noLNG

HIKE THE PIPE

NO-LNG in Mt. Hood National Forest!

Hike the Pipe on SAT. JUNE 14TH & 15TH for more details

go to www.bark-out.org or call          503-331-0374      

 

Spirit of the River fundraiser

Please join us at the Spirit of the River fundraiser coming up on September 22 at the Performing Arts Center in Astoria. It will be an evening of great entertainment for a great cause. A silent auction precedes the show.

Photos from our very own "Bradwood Landing"

Even very small people know that we need to protect the river!

This little one is just one of the largest crowd of folks I've seen come out  locally against LNG. Last Monday, the NO LNG Armada of about 75 people left Puget Island, braved the mighty and landed at Bradwood. Friends of the River members ferried dozens of WFoR members, along with many of our new friends from the convergence and the press over to the Oregon side of the river where they were joined by kayakers and a dozen folks who came over in an Inuit fishing boat. A similar number stayed onshore on the Washington side and cheered them on.

The weather was glorious and according to Kristin and Mike, who took us around the river so we could take pictures, even the water in the river was 70 degrees. (See, there is an upside to global warming!) Frans and Mika Eykel were generous enough to open their lovely home to the invading hordes for the event which was, as someone said in email, joyous. Seriously, there were smiling faces everywhere. If you want to see them, click here.

Additional pictures from the climate convergence can be found here: West Coast Convergence for Climate Action and here.

If you have photos of the convergence you would like to post but you do not have a flickr account, one has been created for this purpose. Drop me a note if you would like the account logon information.

Climate Convergence in Skamokawa

Greetings Wahkiakum Friends of the River,

As you probably know by now, the Climate Convergence is taking place this coming week and weekend, ending with a demonstration of our feelings about Northern Star on Monday, August 13th.  If you haven't checked out the schedule of workshops and events, go to www.climateconvergence/west and follow the links for activities and events. A welcome tent outside the Skamokawa Grange will also have schedules, etc.

WE NEED TO PULL TOGETHER for several important jobs:

1. There will be a booth at the event for our Coalition of noLNG organizations. Carol Carver is pulling together and needs volunteers to sit at the booth, especially during lunch and dinner times, except Thursday dinner. If you can help out please email Carol and let her know when you can be available:  carolc@wwestsky.net

2. On Thursday evening there will be a potluck dinner that will be a mixer between those of us who have been opposed to LNG on the Columbia and in Coos Bay, and those attending the Convergence who may be new to this issue.  The meal is going to happen at the Fairgrounds and the Convergence planners expect about 100. Let's welcome them to our area with a great unorganized potluck. PLEASE BRING YOUR FAVORITE POTLUCK DISH TO SHARE, AND plates and table settings.  They are trying hard NOT to use paper products. The meal is planned for 6 pm.

3. Demonstrate against Northern Star on Monday by lining the beach at the end of Puget Island with people holding signs. There will be extra signs available. Please be at Eykel's house on the beach, 199 Ostervold Rd, by 11:30 am on Monday, August 13th. Bring everyone you can think of! Eykel's will have tables out, and are planning a potluck lunch, so again, bring your favorite picnic dish and table settings.

People with boats who want to be involved in a noLNG armada, please call Dan Serres at 503-890-2441 for more information.

Mother's March

The Mother's March Against LNG was held recently in Astoria.

MOTHERS MARCH WARNS AGAINST THE LNG "GORILLA"

Grannies of the Columbia River Estuary "evicted" Northern Star Natural Gas from its downtown Astoria office Sunday afternoon during the Mothers March Against LNG (liquefied natural gas). A large crowd of children and adults cheered the eviction proclamation read on their behalf by SANDRA DAVIS and MARJIE CASTLE, both of Longview. Northern Star wants to build an LNG terminal on a 420-acre site at Bradwood, about 38 miles upriver from Astoria. Oregon LNG, formerly Calpine, has plans for an LNG site in Warrenton. Marchers ignored the heavy rain as they marched peacefully through town and passed out NO LNG brochures to passersby.

"I’m not gonna give up!" VONDA BROCK vowed. The Longview grandmother was one of five area women who women spoke at the end of the march at the AVA Gallery. She’s given up "chasing butterflies" so she can work against the proposed LNG site at Bradwood. Brock described Northern Star’s plan to use eminent
domain to take land that’s been in her family for five generations for an LNG pipeline. She held up a yardstick to show the 36" diameter of the high-pressure pipeline that would convey the liquefied gas through Oregon to California.

DONNA QUINN said that tourism now employs some 5400 people and generates $106.8 million in Clatsop County. LNG will be "killing the goose that lays the golden egg of sustainable tourism." Quinn travels around the country representing Astoria’s Cannery Pier Hotel and said she’s learned that potential visitors want to visit the north coast for its scenic beauty, accessibility, and safety. All those are threatened by what she called the LNG "gorilla on the doorstep" scaring everyone away.

CAROL CARVER raised her children on Puget Island and always dreamed of grandchildren playing on the beach with her. She told the marchers that now she dreads the possibility of two or three 120-foot high LNG tanks directly across the river from her home. She said that scientists report that a vapor cloud from the Bradwood site could envelop her home and the southern part of Puget Island. The unscented vapor cloud could be ignited by lighting a cigarette or by a spark from a boat engine, producing second degree burns with 30 seconds of exposure.

"How could 400 kids be evacuated?" Brownsmead resident and Astor Elementary School teacher DEBBIE TWOMBLY said she’s been worrying about the 1-mile vapor burn hazard zone since researching LNG. She showed the crowd a stack of scientific and government documents that identify LNG hazards. She reminisced about growing up along the Nehalem River and then playing with her own children on the beach at Bradwood and said her students are already studying ships and tides because the school is so close to the Columbia. KRISTEN LEE urged everyone to contact their legislators and the Clatsop County Commissioners and to stay active in opposing LNG on the Columbia.

The children’s winner for the best NO LNG hat was CELIA GALE. BECCA SUTTON won the prize for the best adult’s hat. The Mothers March was featured on Portland’s Channels 2 and 6 on their Sunday night newscasts. Columbia RiverKeeper, the Columbia River Business Alliance, and the Columbia River Clean Energy Coalition were sponsors of the March.

Brian Baird: Feb 20th, meeting in Longview

Brian Baird, our Congressional Representative, will host a town hall meeting at 7 p.m. Feb. 20 at the Cowlitz Regional Conference Center, 1900 Seventh Ave. in Longview.

Although Baird says the meeting will focus on the Iraq war and the federal budget and deficit it would seem that constituents can discuss things that are of concern to them. Please attend and share their thoughts on issues and legislation with your congressperson. How will he know what you think if you don't tell him?

For more information, contact Baird's Vancouver office at (360) 695-6292 or visit www.house.gov/baird/.

Meeting: LNG ships on the Columbia River

This could be the lower columbia river!
Proposed liquefied natural gas (lng) sites on the river would mean tankers like this on our river 2 to 3 times each week.

• Will this impact your business?
• Will this impact the ports?
• Will this impact recreational use of the river?
• Will this impact city and county revenues

Please plan on attending this public forum on the impacts to private property owners, businesses, ports and recreational activities from proposed LNG terminals on the Lower Columbia River.

Saturday, January 13th
1 to 3 p.m.
Cowlitz PUD community room
Longview, Washington
Sponsored by:
Landowners and Citizens for a Safe Community

Upcoming events: Oct 4th and 14th

On Oct 4th, there will be an informative meeting with federal, state, & county legislators from Washington and Oregon at the LCC Auditorium in Longview, WA. The meeting will begin at 6:30 PM.  Current legislators and opponents in election races will be in attendance.  Topics to be addressed include the government’s use of eminent domain to benefit a private corporation as well as safety and environmental aspects of the proposed Bradwood project.

On Oct 14th, there will be a West Coast Day of Action Against LNG.  We are planning an event now. More details will be sent out soon.  On the 14th, we will be demonstrating along with others in Mexico, California, and Oregon.

Bradwood site visit Sept 12th

excerpted from The Daily Astorian

A public site visit of the proposed Bradwood Landing liquefied natural gas terminal location will be held Sept. 12.  Those interested in attending the site visit should meet at 11 a.m. on Clifton Road just past the intersection with U.S. Highway 30.

Representatives from Northern Star Natural Gas will be attending the visit along with engineers with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Office of Energy Projects.  The FERC engineers are touring the Bradwood site on Sept. 12, prior to a cryogenic design and technical conference Sept. 13 at the Sheraton Portland Airport Hotel in Portland.

The conference will not be open to the public because of the "nature of critical energy infrastructure information and security issues to be explored," according to a recent filing by FERC. However, people that have formally intervened in the Bradwood Landing LNG case may register to attend the conference by contacting Terry Turpin by phone at (202) 502-8558 or by e-mail at (terry.turpin@ferc.gov)

Please plan on attending this site tour if you can. It's important that we continue to show Northern Star that the people who live here do not want their heavy industrial site on our beautiful river. Wear your red t-shirts and buttons and help protect our treasured lower Columbia River.

Protests at LNG Conference in Portland

Oregon Public Broadcasting notes the opposition to the LNG conference.

• LNG Proponents Meet Amid Protest

...and in the article, quotes Brent Foster of Columbia Riverkeepers: "The LNG that comes to Oregon is bound for California, that's where there's a big demand. And they don't want LNG plants down in California because they're a big risk and they've chased every LNG out that's been planned. So they gonna come to what they think of as their ugly little cousin, Oregon, and think they can stick it here."

This was attended by participants from as far away as Oakland, CA as well as folks from the local areas including Astoria, Warrenton, Cathlamet, Puget Island, Skamokawa, and Portland, and represented a diverse range of people and professions objecting to LNG on the Columbia River.

...and some sobering thoughts about the security implications...

The protest created a highly visible indication of the growing resistance to efforts to put LNG facilities on the Columbia River, and got the interest of quite a number of people in downtown Portland who took flyers and leaflets (and were even reading them!).

....and the youngest protestor looking on, as if to say..."just what are you thinking of doing to my river!?"

Brian Atwater

Mark Your Calendars for March 12, Redmen Hall, Skamokawa, 2 pm.!

Brian Atwater is an American geologist who works for the US Geological Survey and is a professor at the University of Washington. Time Magazine nominated him as one of the 100 most influential people in 2005. He has dedicated himself to studying the likelihood of large earthquakes and tsunamis in the Pacific Northwest and is a foremost authority on the Cascadia subduction zone. Atwater has just published a book called Orphan Tsunami of 1700 and copies will be available. He will be speaking about the earthquake that produced a tsunami so large that reports in Japan have noted it; as have American Indian legends. His research has produced evidence of a dramatic shift in land elevation in the Pacific Northwest in relation to the event. Atwater is also willing to respond to questions from the audience.  WFOR will have an information table at the Hall during this event. Help spread the word to attend this timely lecture.

Important meeting in Cathlamet Oct 26

Don't let them do this to our river!

That's not a very pretty picture is it? Well, that's what we could all be looking at if the LNG transfer terminal is built at Bradwood. Those tanks are shown at about the right relative size--unlike some other images we've seen--and it gives you a bit of an idea how huge they would be.  And that's without the 300 yard  long ship--you'll just have to imagine a ship the length of three football fields and over a dozen stories tall floating next to it. Come to think of it, that's not too far from the size of those three tanks.

Well, if you don't like that picture much, here's your chance to talk about it with the people who are tasked with listening to our concerns before deciding on the suitability of putting this unsightly, and dangerous, heavy industrial development right on our front doorstep. You can discuss the proposed Liquefied Natural Gas facility that would be placed just across the river from Cathlamet and Puget Island at Bradwood. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Coast Guard will be in Cathlamet to listen to your comments and answer your questions at 7 p.m. on Wednesday October 26th in the multi-purpose room at the Julius A. Wendt Elementary School.

The last Coast Guard/FERC meeting was in Oregon and, even though the ferry ran late so folks could attend, a number of Wahkiakum residents didn't get a chance to voice their concerns about the negative impact such a plant would have on our community. Fortunately, another meeting has finally been scheduled for this side of the river and we're hoping that everyone gets a chance to come and have their voices heard on this critical issue.

It is important that you come to this meeting—it is the only chance scheduled for residents of Wahkiakum County to be heard locally on the proposed LNG transfer terminal. If you are concerned about this potentially dangerous, heavy industrial development on the lower Columbia, and the impact on our way of life, please come and help us protect the river, and all the people who use it to work, fish, and play.

 A flyer about the meeting is available for download here. You are encouraged to print, post and distribute it (without any changes, please) to help make people aware of this meeting.

Hope to see you there!

Mark your calendars:
Coast Guard/FERC meeting with Wahkiakum County residents
7p.m. October 26th
multipurpose room
Julius A. Wendt Elementary School
265 South Third St.
Cathlamet, WA
map

Willamette Week story and meeting tonight

The Willamette Week Online's current cover story, Welcome to Gastoria! provides a look at all of the proposed LNG sites in the area, including Northern Star's desired site at Knappa.

Speaking of Knappa, don't forget the Coast Guard/FERC meeting tonight at the Knappa Hgh School (41535 Old Highway 30 Knappa, OR) at 7pm.

Proposed pipeline: a reaction from Longview

Today's Daily News has an interesting article about Ron Doiron, a local retiree who recently heard that the proposed LNG pipeline would cut a swath across not only his property but his workshop as well. Doiron and his wife are among residents

According to information Doiron received from NSNG representatives, the pipeline would run right through his workshop, which is close to his house. The news especially sickens him because he just finished paying off the property three months ago, and he and his wife had planned to live out their retirement here, he said.

"Now some jerk who wants to make a bunch of money wants to devalue my property," Doiron said. "Here I am now, in the mode of staying -- now I'm gonna have to load my damn guns."

The news that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has final approval of the pipeline route didn't seem to offer much comfort.

"Someone from outside of Cowlitz County who doesn't even know what's here is going to make a decision? That's insane," he spat.

The complete article is here and makes for an interesting read. Don't forget to attend the upcoming meeting in Longview on September 28th, 7PM at the Cowlitz PUD office.

Important Upoming Meetings

Two public meetings have been scheduled for late September. The first addresses pipeline safety issues while the second is a joint Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and Coast Guard event with a broader range of topics to be discussed.

The pipeline meeting will take place in Longvew, but details are not known yet. We will post them here as soon as they become available. (see article referenced later for more...or less...clarity on the time of the meeting)

The FERC-Coast Guard meeting in Knappa in on the 29th at the High School and provides an opportunity for people to express their concerns and raise issues regarding the proposed LNG site and related ship traffic. The Coast Guard will focus on identifying safety issues around ships during transit and while docking. FERC, on the other hand, has an open agenda where pretty much everything is on the table.

If you wish to testify at this meeting, you must notify either the Coast Guard or FERC by September 22nd. The agencies are combining their lists of peole who want to speak at the meeting, so you only have to notify one agency.

The Coast Guard will also accept written comments until October 6. Please make sure that any written comments include the Docket No. CGD13-05-017, as well as your name and address. Comments may be submitted via physical mail, email, or fax to:

Lt. Shadrack Scheirman, Commanding Officer
U.S. Coast Guard Sector Portland
6767 N. Basin Ave.
Portland, OR 97217
Email: Shadrack.L.Scheirman@uscg.mil
Fax: (503) 240-2586
Voice: (503) 247-4015

The Daily Astorian has an article about the meeting at Knappa here and another about two Northern Star open houses--one on the day of each of these meetings--here. The one in Longview is at 7 p.m. Sept. 28 at the Cowlitz P.U.D. Building, 961 12th Ave. in Longview, WA, whether this is actually the pipeline safety meeting, an open house given by Northern Star, or both is somewhat unclear. The Knappa meeting is at 5:00 M, immediately preceeding the Coast Guard-FERC meeting.

Mark these dates:

September 29th, 7:00 PM
FERC-Coast Guard
Knappa High School
41535 Old Highway 30.
Knappa, OR

September 28th
Pipeline Safety Meeting
Cowlitz County PUD
961 12th Ave
Longview, WA

Meeting June 22nd in Clatsop County

Terry Kriesel wants people to be aware of a Clatsop County Commissioner's meeting June 22 at the Bob Chisholm Community Center, Seaside at 6 p.m.

While this meeting doesn't concern the Bradwood site, it's useful to know what issues are discussed regarding other sites...and it's also a show of solidarity with the good folks in that area who are concerned with a site proposed for their town.