noLNG

Riverkeeper leader a hero to friends, obstructionist to foes

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

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

Gas Blasts Spur Questions on Oversight of Pipelines

At a Christmas Eve gathering in 2008, a natural
gas explosion in a suburban Sacramento neighborhood killed a 72-year-old man
and injured his daughter and granddaughter. Investigators determined that
Pacific Gas and Electric was to blame for a leak, but federal and state
regulators never cited the utility for safety violations.

Complete article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/25/us/25pipeline.html?exprod=myyahoo

County board OKs new review on pipeline

New evidence will be
allowed at meeting

By KATIE WILSON
The Daily Astorian

Jaws actually dropped
at the Clatsop County Board of Commissioners meeting Wednesday night after three
of four commissioners voted to allow new testimony and evidence on a liquefied
natural gas application decision.

"What it tells me is that they're
really listening," said Astoria resident and longtime LNG opponent Laurie
Caplan after the meeting. The commissioners' decision caught her completely by surprise.

More: http://www.dailyastorian.info/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=395&ArticleID=73551

Yemen LNG security "good" despite militant hand grenade attack

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKSGE68L05820100922

Yemen LNG security "good" despite militant hand grenade attack

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKSGE68L05820100922

Cheniere Plans Ambitious US LNG Export Scheme

By subscription

http://www.energyintel.com/DocumentDetail.asp?Try=Yes&document_id=687235&publication_id=8

Letter: Steps toward pipeline appeal

The Clatsop County Commissioners have a great opportunity to demonstrate their respect for the public's opposition to liquefied natural gas (LNG). Recently, the hearings officer hired by the county ignored the evidence presented in a public hearing and the county's professional staff recommendation and gave preliminary approval of the proposed Oregon LNG (OLNG) pipeline.

This pipeline would start in Warrenton on the Skipanon Peninsula, north of Harbor Drive, and rip through Clatsop County, to transmit regasified LNG to California. I am one of nine parties appealing that decision to the county. I encourage the current board of county commissioners to take several steps concerning this appeal:

http://www.dailyastorian.info/main.asp?SectionID=23&SubSectionID=393&ArticleID=73440

Letter: Let new commissioners decide

An open letter to the County Clatsop Commissioners:

I respectfully ask that you let the incoming recently elected commission decide the future of liquefied natural gas in Clatsop County.

The proposed Oregon LNG project would disturb hundreds of family farms, forestland, wetlands and one of the greatest rivers in America - the Columbia River. The Clatsop County Planning Department staff and their retained experts recommended denial of the LNG pipeline. However, the final decision rests with the board of county commissioners. 

More than 100 people testified in public hearings that the LNG pipeline would harm the community - fishermen, teachers, nurses, affected landowners and businesses in the valley. And, the people of Clatsop County overwhelmingly rejected the pipeline. The current board of county commissioners did not hear this testimony, and should not make any decisions without holding public hearings.

http://www.dailyastorian.info/main.asp?SectionID=23&SubSectionID=393&ArticleID=73455

Wu Introduces Bill to Return State Control Over LNG Decisions

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

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

 

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

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