Opponents of the Bradwood Landing LNG plant must be feeling pretty good about the latest news on the project.
On Friday, the National Marine Fisheries Service (better known as NOAA Fisheries) filed for a new hearing on Bradwood, saying the decision to approve the project violated the Endangered Species Act. And NOAA isn’t the only government agency to make that claim. Washington’s Department of Environmental Quality also filed for a new hearing on similar grounds.
A little background, last month the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) gave conditional approval to Bradwood Landing, which would sit on the Columbia River about 20 miles upriver from Astoria. The proposal also includes a pipeline that would carry natural gas further east on the Oregon side of the river, cross under the Columbia into Washington, and terminate near Kelso, WA.
NOAA says FERC violated federal law because it failed to consult with NOAA about the environmental impacts of the LNG plant. NOAA Fisheries has authority to protect several species of fish and marine animals, and to protect fish habit under two federal laws. Keep in mind that NOAA isn’t asking FERC to take back the approval, but rather that it wants the project to be put on hold.
NorthernStar Natural Gas of Houston, TX is the company that wants to build the Bradwood Landing plant. It told the Oregonian that NOAA’s filing is “procedural” and won’t impact the permitting process.
And then there’s the filing from Washington DEQ. It offers a far more detailed critique of how FERC failed to do its job studying the potential impacts of the LNG plant.
Some of the highlights:
- Ballast Water: When LNG cargo ships arrive, they may dump engine cooling water into the Columbia River. They may also take in river water to act as ballast on the return trip. DEQ says FERC doesn’t have enough information to know how this will affect the river.
- Emergency Preparedness: An explosion at the plant, or along the pipeline, could have serious consequences for the river and the people who live nearby. But DEQ says FERC failed to analyze how much it would cost to handle such an emergency, or how much it’s going to cost to prepare for one.
- Geologic Hazards: DEQ says FERC didn’t do a good enough job studying the impact of landslides along the pipeline route.
- Economic Impact: DEQ says FERC failed to fully analyze how large LNG cargo ships would impact other shipping that uses the Columbia River. LNG ships will require extra security that could delay barges and other traffic. DEQ also says FERC needs to do a better job of how Bradwood Landing LNG would impact the local fishing industry.
- Greenhouse Gas: DEQ says construction of the project will produce 146,000 tons of carbon dioxide every year, and once the plant is operating it will produce 102,000 annually. But DEQ says, FERC doesn’t require NorthernStar to do anything to offset that.
DEQ takes it a step further and says FERC should rescind its approval of the Bradwood Landing project.
The Oregonian says the state of Oregon will join the fray on Monday.
