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.

A True Friend of the River

Our hearts are saddened by the passing of a true friend of the river, Bob Kiser. One of the fantastic benefits from our struggles and efforts to protect the Columbia River has been the people we have met and the friendships that have developed. Bob and Gayle were two people that we might never have met except for our mutual interest in protecting the area that we all live in. Bob’s love of life, river and forest and his knowledge of them and the regulatory process were incredible assets in our recent efforts to protect Washington and Oregon from energy speculators. All of us who love the river, fish, and forest and life itself will miss Bob’s smile and knowledge. Our thoughts, love, and prayers go out to Gayle and their family and all of Bob’s friends.

Press release by Columbia Riverkeeper

Oregon Agency Formally Denies Bradwood LNG Project

 

Astoria, OR – On Tuesday, the State of Oregon’s Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) formally denied the Bradwood LNG project, deeming it inconsistent with Oregon’s Coastal Zone Management Program.  The news adds finality to the end of the Bradwood LNG proposal after Bradwood’s parent company, NorthernStar Natural Gas, filed for bankruptcy in May.

 

Brett VandenHeuvel, executive director of Columbia Riverkeeper, welcomed the news of Oregon’s denial of Bradwood LNG.  “This project has been lingering in bankruptcy, and today’s emphatic denial by the State of Oregon effectively renders Bradwood LNG worthless for any prospective buyers.  This is a very significant nail in Bradwood’s coffin.”

 

Added VandenHeuvel, “When combined with Washington’s denial of a Clean Water Act permit for this project, today’s decision by Oregon makes it abundantly clear that Bradwood LNG has no future.”

 

George Exum is a marine engineer and chair of Wahkiakum Friends of the River who lives across the Columbia River from the bankrupt LNG terminal proposal.  He stated, “We’ve known for a long time that this project isn’t viable.  Bradwood LNG’s high-profile failure is a strong signal that LNG will never move forward in the Pacific Northwest, including the proposed Oregon LNG and Jordan Cove LNG terminals in Oregon.”

 

Sandra Davis, a landowner along the proposed Bradwood LNG pipeline, expressed relief at the action taken by Oregon DLCD.  “After seeing the terrible disaster in San Bruno, we are relieved that this pipeline – which would have been just as large as PG&E’s, and non-odorized – has been formally rejected.  I certainly hope that Oregon LNG and the Jordan Cove LNG and Pacific Connector projects are soon to follow.”

 

Approval by the State of Oregon was a mandatory condition of FERC’s approval of the project.  Oregon’s denial came after the DLCD repeatedly requested additional information or an extension from Bradwood LNG and received no response from the company.

Washington DOE letter of Denial

Download DOE Letter of Denial LNG

Check out the Coalition's new website

See the all new site "We Agree, No LNG". at:  http://weagreenolng.org

The WFOR website will continue to bring you local LNG interest items and national and international trends on LNG development. 

Save the Date................

SPIRIT OF THE RIVER

Saturday, October 9th, 2010

7:00 pm Silent Art Auction at the Masonic Lodge

8:00 pm Program at the Performing Arts Center, 16th & Franklin, Astoria

 

Special Guest

Award winning author: William Layman

 

River of Memory : The Everlasting Columbia , 2006

Native River : The Columbia Remembered, 2002 

Fear stood in the way of opportunity

For a region dependent on government, heritage area was odd place to say ‘no’
It is disappointing that Lower Columbia counties will not obtain National Heritage Area designation. Being part of an NHA would have offered some advantages that the less-formal approach now envisaged by ShoreBank Enterprise Cascadia does not.

The key to understanding NHA opposition, especially in Wahkiakum and north Pacific County, Wash., primarily lies in deep-seated anxiety about regulation of land use. Agricultural interests were especially antsy about nonexistent rules that supposedly crouch behind heritage-area designation, and were afraid that other area residents eventually might have been inspired to become interventionist stewards of our area's cultural and natural resources.

More: http://www.dailyastorian.info/main.asp?SectionID=23&SubSectionID=392&ArticleID=71309

Bye Bye Bradwood party

    Some of the following coalition partners and supporters participated in the  Bye Bye Bradwood victory party on Saturday June 5th at the Red Building in Astoria, OR.

After several local celebrations about the demise of NorthernStar/Bradwood landing,Leucadia/Oregon LNG are you ready?

Columbia Riverkeeper    
Columbia Pacific Common Sense
BARK
Wahkiakum Friends of the River
Landowners and Citizens for a Safe Community
Sierra Club
Willapa Hills Audubon Society
Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission
NorthWest Property Rights Coalition
Oregon Citizens Against the Pipeline
Elderberry Neighbors Against the Pipeline
Columbia River Business Alliance

LTE.

What went wrong?

From the viewpoint of several of us in or formerly in the LNG profession, NorthernStar was the wrong company to put together an LNG terminal project, Bradwood Landing was the wrong place for an LNG terminal and NorthernStar's business model was a poor commercial structure on which to invest.

Compared to some other countries, the United States doesn't have a national energy policy, so it is no surprise that FERC abdicated even its residual responsibilities. Clatsop County commissioners chose to substitute their own common sense and gut instincts in lieu of technical and factual evaluations by their staff. The mayor of Clatskanie said that there was a lot of misinformation being passed around, although I doubt she recognizes herself in that description. Frankly, with all of this mess, I'm surprised this dead duck took only five years to kill.

James Reed

Cathlamet