OCTOBER 2008: AROUND THE STATE,
State slams FERC’s LNG approval
Its isolated location and industrial zoning makes
Bradwood Landing — a once-bustling mill town
— a highly desirable location for NorthernStar
Natural Gas.
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ASTORIA In mid
September, federal officials approved a controversial liquid
natural gas project located on the Columbia River and in doing
so set the stage for a potential legal battle between the state
of Oregon and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Moments after FERC announced its approval of the Bradwood
Landing project — which consists of a $580 million
terminal 20 miles upriver from Astoria and a 36-mile-long
pipeline that would stretch east to Kelso — Gov. Ted
Kulongoski slammed the agency.
“Moving forward with this project as is — which is
incomplete — disregards states’ rights in this
process,” he said in a statement. “If legal action
is necessary to compel FERC to do this right, I am prepared to
exercise that option.”
It’s unclear when the situation might reach that point.
The state has asked FERC for a new approval hearing, the final
step before legal steps are taken. The public also has 30 days
to appeal the FERC’s decision.
The Bradwood Landing saga began three years ago when
Texas-based NorthernStar Natural Gas announced it would take
super-cooled liquid natural gas imported via ship from Africa,
the Middle East and Indonesia, warm it to a gaseous form in a
$580 million terminal, and transport it through pipelines to
Oregon, Washington and California.
NorthernStar and FERC officials argue the project is crucial in
helping the Pacific Northwest meet its growing natural gas
needs. But Kulongoski, environmental groups and Clatsop County
residents argue FERC hasn’t adequately considered
environmental issues associated with the project. There are
other challenges as well: The same week FERC handed down its
decision, Clatsop County overwhelmingly voted to ban pipelines
from crossing certain types of land. (Northern Star says the
ballot measure isn’t legally valid.)
In their approval, FERC commissioners countered each of the
challenges offered by Kulongoski and others. But those
rebuttals weren’t sufficient for the governor. “The
commission has decided to ignore the law and instead, approve a
project with incomplete mitigation plans and without regard to
Oregon’s important concerns,” he said in his
statement.
As options for a peaceful resolution of those concerns
disappear, the pressure, like an over-filled tank of natural
gas, is building.
ABRAHAM HYATT
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