noLNG

 
" This lovely Chinook salmon was caught by Kristin Lee along with Mike Duley in the Clifton Channel, and they weren't surprised it was wearing this NO LNG button when they netted it."

Letter: Fragile ecosystem

I grew up in Astoria, and I spent many hours hiking, biking, fishing and kayaking along the lower stretches of the Columbia River. As an adult, I taught, for many years, a freshman inquiry class called "The Columbia River Basin" at Portland State University.

I consider the lower Columbia River my extended back yard, and it holds special significance aesthetically, spiritually, ecologically and economically. I've canoed where Lewis and Clark made their winter camp in 1805, bicycled around Cape Disappointment and kayaked among the dense spruce forests near Aldridge Point. I've observed the incredible wildlife that exists among the Columbia River estuary islands. I'm keenly aware of the importance of the Bradwood site, in particular, for young salmon as they prepare for their ocean-going voyage.

Liquefied natural gas, whether at the Skipanon site near Warrenton or the Bradwood site 20 miles upriver, threatens this rich and fragile ecosystem. It threatens people, too - the likely harm done to those who make a living fishing in the Lower Columbia and the potential for catastrophic explosion from human error or terrorist activity.

Oregon landowners between the Skipanon and Bradwood sites will have their land cut up by a 36-inch pipeline, requiring an initial construction easement of 120 feet, and a permanent 50-foot right of way. The same havoc could apply to the Mount Hood National Forest.

LNG is not needed in Oregon because of natural gas reserves. Nor should it become part of Oregon's energy future because of the proponents' failure to build LNG terminals in California. The California State Lands Commission recently revoked NorthernStar's application to convert an old oil platform off Ventura Harbor into an LNG import terminal. That is the fifth and final LNG terminal proposed for California over the last decade that has met its demise.

Who is pushing and backing LNG in Oregon? For Bradwood, it is two Texas businessmen, William "Si" Garrett and Paul Sloane. Garrett is the chief executive of NorthernStar Natural Gas, a Texas company, and Sloane is president. For the Skipanon site, it is Leucadia National Bank of New York, and their point man is Peter Hansen, chief executive officer of the Oregon LNG project.

What is their commitment to the health and vitality of the lower Columbia River? What local knowledge do they have of the area? The goal in their eyes is profit at the expense of people, farmland, fish and wildlife. The amount of money they have spent on their propaganda campaign to sway commissioners and the general public is flagrant and offensive, but their push for LNG will not stop those of us who love our region and know that energy alternatives and energy conservation are the right course of action.

GREG JACOB
Hillsboro
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