noLNG

LNG opponents file Bradwood ballot measure referendum and appeal

By CASSANDRA PROFITA
The Daily Astorian

Groups opposing NorthernStar's Bradwood Landing liquefied natural gas import project today launched a two-pronged challenge to Clatsop County's recent decision to approve land-use permits for the controversial LNG and pipeline project. 

The Columbia River Business Alliance, Columbia Riverkeeper, and Northwest Property Rights Coalition submitted legal papers with the Clatsop County elections clerk to hold a ballot measure referendum to overturn the county commission's recent decision to open all county lands zoned for parks, recreation and open space to gas pipeline construction.

More at: www.dailyastorian.info

It's a good thing natural gas doesn't explode

Otherwise this would be worrisome:

A man deputies say was driving drunk crashed his pickup truck into a power pole at a natural gas substation on Sauvie Island Friday evening, nearly setting off an explosion.

The power pole fell onto the substation ground near active gas lines, pulling live power lines with it as it fell. Workers say a gas line was breached in the crash.

The truck caught fire and fire crews kept their distance and let the truck burn while the situation was assessed. Northwest Natural crews waited until morning to approach the crash site. The site is run by the Williams Northwest company.

KATU DUI Driver nearly sets off natural gas explosion

This is especially interesting: "Airspace over the island was restricted after the accident."  How large of a non-explosion did they expect if they thought it might impact planes flying over?

Humorous side note: check the ad in the screen cap. Think they paid extra for the placement? What's that smell, indeed!

Beware Texans bearing gifts

Today's Daily Astorian has an editorial worth a read. Titled Beware Texans Bearing Gifts with a subhead of "LNG developers are here to make a pile, not to make our region more livable," the piece makes some nice points about the long-term impact of allowing this sort of heavy industry on our river.

A few quotes:

     At the heart of the LNG discussion is this simple truth: An LNG terminal at Bradwood will dramatically alter the culture of the Lower Columbia River, and in a way that many of us will not like 20 years from now.    

...NorthernStar and the others are here to make the kind of killing that big developers dream of. They are not here to be our longstanding friends or to make this a more livable place.    

Developments like this are for all practical purposes irreversible in a meaningful human time frame. Particularly at a time when this region is being considered for designation as the West Coast's first National Heritage Area, we should approach all major decisions with seriousness and profound awareness of our obligations to future generations.

Read Beware Texans Bearing Gifts.

Remember the Planning Commission meets in Astoria this Wednesday to make a preliminary recommendation. The meeting starts at 10 a.m., in the Judge Guy Boyington Building, 857 Commercial St. in downtown Astoria

Latest county staff report reaffirms opposition to LNG plant

Great news out of Clatsop County this evening. The Planning Commission staff report has reaffirmed their opposition to the proposed county-wide zoning changes that Northern Star was requesting in order to build at Bradwood.

It remains important that as many as possible attend the hearing on Wednesday, August 29th, 10:00 am, to let the Planning Commission know that they should follow the recommendation of their staff and the wishes of the majority of their community.

Is your sign in your yard?
Is your decal on your car?
Is your button on your chest?

County says Bradwood Landing executives failed to meet criteria for land-use approval

An updated report from county planners continues to advise the Clatsop County Planning Commission to deny Bradwood Landing LLC's application for zone changes and other land-use permits for an LNG terminal on the Columbia River east of Astoria.

Bradwood Landing made several advances in addressing deficiencies raised in an earlier staff report to the Planning Commissioner. However, after analyzing all the evidence presented during the commission's public hearing process, Bradwood Landing ultimately did not adequately address all of the deficiencies and ultimately does not satisfy the criteria to grant a zone change to build a liquefied natural gas marine terminal and related facilities at the former mill site, leading staff to reiterate its recommendation for denial.

full article  Latest county staff report reaffirms opposition to LNG plant

Supplemental Staff Report to Clatsop County Planning Commission, Aug. 23, 2007 (pdf)

Clatsop County Planning Commission: Bradwood Landing information 

As an added bonus to our day, the photo at the top of this post is KMUN Coast Radio's photo of the day tomorrow. You can show your appreciation for their helping save our river by dripping them a note. Or seeing as how it's pledge week, you can always give them your quarters, and if you do, make sure you mention you saw our "save our river' banner on their site so they know we know we are out here.

Clatsop County Staff Says "NO"

Today Clatsop County posted the staff comments to the Clatsop County Planning Commission on the County wesite. In bold print on the first page of a 226 page document is stated: OVERALL RECOMMENDATION: for reasons described below, we recommend that the Clatsop County planning Commission deny Bradwood Landing's application. The entire document can be downloaded from the Clatsop County website: www.clatsopcounty.or.us.
The Daily Astorian has covered this new development in todays edition. The article can be viewed at:
http://www.dailyastorian.com/main.asp?SectionID=78&SubSectionID=876&ArticleID=43402&TM=67581.39

To everyone involved in the struggle to protect the quality of life and the environment of the Lower Coilumbia River Estuary, this staff report affirms many of the concerns that we have raised in the many meetings and correspondances of the past few years. Unfortunately, many valid concerns were not addressed.

So please continue to plan to attend the Planning Commission Public Hearing scheduled for Tuesday 7/10/07. Please testify. Thank the Planning Commission staff for their balanced and professional efforts in this analysis. Voice your feelings and concerns about the Bradwood project. Emphasize the other state wide goals that were not addressed sufficiently in the report.

BE THERE ON THE 10th.

Time to Gear UP!!!!!

Thursday, June 28 - OregonLNG - 6:30 p.m., Warrenton Community Center, 170 SW 3rd.  (turn left at the stopsign in Warrenton, then right on 3rd, the WCC is on your left.)   OregonLNG is the company that now leases the site formerly held by Calpine.  It will reveal its plans for an LNG terminal in Warrenton.  A good chance to hear about their rosy intentions for the Columbia and for our lives.  If you oppose LNG on the Columbia, then  attend this meeting and wear your most oppositional red shirt.  What do YOU want on our river?

Monday, July 2 - Free public LNG workshop -- 7:15 p.m. at the Cannery Pier Hotel, Union Fish Room, Astoria -    If you don't want LNG on the Columbia, but you're not sure what to say at the July 10 public hearing, you will get valuable information and ideas at this workshop.   We'll also be talking about hearing strategy, topics to cover, etc.   Your voice counts, and the county needs to know that the community doesn't want an LNG terminal in Clatsop County.   Contact Laurie Caplan at 338-6508 or Cheryl Johnson at 458-6910 for more information.  Presented by the Columbia River Clean Energy Coalition.

BE There on 7/10!!!! WE need to be there en masse. Whatever time of the day, you can make it. the evening session will be the most important.
WEAR RED AND COME WITH ATTITUDE.

Tuesday, July 10 - County Planning Commission hearing, Astoria High School, 10 a.m.-10 p.m., with lunch and dinner breaks.   Public testimony about all the many land use and zoning changes that NorthernStar wants so it can build an LNG terminal at beautiful Bradwood.  LNG speculators and supporters are dismissing opponents as a radical, vocal minority!  Show them we count!   People can sign up at the hearing to speak, most likely in the afternoon and evening after the formal corporate, legal, and agency presentations.   
More details to come.
and tune in KMUN this Sunday at 7 p.m. for a really interesting hour about "LNG and Our Economy."   90.9 and 91.1FM.  Great conversation with Laura Snyder (Lucy's Books), Don West (Cannery Pier Hotel), Ryan Davis (the Red Building), Robert Stang, (sustainable developer), and Laurie Caplan moderating.  Credible, knowledgeable speakers with eye-opening information (it was taped Thursday).   Steaming live on coastcommunityradio.org.

And you thought summer was just about sunshine and flowers and picnics!

Thoughts worth thinking about:

Idealism rescues cynicism and can be parsed, at least in democratic societies, as another word for freedom.  Democracy proceeds on the assumption that nobody knows enough, that nothing is final, that the old order (whether of men or institutions) will be carried offstage every twenty years.  The multiplicity of its voices and forms assumes a ceaseless making and remaking of laws and customs as well as of equations and matinee idols.  If democracy can be understood as a field of temporary coalitions among people of different interests, skills, and generations, then everybody has need of everybody else.  To the extent that a democratic government gives its citizens a chance to chase their own dreams, it gives itself the chance not only of discovering its multiple glories and triumphs but also surviving its multiple follies and crimes.

-- Lewis Lapham, ≥Notebook≤, Harperπs Magazine, fall 2001

Armed vessels on the Columbia an unwelcome vision

Several members of Wahkiakum Friends of the River are featured in Tony Lsytra's article "Armed vessels on the Columbia an unwelcome vision" in today's Longview Daily News. The article talks about the potential for the militarization of the river, noting that "the Coast Guard won't say what kind of armaments the escorts would include, it has been known to use small vessels mounted with M-60 machine guns on the river."

Frans Eykel says "It sets a certain tone. ... You've got that feeling like a little tickle on your back. ... We live in a peaceful area of natural beauty and all of a sudden you get those big ships with the guns and all of a sudden everybody is suspect."

Paula and Gregg Carlson also talked with Tony and are shown sitting on their beach, just across from the site where Northern Star wants to put in the LNG regasification site.

The article is worth a read and the comments...well, let's just say they are typical for Daily News stories about possible LNG plants in the area.

Astoria: Mothers march against LNG - May 20

Mothers March against LNG

Daughters, Grandmothers and Families too!

A Family friendly event!

Hear the mothers of Oregon and Washington talk about what the LNG re-gasification plant, tankers, and pipelines mean to our families and communities.

Save the date: Sunday, May 20th 1:00 pm 
Gather at the Blue Scorcher Café at 15th & Exchange Astoria.   

Plan to bring your entire family or a carload of friends & neighbors.

Stay tuned for more details.

Download a PDF of the flyer for the Mothers March against LNG

Congressman Baird Opposes LNG Terminal Project

This makes us VERY happy! Thank you Congressman Baird!

March 5, 2007
Congressman Baird Opposes LNG Terminal Project

Washington, D.C. - After careful and thoughtful review of the Waterway Suitability Report (WSR) for the Bradwood Landing Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal project, released last week, Congressman Brian Baird (WA-03) has come out in opposition to the plan.  Below is his statement:

"After reviewing the WSR, I believe there is enough compelling evidence to oppose the proposed LNG project.  While there may be local benefits to the project, including job creation and additional gas production, the overall negative impacts on the entire river system are too great for me to support.   There are three main areas of great concern to me:  the safety and security measures that would need to be implemented to make the Columbia River suitable for LNG and the associated negative impacts on existing river commerce; the impact on the environment; and, the effect the project would have on private property owners.

"In order for the Columbia River to suitably accommodate this project, a number of measures will need to be implemented to manage navigation, safety, and security risks.   Among these are:  increased navigational aids, security boardings, and changes to emergency communications systems.  The report does not outline what the impact of these new security measures will be on the Coast Guard or local law enforcement agencies, but, the burden for paying will fall on the likely fall on the local taxpayers.

"While we are still awaiting the results of the Environmental Impact Study, I have a number of concerns about the project's impact on the environment.  Even if all of the safety and security measures are taken, the impact on the environment and economy remains unknown.  Both commercial and recreational fishing industries could be adversely affected, the long-term impact of dredging and tunneling on endangered and threatened fish species, including salmon, is unknown, and there could be significant ramifications if a leak or spill occurred. 

"Finally, I am concerned about the project's impact on private property owners.  I have repeatedly met with the people whose property would be affected by the terminal or pipeline construction and I respect their position.  For those living on Puget Island, or who may have a gas line running through their property, ensuring a safety and security must be the highest priority. 

"The WSR did identify current security concerns and resource gaps, but the costs economically, to the environment, to those living in the community, and to the river itself are just too much to justify moving forward on this one project.  After thoughtful consideration of all these issues, I oppose the proposed Bradwood Landing LNG site."

Congressman Baird recognizes the final decision remains up to state agencies and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, however, at this time he feels it is important to state his position publicly to best serve his constituents on this matter. Copies of the Congressman's position statement are being sent to FERC, the U.S. Coast Guard, and other interested parties and officials.

Climate Week of Action

America and Canada's youth are calling for five days of demonstrations to put the heat on a new U.S. Congress and a returning Canadian Parliament to begin aggressive national power shifts on global warming. The Climate Week of Action is an opportunity for everyone from students and professors to people of faith, workers, and average citizens to speak out and take action for a clean energy future. So, attend a screening of An Inconvenient Truth , join the photo petition to Congress and Parliament, make a phone call to stop a new proposed oil refinery in North Dakota, or organize something new in your community to make an impact on the climate crisis. Whatever you do next week, make it a week of action!

Dispatches from the week are posted at It’s Getting Hot In Here

In the Pacific Northwest, they are especially encouraging folks to make a call to Gov. Kulongoski or Gov. Gregoire in support of grassroots, community efforts against Liquefied Natural Gas. Let them know that a just, sustainable future does not include pushing this dangerous, climate change inducing fuel on poor communities Oregon and Washington! Attached to this email is a document with the Governor's phone numbers and lots more information about LNG.

More information is available here.

LNG meeting: 'smacks of federal conspiracy'

Interesting article in the Daily Astorian about recent meetings between FERC and Northern Star that were off-limits to other concerned parties.

A meeting between Bradwood Landing representatives and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission staff was apparently closed to some intervenors while others were invited to attend.

Astoria resident Peter Huhtala, one of 10 intervenors involved in a dispute over the meeting, said FERC unfairly excluded legitimate parties from the talk and "it smacks of federal conspiracy."

Huhtala joined with Columbia Riverkeeper and other groups in filing a complaint against FERC staff and Bradwood Landing developer Northern Star Natural Gas Co. Their complaint is the Dec. 14 meeting violates FERC rules on "ex parte" or exclusive communications with project applicants.

FERC is the federal agency that will ultimately approve or deny the Bradwood Landing application to build an LNG facility 20 miles east of Astoria on the Columbia River. Intervenors are parties that have a voice in the approval process.

FERC spokeswoman Tamara Young-Allen said her agency takes "ex parte" rules "very seriously" and the Commission could decide to reassign the Bradwood Landing case to different

FERC staff as a result of the complaint. FERC has specific rules on agency meetings with project applicants. In many cases, intervenors are required to be invited, and public notice must be given even if the meeting isn't public.

According to the complaint document, no public notice was given for the meeting and some intervenors were refused by FERC staff when they tried to attend.

By CASSANDRA PROFITA The Daily Astorian

Complete article: LNG meeting: 'smacks of federal conspiracy'.

Nice article on Ted Messing, one of our members

While fighting the proposed LNG sites along our river takes a lot of time, some of our members have lives beyond fighting the threatened blight of LNG. Amazing but true! grin

Ted Messing, along with his wife Cheryl Johnson, are active members of several groups committed to saving the river from heavy industrial development. The Daily Astorian has an article about Ted that focuses on these activities along with Ted's hand-carved manzanita burl vases. Take a look at the article, and if you happen to see Ted's work somewhere, check it out. He creates some beautiful objects of desire.

Artist carves his niche, loves the land and commits to protect it.

Roundup of recent articles

Did you know that the Daily Astorian has a special section where all of the articles on proposed LNG projects are collected? It's a convenient way to keep up on what is happening with Northern Star (Bradwood) and Calpine (Warrenton). Visit it by clicking here:

LNG Controversy section at The Daily Astorian

Here are a few recent articles  (click a headline to open the complete article in a new window)

General

Opponents say LNG would hurt state tourism

Northern Star / Bradwood

County pledges to open up LNG files (more on this here)

LNG safety concerns move to forefront of approval process

County to decide on LNG - but feds would handle an appeal

Bradwood LNG submits zone change, land-use requests

LNG pipeline may link with NW Natural>

Calpine / Warrenton

Ex-Calpine man looks to jump-start LNG

Calpine lease sold to Leucadia National

Latest LNG twist angers North Coast residents

Northern Star restructures for IPO

As part of their preparation for an initial public offering (IPO) of stock, Northern Star has changed their status from LLC to C corporation. They have also filed their initial paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission (S1 form) and created a prospectus for potential investors. Both of these documents are available for your perusal (links below) online.

The prospectus seems to have more than the usual number of caveats including that the IPO will not be for enough to complete development of the three facilities NS have in the works. But there were a few things that jumped out at me. To wit:

We currently estimate that the remaining development cost as of September 30, 2006 for our three LNG terminal projects will be approximately $62 million, and expect that certain of these costs will be funded by the proceeds of this offering. However, we cannot assure you that our development costs will not exceed the amount raised from this offering due to unforeseen circumstances and delays in the permitting process.

I read that and thought: 62 million to develop three plants? Seems kind of cheap. But apparently develop means plan or something because the next point says:

The proceeds from this offering are not sufficient to construct any of our proposed LNG terminals. We must obtain separate and additional financing in order to construct our planned LNG terminals.

We currently estimate that the aggregate cost of completing our Bradwood and Clearwater LNG terminals will be approximately $1.4 billion, excluding interest during construction and financing fees and the cost of our Orion LNG terminal has not yet been determined.

Oh! So this offering is really a drop in the bucket for NS's theoretical three LNG facilities. Makes you wonder where the other billion is coming from, doesn't it?

The construction and operation of our proposed LNG terminals on the West Coast could be materially adversely affected by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, hurricanes, floods, and other similar natural catastrophes.

But didn't they tell us we didn't have to worry about natural disasters?

LNG and oil facilities, shipyards, carriers, pipelines, and oil and gas fields and virtually all other energy-related facilities could be targets of future terrorist attacks. Any such attacks could lead to, among other things, bodily injury or loss of life or other property damage, increased operational costs, including insurance costs, and the inability to operate our LNG terminals.

But didn't they tell us we didn't have to worry about terrorists?

Based on the amount of convertible notes outstanding as of November 15, 2006, if we were to be required to redeem all of the convertible notes (on May 17, 2009) we would be required to make cash payments to convertible note holders in an aggregate amount of up to $103.5 million plus interest accrued through May 17, 2009, unless all or a portion of the convertible notes are converted by the holders or redeemed by us prior to such date.

That's a big bill for people with so little in the way of assets. But don't listen to me, listen to Northern Star:

We currently have no operating revenues and negative cash flow, and we may not be able to achieve profitability and generate positive cash flow in the future. We currently have no operating revenues. During 2005, we incurred combined net losses of $8.6 million and in the nine months ended September 30, 2006, we incurred net losses of $42.8 million. We will continue to incur losses and experience negative operating cash flow during the next several years through the development and construction stages of the LNG terminal projects. We do not anticipate that we will generate revenues until at least one of our planned LNG terminals is completed, which we do not expect to occur until 2010 or later. In addition, following the completion of our LNG terminals, we may continue to incur losses on our in-development projects which reduce or exceed any profits generated by these operating projects.

"But, where does the money go?" she asked only somewhat rhetorically.

Concurrently with the acquisition of Bradwood and Orion, we acquired intellectual property rights relating to LNG project conceptualization and development activities from an entity owned by our Chief Executive Officer and our President in exchange for a $5.0 million cash payment which was paid on May 17, 2006. This payment has been included as general and administrative expenses in the September 30, 2006 financial statements.

In addition, we issued shares of our common stock valued at $8.9 million to Mr. Lindner, one of our directors, and a former director, for consulting services provided during our formation and initial capitalization. These costs have also been included as general and administrative expenses in our September 30, 2006 financial statements.

California Office Rental

     On April 1, 2006 we entered into a lease for office space in California with Real Estate Energy Company, Ltd., an entity controlled by Mr. Lindner, a member of our board of directors. The lease period extends through May 31, 2007 and is terminable upon 30 days notice with no termination penalty. Payments for the lease are $2,000 per month, which we believe is indicative of the market rates for such commercial office space and services available in the local region.

Those are only a few highlights. I encourage all of you to read the document linked below. It's a bit of a slog but it's got some interesting tidbits hidden in there. If you find more that you think others should hear about, please post them in the comments section here. (please! sometimes I feel so alone talking to myself here)

 

Additional reading on the subject:
Northern Star's S1 filing at the SEC
 

Contacting local newspapers

There's another PR campaign coming from Northern Star so to make it easy for you all to write your letters to the editor (and you have been great about doing so!) here's contact information for a number of local newspapers. If there's one missing, please add it in the comments and I'll move a copy of it up into the mail post here.

Here's all the info you will need for contacting some local newspapers:

The Columbian:
Limit letters to 200 words and allow 30 days between submissions. Include name, address and daytime phone number for verification; only the name and home town will be published.
     email: preferred. letters@columbian.com
     fax: 360-699-6033
     mail:  Letters from Readers, The Columbian, PO Box 180, Vancouver, WA  98666

The Oregonian:
Limit letters to 150 words, Include your full address and daytime phone number, for verification only. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.
     email:letters@news.oregonian.com
     fax: 503.294.4193
     mail: Letters to the editor, The Oregonian, 1320 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97201

Daily Astorian:
     fax: 503.325.6573
     mail: Daily Astorian Editor, PO Box 210, 949 Exchange St., Astoria, OR 97103

The Wahkiakum Eagle: 
     fax: 360.795.3983
     mail: The Wahkiakum Eagle, PO Box 368, Cathlamet, WA 98612

The Chinook Observer:
     email: editor@chinookobserver.com
     fax: 360.642.8105
     mail: Chinook Observe, PO Box 427, Long Beach, WA 98631

The Daily News:
Limit of 175 words, and one letter per person, per calendar month. Must include first and last name, zip code as well as day and evening phone numbers. Letter must be written exclusively to The Daily News, so you might have to edit a slightly customized version of your mail for them.
     email: The Daily News uses a web form instead if email. Submit letters here.
     fax: 360.577.2538
     mail: 770 11th Avenue, P.O. Box 189, Longview, WA 98632

Northern Star buys a piece of Svensen Island

Northern Star has taken out all sorts of pretty ads to trumpet an agreement to purchase the western portion of Svensen Island for use in salmon mitigation. They also have options to buy 80 percent (which must be the rest) of the island. The salmon mitigation plan calls for removing dikes to flood the island, creating "shallow marshes where migrating salmon could rest away from the Columbia's main channel." Will this work? (and do salmon rest areas have free coffee and cookies like the ones on the highway?) Seriously, do salmon rest in marshes? Where's a wildlife biologist when you need one?

Northern Star is promising $7 million between the start of terminal construction and 2010, when the proposed plant would open. After that, they promise $1.3 million a year as long as the facility operates. But what happens if they have negative impact on the salmon during construction (or operation) and then abandon the project for economic or other reason? (Not that I think the Columbia River would end up with an idle energy project waiting to be demolished. Random fact: there's 4,700 tons of nuclear waste sitting at Trojan, at least The Daily News says there is. Did you know that? I sure didn't. But I digress...back to the current proposed energy plant.)

One problem with this plan is that Columbia Land Trust had already raised funds to buy the island and was talking with the owners about a conservation purchase when Northern Star stepped in. While the two offers may appear similar on the surface, they aren't necessarily the same thing. After all, one of these groups is in the conservation business and one is not.

I do have to give it to Northern Star, they got some good soundbites out there:

They say they undertook a "rebooting of the project to make sure it was in tune with regional values" Now rebooting sounds good and all that: technical, modern...and meaningless. One has to wonder how much rebooting can be done in the ten days between when they announced their plans would damage the salmon and now. I'm also not sure what they mean about regional values, although they are calling the salmon "ours" in those full page ads. 

They say they have "virtually eliminated" the threat to fish from engine cooling and ballast water intake and discharge. (so why the list? what about the threats that aren't related to engine cooling and ballast? or are we supposed to believe that other than that, salmon are safe?)

They say they have found "a very elegant solution" to the problem of killing salmon during engine cooling and ballast uptake: screens. Water will come in through these "special" (meaning small, I guess) screens and be used to cool the engine, then used for ballast. This will help with the issue of discharging heated water into the river. It still means they are taking huge amounts of water for ballast and the rest of their proposed operation isn't exactly good for salmon. But I suppose the salmon have their rest area.

btw, this elegant solution: brand new. Untested. (sounds like it's still on the drawing board) Not in use in the industry. No ships have it. But Northern Star promises they'll pay for installation on ships.  (No surprise there, they are promising money to lots of folks these days.)

There are three articles listed here, each of them with a slightly different take on the island deal. It's interesting to read all of them and see how the approach varies at different sources. The article at the Astorian has the most detail.

Island purchase shines for Northern Star   (Daily Astorian)

Proposed gas terminal vows salmon protections   (The Columbian)

Company offers $50 million to help salmon in exchange for terminal   (Coos Bay World)

Since you read this far, tell us what you think. This site is more interesting and useful when everyone plays along.

Shipping impacts left out of LNG report

Again, from Cassandra Profita at the Daily Astorian:

"Federal officials are not satisfied with the biological impact report submitted by Northern Star Natural Gas Co. for its proposed Bradwood Landing liquefied natural gas terminal, according to a document recently filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

The Bradwood Landing report left out the impact of LNG ships on the Columbia River and in the Pacific Ocean and key details are missing from its mitigation plans, according to the filing, the result of a phone conversation among multiple agencies' officials and the company's contracted engineer. Because of the company's outstanding data issues, FERC project manager Paul Friedman said his agency, which will ultimately approve or deny the terminal siting request, has not set a project review schedule for other officials to follow."

Northern Star contends that

"...large vessel traffic on the Columbia River had already been assessed by other projects such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Channel Improvement Project, which considered the impacts of deepening the shipping channel for vessels traveling upriver. Northern Star did not feel the need to do another review based on the impacts of LNG vessels.

Nice try guys, but the Coast Guard begs to differ.

"Jack Hug, a Coast Guard attorney, told the company LNG ships are different types of vessels than those considered in the channel deepening project, and the review for the Corps project did not consider terrorist acts. Dean Amundson of the Coast Guard said the company's project raises its own potential issues of vessel traffic and ship strikes off the coast.

Cathy Tortorici, chief of the Oregon Coast and Lower Columbia branch of National Marine Fisheries Service, said her agency looked at the impact of dredging for the Corps project, but the dredging project was designed for existing ships on the river, and a change in the type of vessels on the river was never considered.

Officials concluded the company should address the increase in ship traffic caused by the project, which is expected to bring in three or four LNG ships a week, as well as the fact that LNG ships are different types of vessels, and generally larger, than other ships using the river."

According to the article, other LNG projects discuss the impacts of ship traffic within a 200-nautical-mile zone of the coast, but Northern Star did not. There is also a list of other aspects of the project that Northern Star avoided addressing in their plan.

Gee, unanswered questions, ducking responsibility for the impact of their project, ignoring the concerns of both the federal licensing agency and the Coast Guard, which is tasked with keeping our river secure. I feel so much better about the proposed plant now. Don't you?

Read the entire article here.

LNG supply and demand

Here are some interesting articles, both local and international, that paint an interesting picture about LNG supply and demand.

Northwest could see energy surplus this winter (link)

The Pacific Northwest power supply stands at about 2,400 megawatts in excess of average annual demand - enough electricity to light two cities the size of Seattle, according to a recent analysis by the Northwest Power and Conservation Council.

In 1999, the region was at a 4,000 average megawatt deficit - meaning that generating capacity was not keeping pace with electricity demand, Fazio said.

By 2001, "it was a mess," he said - with a Northwest drought sharply reducing regional hydroelectric production, Enron Corp. influence on the energy market before its bankruptcy and deregulation efforts foundering in California.

But since 1999, the region has lost about 10 percent of its demand - largely from the decline of the aluminum industry - and increased its generating capacity by about 15 percent, Fazio said.

US LNG Imports Falling Fast, Surprising Analysts (link)

2006 Currently Trending Below 2003, Conference to Examine Why

HOUSTON, TX -- (MARKET WIRE) -- November 13, 2006 -- Just a couple of years ago energy analysts predicted U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports would rise sharply to fill a yawning gap between declining production and greater demand for gas-fired power.

Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA), for one, predicted North America would "require about 11 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) of LNG supply by 2010" -- an increase of tenfold over current levels to roughly 15% of North America's gas consumption.
...
Yet, shortages of natural gas and higher U.S. prices have not netted more cargoes. Since July 2004, the number of cargoes imported into the United States has fallen from a high of 28 to just 12 in March 2006. Some 17 were imported in August. Meanwhile, developers have expanded import capacity to more than 5.0 bcfd -- four times the level necessary.

Adding current construction and planned expansions at existing terminals, capacity is likely to exceed 23 bcfd by the year 2011, creating possibly a glut of terminal space like what occurred in the 1980s when LNG was expected to fill a large portion U.S. demand.

India and Japan hunting for LNG Due to Tightening Supply  (link)

(PressZoom) - India and Japan are amongst the largest consumers of LNG ( Liquefied Natural Gas ), which are hunting the world for spot cargos and endeavoring to negotiate new supply contracts due to stiffening competition in a tightening marketplace. India, whose rapidly emerging economy is fueling energy demand, has begun to buy spot cargos of Liquefied Natural Gas to supplement contracted supplies.

In spite of booming construction plants for freezing natural gas into Liquefied Natural Gas, supply is far behind the demand for it. This is, partially, due to a decline in exports from Indonesian suppliers.

Inadequacies of capacity for converting LNG back to normal gas for consumption, plus other problems due to differing gas qualities among regions are also causing supply problems for both India and Japan. According to Keiji Takemori, who's GM with Energy Resources Development at Osaka Gas- 2nd largest utility in Japan, "LNG market, at present, is a market of a seller".

If I have this right, Washington state doesn't need LNG, the US is having a hard time getting LNG, and there are countries that need the LNG more who are having a hard time getting it (and are on the spot market ahead of us). But this is what stands out:

We already have four time the import capacity that we need and they want to increase that FIVE-fold. Even though we already can't get enough gas.

What's up with that?

LNG pipelines: ruptures and rivers

Officials dissect fatal Wyoming blaze (link)

Communications glitches delayed the response to a fire that killed a bulldozer operator, they concur.

Bulldozer operator Bobby Ray Owens Jr., 52, of Louisiana died Saturday when his machine hit a natural-gas pipeline. The ensuing fire sent flames hundreds of feet into the air, and it took crews about 45 minutes to extinguish it.

Sheriff Danny Glick said responding to the situation was tough because different organizations were trying to get information about what was happening and because there was a lot of emotion on the scene.

Dennis West, chief of Laramie County Fire District 1, said some crews were delayed in getting directions to the scene because cellphones didn't work and radio traffic was jammed.

West said the emergency management communications center in Cheyenne was inundated with calls within minutes of the start of the fire.
...
"(That) was our biggest downfall," West said. "Getting the information and the answers to our questions was the hardest part about it all."

With so many calls coming through the communications center Saturday, determining exactly where the explosion had occurred became a problem.

"The size of the blaze itself made it look further away than we actually were," West said. "Our perception was thrown off."

Spotty cell phone service, a small emergency call center that would be quickly overwhelmed in a catastrophe like this, and a hard time getting information and answers to questions. Sounds sort of familiar, doesn't it?

and another interesting aspect...  (link)

The Wyoming Interstate pipeline was struck and ruptured on Saturday just west of the Cheyenne compressor station. The company declared a force majeure event due to the damage.

You really should take a look at the link on "force majeure" above. Here's a snippet:

"...frees one or both parties from liability or obligation when an extraordinary event or circumstance beyond the control of the parties, such as war, strike, riot, crime, act of God (e.g., flood, earthquake, volcano), prevents one or both parties from fulfilling their obligations under the contract."

...and yet, one might think that a piece of construction equipment hitting a pipeline (or buried power line or other such) is pretty darned controllable. I'm not a lawyer, nor do I play one on the Internet, but this seems like an awfully easy way for a company to duck liability.

Let's move close to home next. This is particularly interesting in light of the above article.

Pipeline falls into Toutle River (link)

A 300- to 400-foot section of the Williams Northwest natural gas pipeline dropped into the Toutle River near Castle Rock when the river bank gave way Thursday and is now bobbing in the water. Pipeline officials say it poses no immediate danger and repairs are under way.

The exposed pipe has not ruptured but is moving as it is buffeted by river water. The pipe needs to be protected from any debris in the rain-swollen river, and workers have reduced the pressure to guard against any explosions if the pipe was damaged, said Williams spokeswoman Michele Swaner.

(ed. So, while the pipeline dangled in the river, the pressure was reduced by 50% -- not cut-off, just reduced. Because a pipeline floating amongst the debris of the rain-swollen river would never rupture.)

Long-term, Swaner said they'll have to replace all of the exposed pipe and may well move that entire section of pipeline because of on-going worries about the integrity of the river bank.

Update: The pipeline is now back to more usual operations, meaning full pressure. In a pipe that, according to the above article is half the size of the usual pipeline. Is that a good idea?   

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.

Sad news re: Catherine Van Horn

On a sad note, Cathy Van Horn, who was the State's lead person overseeing the LNG issue for the State and the Oregon Department of Energy, passed away suddenly .  She leaves behind a husband and an eight year old daughter.  This is a tremendous loss.  She was very knowledgeable on the LNG issue and would have made sure things were thoroughly analysed. Although we did not always agree on issues, we respected and admired her honesty, integrity, and professionalism.

We will miss her.

Catherine L. Van Horn

July 25, 1961 - September 15, 2006

SALEM – Cathy's biggest joy was playing with and planning events for her daughter and the children at McKinley Elementary School. She had the gift of taking a grand vision and bringing it to life for everyone. In her "spare time", she loved to tend her garden and enjoyed more crafting hobbies than could be fit in this column. Cathy was very proud of her Cherokee and Creek Indian heritage, and of the many places she lived during her life, was probably closest to home in Hawaii, where she had a deep and wonderful bond with the Hawaiian people and their culture.

Cathy spent several years writing and editing for newspapers and magazines before returning to school for a Ph.D. in Communications at the University of Washington. She taught journalism as a college professor in Hawaii and Iowa, and most recently worked as an analyst for the Oregon Office of Energy.

Cathy is survived by her husband, Wayne Parker and daughter, Gillian both of Salem; brother, Scott of Sacramento; sister, Amy of Medford; stepfather, Jack Rowbotham of Wilsonville; and will be missed by more friends than she could have imagined.

Memories of Cathy can be shared at 3:30 p.m., Fri., Sept. 22, at Virgil T. Golden Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the McKinley Parent-Teacher Club.

The Passamaquoddy Bay study

The Passamaquoddy Bay study provides useful insights into the costs and effects upon areas around an LNG facility.

Sections of the Summary Q & A are illuminating. Excerpts follow:

In this study, the research group estimates "The cost of an Emergency Medical Services base for a host community has been estimated at $700,000. The local cost of public safety for LNG tanker arrivals and departures is estimated at $12,500 for every tanker... ...Communities without police boats will have to invest in them."

In the Passamaquoddy Bay study, the research group estimates "a 20-35% reduction in the value of properties right next to the site, and 10-25% reduction in the value of properties within a mile of the site, and a 5-15% reduction in the value of properties with two miles of the site."

The Summary Q & A also addresses the jobs question, but the outlook isn't encouraging "We estimate there will be approximately 8 jobs in administration, personnel, security, and maintenance available for local  residents at pay levels ranging from $30,000 to $40,000 a year (including benefits)...  ...This number of jobs provided by an LNG terminal does not take into account jobs lost in other sectors, such as fisheries and tourism."

"...we should have to reimburse the county for any expenses."

...or so Gary Coppedge says in this Daily News article about the Cowlitz County Council.

Cowlitz County officials are charged with reviewing environmental documents where they relate to the pipeline and plan to hire a consulting firm to do the work.

Ken Stone, who oversees the county's public works and building and planning departments, said Northern Star initially will front $20,000 for the consulting work and pay more if necessary.
Stone said the county is turning to an independent consultant because it doesn't have the staff to review the documents.

Gary Coppedge, Northern Star's vice president of development, said his company is "comfortable" with the arrangement. "I think it shows a good working relationship with the county," he said. "It's appropriate that we should have to reimburse the county for any expenses."

One has to wonder if Northern Star thinks they should be reimbursing all the counties and groups impacted by their proposal. If so, I believe there is a large, and growing, group of homeowners and business people who want to talk about their current expenses and future losses. Because examining every bit of information NS submits to FERC, attending meetings, hiring consultants is expensive. Staying up nights worrying about what might happen to our beautiful river, community, and way of life carries an incalculable cost...if this was a commercial, we might call it priceless.

articles about the 20 million

Longview Daily News
Daily Astorian

Both sites have comment areas at the end of the articles if you'd like to add to the discussion. The Daily News site has a number of comments already.

Don't forget to stop by our booth at the Wahkiakum County Fair, open now until Sunday.

Coalition Blasts LNG Developers Payouts as a “Cheap Insult”

Columbia River Clean River Coalition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 17, 2006

Kelso- Longview, WA - Texas energy speculator Northern Star, which has proposed construction of an LNG mega-port and pipeline in the Columbia Estuary at Bradwood, OR, gave $ 100,000 to the Wahkiakum Community Foundation it what it claimed was a no string attached gift for the betterment of the community. Community members and others working to stop the pipeline, however, blasted the payment and promise for future payments as an insult to the integrity and intelligence of the communities around the Estuary that would be put at risk by LNG project. 

“Now we know what Northern Star thinks it will cost them to buy off Wahkiakum County,” says Terry Kriesel Chair of Wahkiakum Friends of the River. “What’s unbelievable is that they think we would trade off our safety, our economy and our community for little more than a bag of peanuts each year.”

George Exum who lives on Puget Island agrees, “This is an incredible insult to our community and one that is so juvenile and unsophisticated it really makes me wonder who is advising Northern Star. We knew that they would try to buy us off just because of the risks this project poses to our economy and our families, but we just didn’t know it’d be for so little”

“Northern Star is on one hand refusing to go through the basic local land use permitting process and then at the same time trying to say they want to support the local community,” explains Brent Foster, Executive Director of Columbia Riverkeeper. “This type of payoff is something I’d expect to see in a third world country and I think it’s really going to backfire on Northern Star.”

“This attempt to basically bribe our community is as outrageous as it is cheap,” adds Longview resident Vonda Brock, a grandmother whose land Northern Star has threatened to condemn for the LNG pipeline.   “If they think that we would put our families and our land at risk for such a small amount of money they’re just crazy!”

Sandra Davis with Landowners and Citizens for a Safe Community also reacted strongly to the proposed payoff. “This is really a sad statement about how much Northern Star thinks our community is worth.  They stand to make billions of dollars by putting our community, our economy and our families at risk and yet they think they can buy our support for this high risk project for a $ 100,000 or even $ 500,000 a year?”

Columbia River Clean River Coalition
433 13th Street
Astoria, Oregon 97103
cleanColumbiaEnergy@gorge.net

Contacts
Brent Foster, Columbia Riverkeeper (541) 380-1334
George Exum (360) 431-8679
Terry Kriesel (360) 849-4334
Vonda Brock (360) 636-1766
Sandra Davis (360) 577-1043

Download a PDF of this press release

State Agencies Want Voice in Bradwood Landing LNG

From the Clatskanie Chief

A meeting called by Clatsop County, six state agencies, plus two federal agencies, left no doubt that they want their say over issues related to the proposed Bradwood Landing liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal and the 34 mile bi-state pipeline through portions of Clatsop, Columbia and Cowlitz counties.

    Held Thursday, Aug. 3, at Knappa High School, the meeting was called by the Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE), Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development, Oregon Department of State Lands (DSL), Oregon Department of Water Resources, Clatsop County, the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department.

The article includes a list of concerns voiced by the National Marine Fisheries Service, including:

• Alternative locations for the Bradwood facility have not been explored to prevent a significant loss of floodplain habitat, off-channel waterways, and wetlands...
• The site configuration of the terminal does not appear to avoid or minimize environmental effects to the maximum extent practicable.
• The site configuration of the terminal does not provide significant setbacks from adjacent waterways and displaces riparian habitat.
• The effect of the railroad realignment on the bank stability and water quality of Hunt Creek has not been provided in the resource reports.
• The fate of riparian areas crossed by horizontal directional drilling or boring  (needed for the pipeline to cross the various waterways) is not clear.

Kitimat, British Columbia LNG importation facility approved

The Canadian has given final approval to a proposed LNG importation site in Kitimat, BC, Canada (click for map) giving the Kitimat LNG company a head start over the other proposed west coast LNG sites. Kitimat is a truly remote location (really, it is...did you click the map?) with no apparent cluster of people who would be put at risk by the construction of such a facility.  This is a significant difference from Northern Star's proposed Bradwood siting which, as you know, puts a number of people at risk and would also interfere with merchant shipping for upriver cities like Longview and Portland.

Kitimat LNG's director of communications and consultation Patti Schom-Moffat was interviewed for the BC North Sentinel:

“I think we’ve got a very strong argument that Kitimat is the gateway to the North American market and the Alberta oil fields,” Schom-Moffat emphasized.

Despite the fact the project is currently running six months behind the original schedule, it is still the LNG project closest to becoming a reality on the west coast of North America.

“If you look at the map, it is absolutely pimpled with proposed LNG projects,” Schom-Moffat said. “It’s a race and, while we didn’t come in as early as we would have liked to, we’re still first.”

Rival LNG projects include Westpac in Prince Rupert and Bradwood Landing near Knappa Oregon.

Westpac is projected to start operations in 2011 and Bradwood Landing in 2010.

KLNG is scheduled to come on-line in 2009.

The complete article from the BC North Sentinel

Press release from Kitimat LNG
Announcement of decision from the Canadian Environment Minister

February Newsletter

First off, thank you for everyone’s efforts.  Keep up the great work.  Thanks to Mike & Jane Rees of Skamokawa/Seattle for their efforts on our behalf in the Seattle area.  While we wait for Northern Star to finish preparations for submitting their application to FERC, we have to continue to keep sending letters and comments to FERC and other agencies.

We continue our coordinating work with other Washington and Oregon groups opposed to the destruction of the estuary  by LNG.   Although the projects on the Columbia are the furthest along in the process, we should not forget about the project that is going forward in Coos Bay.  Recently we have been in contact with a coalition of California and Oregon groups that have many concerns regarding the proposed 250 mile gas pipeline to link the Coos Bay facility with California markets.

As you may have seen from the huge ads and recent Daily News article, Northern Star (NS) is waging a public relations war. Perhaps you’ve been among those who have received “sensing telephone interviews” to help guide the direction of their advertising. Please react with letters to editor in The Daily News, the Eagle, the Chinook Observer, the Clatskanie Chief, and the Daily Astorian. Our neighbors and elected officials need to hear what we are thinking!

WFOR has yard signs ($5 donation), car window decals ($3), buttons and free 8  1/2 x 11 window signs available. Let’s show the county how many people are truly opposed to this proposed industrial development.  Email wahkiakumfriendsoftheriver@yahoo.com and leave your telephone number, to arrange to pick up the above.

There are lots to be done. Pick all or some of these actions below, and help build the energy to fight this proposal!

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.

Volunteers Needed:

• WFOR Steering Committee needs volunteers to help organize a community educational forum about LNG and why people are opposed to this type of industrial development.
• Oregon Coastal Zone Management 101 workshop on 2/24, 8:30-4:30 pm, Astoria. A volunteer needed to attend and report back to WFOR, so we better understand land use issues related to Bradwood. Must register by 2/22.

Email mailto:wahkiakumfriendsoftheriver@yahoo.com if interested in either of these jobs.

Currently it looks like NS will plan to file its application during March-April, 06. This date was originally in the fall of 05, so consider the delay a success.  Watch for messages from WFOR when they do file.

FERC: Since we have a couple more months before the application is filed, continue to send your comments to FERC and send them at the same time to newspapers.

Intervener Status:  The Wahkiakum County Commissioners voted against filing for intervener status at the recommendation of Prosecuting Attorney Fred Johnson at their meeting on February 7th, without notifying WFOR that this would be on the agenda. Send letters of protest.  If you meet the Commissioners of the Prosecuting Attorney on the street or at other events, make your thoughts known.  Why did  the decesion get based on discussions between the Prosecuting Attorney and FERC’s representatives?  Why would FERC ever advise a government entity to intervene in the process?  FERC gives almost no information on their web site regarding the intervenor process because they do not want entities to intervene.

Economic Study:  Riverkeepers has been unsuccessful to date in finding $10,000 in grant funding to have an economic study done to demonstrate the negative economic impact of Bradwood. Do we want to try to raise this funding or save our efforts for raising legal fees?  Share your opinion with WFOR co-chair, George Exum.
Northern Star recently announced an economic study claiming that their project will generate $75 million in the lower Columbia. We have not yet seen this document but it was presented to the Daily News by Bob Coppedge, the father of Gary Coppedge who is NS VP.  Neither Bob Coppedge nor his credentials are listed on the NS website even though all companies and personnel are listed.  Guess fatherhood has its benefits.  It is hard for us to comment on this document until we see it but in NS resource reports they mention that at least 70 % of the employment for the construction will be by people from the Portland area.  How does this economically help the Lower River communities?

Northern Star Update: NS has cancelled plans for a co-generation plant at Bradwood and returned to the idea of a closed loop submerged vaporizer to warm (gasify) the LNG.  This system would generate 120 gallons of water per minute that would be acidic and need chemicals to be added to make it more basic, before return to the river. NS talks about returning it at 60 degrees, which we seriously doubt would be allowed as earlier comments to FERC from fishery agencies have indicated that the water to be discharged into the Columbia must be at ambient river temperature.

Residents of the end of Puget Island report that sediment sampling is taking place right now.

NS has had a private company called Waterways Suitability Solutions do modeling at the Army Corps Vicksburg facility on maneuvering for ships at the site. The Army Corps has not received this information. FERC posted a notice today that they have received it, but it is classified so the public cannot see the results. However, rumor has it that ships under some scenarios wound up on the beach at the end of Puget Island.  We guess when NS has testing results that are not positive; they have them classified as confidential under CEII so that the public can not see them.  Send comments to FERC, NS, and legislators declaring that the public should be able to see the modeling results.  Ask them to explain why they are considered confidential!

Some positive news.  For anyone who has not heard, the financial backers for the proposed Port Westward LNG facility have withdrawn  their support. So it looks like proposed LNG development there is finished.

Continue to send comments to NOAA and ODFW declaring that you are opposed to using mitigation when it means that habitat will be destroyed for endangered salmon species by LNG development at Bradwood, OR.  *** Important point to stress is that you do not think fishery agncies should allow Northern Star  to continue to collect sedimsnt samples when the in-water window closes at the end of February.  This is the prime migratory time for spring chinook and this year,
it is anticipated to be a reduced run of fish.  So it is important that disruptions to the migration be kept to a minimum.

The next WFOR Steering Committee is planned for March 14. All interested are welcome to attend. Contact the email address above if you’d like to receive meeting reminders.  See you at the Atwater lecture March 12th!

Newsletter submitted by George Exum and Carol Carver.

Daily News story on recent meeting

The Longview Daily News has a brief story about the Oct 26th meeting with FERC in Cathlamet. Here's an excerpt:

Angry citizens faced off with federal regulators Wednesday night in the latest of a series of contentious public hearings over plans to build a liquified natural gas plant on the Oregon side of the Columbia River.

More than 125 people attended the meeting at Julius Wendt Elementary School, during which representatives from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission fielded area residents' thorny questions about the LNG plant. Northern Star Natural Gas hopes to build in Bradwood, Ore., an abandoned mill town less than a mile from Puget Island.

...

Over and over again, audience members accused FERC of withholding critical information about the project. FERC project manager Paul Friedman and engineer Kareem Monib explained that their agency hadn't yet analyzed the environmental and safety data Northern Star is compiling.

The crowd, many of whom wore red t-shirts emblazoned with "I am NOT an LNG 'acceptable risk,' hectored the two FERC agents. During a slide show about how the plant and pipeline would be constructed, a woman called out in the dark, "Where are the homes that you don't show that you're destroying?"

The complete article is available here.

Willamette Week article on LNG in the Columbia River

Illustrations: Chad Crowe

Click here to read the Willamette Week article about LNG on the Columbia River.

LNG in Nigeria

NPR has an interesting article on "gas flaring"--large-scale burning of natural gas that's seen as a waste byproduct of oil production--in Nigeria, a growing exporter of LNG. Here's a brief excerpt:

Few things are more startling about the Niger River Delta than rounding a curve and encountering an enormous flame ahead. Sometimes it pours out of a smokestack, which reminds you of an oil refinery. Sometimes it comes straight out of a hole in the ground, which makes you think of hell.

What's really happening is that companies are "flaring," burning unwanted natural gas that comes up when they drill for oil.

The U.S. Energy Department said in 2002 that this practice, which produces flames visible from space is "generally unhealthy to humans and ecosystems" and produces carbon dioxide, which has been linked to global warming. Nigeria burns about 42% of its annual LNG production, or about 468 million cubic feet, by flaring.

This article is just one of a series on Nigeria's oil industry, which can all be found here.

I am NOT an LNG ‘acceptable risk.’

Opponents of the proposed LNG site at Bradwood wore their feelings on their bright red tshirts shirts last night at the Coast Guard/FERC meeting, and the message was clear:

I am NOT an LNG "acceptable risk"

According to the Daily Astorian, the Coast Guard says there were about 375 people attending the session at Knappa High School and it's easy to believe. The room was packed with a crowd that, unfortunately, started to trickle away as 11:00 and the final ferry run drew near. When questioned about the possibility of another meeting on the Washington side of the river so that all concerned citizens have a chance to comment, a representative of FERC said he would consider it saying, "I'm not saying yes and I'm not saying no."

Commentary from opponents was varied--a scientist drew a frighteningly plausible scenario for disaster in Astoria, fishers questioned the impact on their livelihood and safety, and residents of Puget Island cited numerous negative impacts of heavy industry on people, animals, a fragile ecosystem, and inevitably, the character of the river and their way of life. A common thread was that offshore siting should be considered, especially after it became clear that the LNG plant cited by Gary Coppedge of Northern Star as having survived a direct hit by one of the recent major Gulf hurricanes (Katrina and Rita) and a sideswipe by the other, was an offshore LNG facility.

As was noted by at least one person in a red tshirt, all but one of the speakers favoring the proposed siting were there representing a group that stood to profit from the project.

The Daily Astorian has a nice article titled "LNG foes give feds both barrels" with a number of good quotes from concerned citizens who spoke at the meeting. To quote:

Let us make no mistake and have no illusions,” said biologist and writer Robert Pyle of Grays River. “If this LNG facility goes ahead, the rural and natural setting of the lower Columbia will be changed radically and, for all practical purposes, forever.”

He added that although proponents tout the safety record of LNG, one word that is missing is “yet;” an accident worse than the pipeline explosion in Bellingham, Wash., could occur here. The facility and its construction would also have an effect on the nearby wetlands and the wildlife.

A sidebar points out that written comments are still being accepted by the Coast Guard and FERC. If you are interested in an additional meeting, you should also contact them--maybe if enough Washington residents request it, one will be scheduled. It would be nice if everyone got a chance to be heard on this huge decision.

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.

Effective Communication: An industry perspective

The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) was selected by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Fossil Energy in 2003 to "...help educate critical energy decision makers about liquefied natural gas." Part of that job involves issuing papers on the process of siting and operating LNG terminals. NARUC's LNG resources are located here.

There is one recent paper worth checking out if you are would like to gain insight into the siting process from the perspective of government and industry. The Need for Effective and Forthright Communication Planning for LNG Facility Siting: A Checklist for State Public Utility Commissions offers three case studies of proposed LNG sites; one that successfully opposed, one that was sited, and one that is still in progress. Reading the article gives one an opportunity to consider how the agency advising on the siting process suggests industry should approach it and compare that to how it is being done in their locale, as well as delineating some things that make for more effective opposition to proposed LNG terminals.

Another recent paper, Liquefied Natural Gas: An Overview of the Issues for State Public Utility Commissions is a 55 page backgrounder on LNG and the associated issues.

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.

LNG on the Columbia bad for economy

Studies of the proposed Providence Rhode Island LNG facility at Weaver Cove also makes solid arguments for why LNG tankers and facilities on the Columbia River is fundamentally a bad idea.

The article by the Boston Globe, entitled Studies: LNG tanker transits would affect economy, hurt traffic document how the huge (900' +) tankers carrying LNG "could cause traffic backups, hurt tourism and marine economies and slow emergency response times". In this case, they are talking about Narragansett Bay (a bit bigger than the mouth of the Columbia River), but the blockage of commercial traffic, fishing, and private use due to security zones around the tankers is similar to what we'd face on the Columbia.

The studies focus on the economic impact and baseline safety instead of terrorism concerns. "This has nothing to do with terrorists or tankers blowing up or anything," said Keith Stokes, executive director of the Newport County Chamber of Commerce. "This has to do with our vision over the next 10 years for the economy..."

The article goes on to cite the size of the security zones: "The ships would be protected by a security zone two miles ahead, one mile behind and more than a half-mile on either side..."

If such security zones were implemented here, all traffic on the Columbia River would have to be halted (as well as the highways that run along the river on both sides).

In the Rhode Island scenerio, "Stokes said he was concerned the tankers would change the image of Narragansett Bay in the minds of recreational boaters, coastal residents and developers. 'It turns Narragansett Bay into a highway for these tankers,' he said." Concerns about the traffic delays across the bridges are also cited, as the would not only cause significant delays when the bridges are shut down due to security concerns, but also that "Those delays could prevent fire, ambulance and other services from responding quickly to emergencies." The situation here with the Astoria bridge parallels the scenerio in Rhode Island, where the prospect of regularly shutting down the Astoria bridge is fraught with issues.

Clearly, putting LNG plants on, and LNG tankers in the Columbia River is a poorly conceived idea, especially given that by siting these facilities offshore, it alleviates the need to bring such tankers into the Columbia River at all.