall meeting.

As a follow up to the  meeting and per your request, we  submit, from Wahkiakum citizens the following comments and concerns.

Please note, these questions were also submitted to the Wahkiakum County commissioners on June 6, 2006 and have not been addressed as of this date.

1. If the LNG facility is built at Bradwood, OR. , who will handle the local complaints about air and noise pollution? Where will calls be directed and who will be in charge of resolving the complaints during the construction phase and then during the plant and vessel operating phase?

2. How much toxic waste will be forced into the air or the river from this facility? Many of these toxins are cancer causing agents. In the past, Wahkiakum County has been reported as having the highest per capita rate of cancer in the U.S. Is the LNG facility going to make it even worse?

3.With a proposal or study submitted by , Senator Patty Murray,  Senator Gordon Smith, and yourself consider the Lower Columbia River Estuary for National Heritage Area status, how will a LNG facility and the related vessel traffic with armed escorts and thruster tugboats fit in with the plan?

4. Since a LNG plant across the Columbia  River  will have a big effect on us for years and years, how do you stay updated on the politics, economics, and  safety issues surrounding this site?

5. FERC asked NorthernStar to “Provide a map and table that illustrates and lists all residences and commercial structures within 2.0 miles of the LNG terminal.” This 2.0 mile area is important because the federal government has recognized safety and exclusion zones around a LNG terminal. How can the Bradwood LNG terminal be sited and still comply  with the “Separation Distance” as per 49 CFR, Part 193?

6. What is the purpose of the exclusion zone? To protect the LNG carrier and facility  or to protect the people in the nearby areas and their properties. How can either one be realistically  achieved on this narrow river?

7. Can one be on the Puget Island beaches or at Skamokawa Vista park during LNG carrier transit?

8. NorthernStar submitted to FERC comments related to Columbia River bank stabilization of the shoreline, but there was no mentioning of the Puget Island shoreline which will be exposed to the thrust of these super tugs. Who will be taking care of and paying for the erosion?

9. How can the government ensure the safety of our citizens in case of an event or accident at the proposed facility? Who will take care of our elderly in case of an evacuation? Can  immediate medical care be provided to potential victims of such an event? Wahkiakum County infrastructure cannot support or respond to an event of this magnitude or scale. How will our infrastructure be enhanced to accommodate these needs and who will pay for material and staffing?

10.How will our home owners and the County be compensated for the decrease in property values and reduction of the tax base?

11. Will there be an Early Warning system in place for tracking of vapor clouds of Methane gas? Will CAMEO (Computer Aided Management of Emergency Operation) or a similar system be provided? Who will manage this system and pay for training and staffing?

12. The proposed facility will be using a tremendous amount of water from the Columbia River for hydrostatic testing of storage tanks and pipeline, ship ballast, ship equipment cooling, fire suppression testing, well water during construction, etc.   How will this  affect  the Lower Columbia River Estuary?  Is there a need to spill more water at the dams during fish migration?

13. The Submerged Vaporizers will create 160GPM, which equals 84,000.000GPY. Treated for acidity and dumped into the Columbia River at 0.4 of salinity, this be 10 times the current salinity of the river water at this location. What effect will this have on the estuary? 14. Dredging of the turning basin will be very controversial because of previous comments from Puget Island residents and submittal of data to FERC pertaining to a study in 1993 for the Lower Columbia River Bi-State Program, (eventually became known as the Lower Columbia River Estuary Program) which details heavy contaminants in the vicinity of Bradwood. Although a private company tested the dredge spoils and found no contamination or found contamination within acceptable limits, other river testing over the years has proven that the current state of science cannot detect contamination in dredge spoils as precisely as testing contaminant levels in benthic organisms and fish. As the dredge spoils are being used for fill on the proposed site, how will this affect the down wind residents of Puget Island and beyond?

15. It strikes us that, when comparing Bradwood to other U.S. LNG facilities by capacity v.s. total facility footprint, Bradwood would be the smallest in acreage with a very limited buffer zone to aquatic or natural zoning.   What would be the impact on this environmentally sensitive larger area?

We as concerned citizens of Wahkiakum County thank you for being receptive to take our comments and opinions. We look forward to answers  as these issues will affect our way of life.

Sincerely,

Wahkiakum Friends Of the River

George Exum, Co-Chair
Dr. Terry Kriesel , Co-Chair
Frans G. Eykel, Puget Island,WA.

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