noLNG

When will the FERC 'ers see the Light?

As most politicians are awake about the NorthernStar scheme to sneak  one in on us, the people of the Lower Columbia River, Mr Joe is still spilling, but he cannot  fool any of us.

Maybe California wants him back?

5/15/2008 12:22:00 PM

Rep. David Wu Wu, Kulongoski seek new LNG report Pressure mounts for more scrutiny of Bradwood project By CASSANDRA PROFITA The Daily Astorian Pressure is mounting for federal regulators to amend their environmental review of the Bradwood Landing liquefied natural gas project. U.S. Rep. David Wu joined Gov. Ted Kulongoski this week in asking the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to create a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Bradwood project to address recent design changes and the state's energy needs report released Friday. If drafted, a supplemental report would be subject to a 45-day public review, which could delay the final licensing decision. The state's energy study concluded Oregon will need more natural gas in the future but domestic gas piped in from the Rocky Mountains would be a viable alternative to imported LNG, which likely would be more expensive than the domestic gas. The requests from Wu and Kulongoski follow an earlier call from the anti-LNG group Columbia Riverkeeper for additional scrutiny of the Bradwood proposal. In a letter to FERC last month, the group detailed numerous changes to the proposed Bradwood facility design since FERC issued its first review of the project's environmental impacts last August. Among the changes listed are a retraction of the company's guarantee that all of its LNG delivery tankers' will have screens to protect fish during ballast water intakes, changes to the 36-mile pipeline route and dredge material disposal sites and a possible change in the regasification method to one that requires Columbia River water. "These are substantial changes, and their possible effects on the environment and the surrounding communities must be considered," Wu said in a letter to FERC sent Tuesday. "I firmly believe that any Environmental Impact Statement that does not take into account the (Oregon Department of Energy) report or the changes to the Bradwood Landing proposal cannot adequately address the true effects of the proposed facility or the needs of the environment and Oregon communities." Joe Desmond, spokesman for Bradwood project developer NorthernStar Natural Gas Inc., said the project has not changed substantially since the first environmental review. The changes in the pipeline route are still within the broader corridor outlined in the draft environmental impact statement, he said, and the regasification method has not changed in the project description submitted to FERC. More: www.dailyastorian.com

Oregon doesn't need LNG Oregon Department of Energy says there is a need for natural gas but LNG is not the answer SALEM - Governor Ted Kulongoski received a report from the Oregon Department of Energy today that concludes that while Oregon will need increased supplies of natural gas to meet the state's energy needs, the proposed natural gas pipelines from the Rocky Mountains will be able to meet that increased demand. The report also concludes that the proposed pipelines in the Rocky Mountains are more likely to provide less expensive natural gas and produce significantly reduced carbon dioxide emissions than the three LNG facilities proposed in Oregon. "This report raises serious questions about whether LNG is the only source to serve an increased demand for natural gas and whether LNG terminals are in the public's best interest both economically and environmentally," Governor Ted Kulongoski said. Today the Governor also filed a request with the FERC to issue a new supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the LNG import terminal facility at Bradwood Landing and its associated pipelines, because the project proposal has changed substantially since the draft EIS was issued August 2007 and because significant new information concerning the LNG project has been submitted by the applicants themselves.  In addition to the new Oregon Department of Energy report regarding need and supply of natural gas, the state of Oregon found the project proposal for siting has substantially changed in four respects: • The DEIS recommended that all ships use 'screened water intakes.' However, Bradwood Landing officials now state that not all ships will use these intakes. The impacts of unscreened intakes on threatened or endangered salmon must be evaluated in a supplemental DEIS. • Bradwood Landing officials have recently acknowledged that the routes of the associate pipelines are expected to change. Changes could have different environmental, public safety and economic effects. • The state of Oregon has learned that the deposit of dredge spoils will now be placed entirely at the facility site, not elsewhere in Wahkiakum County as proposed in the DEIS. • Oregon has also learned that the regasification system may be altered to allow open regasification. This change will result in increased amounts of wastewater discharged in the Columbia River. The effects on fish are unknown and need to be evaluated. More: www.dailyastorian.com The governor's letter to FERC requesting a supplemental DEIS and submitting the energy department report is available at http://governor.oregon.gov/Gov/docs/LNG_Bose-Letter-050908.pdf The full energy department report is available at: http://governor.oregon.gov/Gov/docs/LNG_Letter-Report-050708.pdf

Add Political Damage.

This letter was send in response to an excellent article in The Oregonian. (Zuckerman)

It's easy to identify the massive environmental threats from the
proposed LNG terminals and pipelines. Thanks to the Oregonian for
highlighting another danger - the corruption of our political
process, as shown by the Clackamas County Commissioners and the
"donations" they received from natural gas lobbyists.

It's something we've experienced here in Clatsop County.  We saw
some of our Clatsop County Commissioners and Planning
Commissioners indulging in what I call acrobatic law - bending
over backwards and twisting the law to meet NorthernStar's
desires.  Although there is no evidence of cash changing hands,
it looked like a corrupted process and contributed to the
successful recall of one county commissioner.

Add political damage to the dangers posed by LNG to Oregon's air,
water, health, safety, economy, environment, quality of life, and
future.  Oregonians must get involved in the politics of proposed
LNG pipelines in their county.

Laurie Caplan

Letter to the FERC

Friday, February 15, 2008 LNG: Where's the need? Governor demands ‘The people of Oregon deserve better,’ Gov. Kulongoski writes to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission The Associated Press and the Daily Astorian Friday, February 15, 2008 SALEM - Gov. Ted Kulongoski insisted Thursday that federal regulators halt all reviews of proposals to build liquefied-natural-gas terminals in Oregon until they study all alternatives for supplying natural gas to the region. In a letter sent Thursday to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Joseph Kelliher, Kulongoski said he had asked the state attorney general to examine Oregon's legal authority to refuse state permits for the projects until FERC complies with his request. Kulongoski also told Kelliher he had asked Oregon's congressional delegation to enact legislation that would wrest back state control for licensing LNG facilities. State authority was pre-empted by the federal government as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The governor's new posture, outlined Thursday in an interview with The Oregonian, marks a bold departure from his wait-and-see, open-minded approach that has accompanied debate and review of the gas-importing terminals for years. From the outset, the LNG proposals have stirred controversy. Some in rural communities welcome the jobs and taxes they would generate. Other residents scorn the potential damage to the Columbia estuary and decry the likely use of eminent domain to seize farmland, vineyards and forest for hundreds of miles of pipeline. Kulongoski told Kelliher he wasn't "unalterably opposed" to LNG being part of Oregon's energy mix. But he said FERC's "approach to the licensing of plants and pipelines has created a crisis of confidence with Oregonians." FERC's policy of letting the market decide whether approved LNG terminals are built means all three projects proposed in Oregon could be approved, even though the region doesn't need the gas from all three. "The approach of approving far more facilities than will ever be built is unacceptable to me," the governor wrote. "The people of Oregon deserve better." Opponents of the projects cheered Kulongoski's moves. They have been appalled by FERC's style of regulating the terminals - an extension, they say, of a laissez-faire approach of the Bush administration. "This is just the type of leadership we want to see the governor take on this issue," said Brent Foster, executive director of Columbia Riverkeeper. "It's encouraging that he's recognizing that these LNG projects deserve a very close look, and it's important that the rush to approve these projects not leave us with a mistake." The governor's new stance puts Oregon in league with states across the country that have raised objections to FERC's permitting approach and its preemption of state licensing authority. "Ultimately, we may end up in court over this," Kulongoski said in the Thursday interview. "We're not exactly clawless. . . . The state doesn't have all the tools, but we are a critical piece. You're going to have to meet the state concerns." Energy companies have proposed building three LNG terminals in the state: one in Coos Bay and two on the Columbia River. The terminals would accept imports of supercooled natural gas from abroad, reheat the liquid into a gas, and ship the gas to West Coast markets through one of four proposed pipelines. Two other companies have proposed building pipelines to ship domestic natural gas from the Wyoming Rockies to southern Oregon. Project proponents say Oregon needs to diversify its natural-gas supply to offset potential price spikes as regional demand rises and, as they contend will happen, Canadian imports or domestic supplies go into decline. The Northwest Gas Association projects that natural gas demand will grow 2 percent annually during the next five years, driven primarily by higher need for electricity generation and growing residential use. "The Northwest's need for additional natural gas is well documented," said William "Si" Garrett, chief executive of NorthernStar Natural Gas Inc., in an e-mail statement. NorthernStar wants to build the Bradwood Landing terminal 20 miles upriver from Astoria on the Columbia River. Bradwood is expecting a decision from FERC - its first on any of the Oregon proposals - in the spring or early summer. The company says nine studies in the past two years have shown a need to boost the region's gas supply. More>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The Governor speaks.........

Governor cites problems with federal analysis of gas terminal

12/18/2007, 7:24 p.m. PST The Associated Press

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Gov. Ted Kulongoski told federal energy officials Tuesday they need to do a better job of analyzing the environmental impact of plans to build a liquefied natural gas terminal near the mouth of the Columbia River.

The governor wrote the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that he was not opposed to building any LNG terminals in Oregon.

But Kulongoski said the analysis of the Bradwood Landing proposal near Astoria fails to show the need for such a facility, back up technical claims with science, or provide detailed information on mitigation for environmental damage, such as salmon habitat.

More>>>>>>>>>>>www.oregonLive.com

Gas project must meet Oregon's standards

Congress stripped the states of LNG siting authority, but that

Sunday, November 25, 2007

F ederal energy regulators and Texas speculators are sprinting down the homestretch in a race to site a liquefied natural gas operation on the lower Columbia River, a massive project based on studies that Oregon officials say fail to meet state standards.

This race needs to slow down. And Gov. Ted Kulongoski needs to do what he can to make sure the concerns of Oregon watchdog agencies aren't run over.

If "do what he can" sounds weak, it's because the state has a greatly weakened say in the siting of terminals for liquefied natural gas, or LNG. In 2005, at the request of the LNG industry, Congress took away states' authority to site these massive installations and gave it instead to FERC, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Oregon, which vigorously opposed that shift, is now home to a pair of late-stage LNG terminal siting applications. One is at Coos Bay, and the more advanced of the two is at Bradwood Landing, 38 miles from the mouth of the Columbia.

The Bradwood developers, Houston-based NorthernStar Natural Gas, seek to invest nearly $1 billion in a terminal that would receive two to three LNG shipments a week in large tankers from overseas. The super-cooled liquid gas would be stored in towering twin tanks, regassified and piped to markets in the Northwest and California.

FERC completed public hearings on the project this month. Written comment will be accepted through Dec. 24, and NorthernStar executives say they expect final approval in April.

But Oregon agencies have serious qualms about the draft version of FERC's environmental impact statement. The document "lacks assurance that Oregon standards have been or will be met," Michael Grainey, director of the Oregon Department of Energy, wrote in a Nov. 7 memo to the governor's staff.

More>>>www.oregonlive.com

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State Agencies Raise Concerns.

State agencies raise concerns on LNG project Bradwood Landing - A federal environmental review generates comments Thursday, November 22, 2007 TED SICKINGER The Oregonian Until now, Oregon's state government, including Gov. Ted Kulongoski, has remained largely silent as the federal government has applied its new authority to decide whether a massive liquified natural gas terminal should go up on the Columbia River near Astoria. But that period is about to end. In preliminary comments reviewed by The Oregonian, numerous state agencies offer harsh criticism of a 600-page environmental review of the project that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued in August. The agencies raise serious concerns about the environmental and public-safety impact of NorthernStar Natural Gas Inc.'s controversial Bradwood Landing project. They also question why there has been no independent assessment of the region's demand for LNG (liquified natural gas) or need for the facility. "For FERC to make LNG siting decisions in a vacuum without the best available information and scientific data does a huge disservice to the people of Oregon," says a proposed cover letter drafted by the state Energy Department.

More>>>>> www.oregonlive.com

1000 Friends of Oregon Statement.

1000 Friends of Oregon LNG Pipeline and Terminal Position Statement

Liquefied Natural Gas pipelines and terminals threaten livable urban and rural communities, family farms and forests, and natural and scenic areas across Oregon.
Oregon faces an unprecedented number of proposals for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) import terminals, pipelines, and related facilities.  Two terminals are currently proposed for the Columbia River Estuary, and a third terminal is proposed for Coos Bay.   Hundreds of miles of pipeline are proposed from the Columbia River terminals to Molalla, from Central Oregon to Molalla, and from Coos Bay to the California border. These pipelines would cut across hundreds of miles of productive farm and forest land to serve utilities in California, where the vast majority of the gas from the three terminals would be used. 
1000 Friends of Oregon is opposed to these proposals because the pipelines threaten family farms and forests and the terminals threaten sensitive estuaries and the fisheries that depend on them.  Oregon and the Pacific Northwest are already feeling the effects of global warming.  Constructing huge facilities to import fossil fuels will worsen these effects and undercut our goals for energy independence.
If the LNG facilities are built, they should be built on Oregon¹s terms.  The pipelines should follow existing roads and rights-of-way, instead of plowing through the middle of productive farm fields and forest lands that support Oregon families.  The terminals should fully comply with Oregon¹s Statewide Planning Goals without exceptions, including Goal 16, which protects Estuarine Resources.
In the words of 1000 Friends co-founder, Governor Tom McCall:

"Oregon is demure and lovely, and ought to play a little hard to get.  And I think you¹ll all be just as sick as I am if you find it is nothing but a hungry hussy, throwing herself at every stinking smokestack that¹s offered."

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.

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.

Clatsop County planning for Bradwood

 Warrenton City Manager Ed Madere received approval to ask Clatsop County officials to develop a comprehensive approach to developing a public safety corridor to deal with hazards related to the Bradwood LNG facility, rather than tackling the issue piecemeal. Last month, the county signed a privacy agreement with Bradwood Landing to allow eight employees to view privileged safety information on the project, including the U.S. Coast Guard assessment of LNG ships on the river.

Madere recommended that the county hire expert consultants to represent itself and other local agencies, including Warrenton and Astoria, in developing and reviewing plans with Bradwood Landing officials, to address safety and transportation issues. Mayor Pro-tem Mark Kujala and Commissioners Terry Ferguson, Frank Orrell and Dick Hellberg were in favor. Mayor Gil Gramson was absent.

from The Daily Astorian

Oregon state agencies

Here is how to get in touch with the Oregon state agencies and elected officials who are concerned with the siting of LNG plants.

Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE)
Phil Carver
Oregon Department of Energy
625 Marion St NE
Salem, OR 97301
email: philip.h.carver@state.or.us