Do We Really Need LNG Plants In Oregon? Find Out Today.
With at least three major LNG plants proposed for Oregon, one of the unanswered questions is, does the state really need them?
Supporters say, “yes”. They tell us that demand for natural gas in the state is growing and that adding more LNG plants will help keep down prices.
But opponents aren’t convinced. Once natural gas hits an interstate pipeline its impossible to know where it’s going. Oregon may end up suffering the environmental consequences of three new LNG plants and pipelines, while the gas they bring in could be piped to California and elsewhere.
That’s where House Bill 2015 comes in.
It says the state can’t issue clean water and clear air permits for LNG facilities until we know the gas is needed here in Oregon. It requires that LNG plants and pipelines don’t interfere with other beneficial uses of water such as boating, kayaking and fishing. It also says these facilities have to meet Oregon standards on greenhouse gas emissions.
Olivia Schmidt of the Oregon Sierra Club says this isn’t an “anti-LNG” bill. “Having this needs analysis prevents us from giving up these things unnecessarily,” she says. But if it’s determined the state needs more natural gas, then “We can get it.”
What might we be giving up? Big LNG tankers emit pollution, tie up water ways, and may carry invasive species in their ballast water. The plants use up energy and water. Schmidt says the Bradwood LNG project near Astoria is seeking permits to draw 15 billions of gallons of Columbia River water every year. Dredging harms salmon habitat. Landowners lose rights through emminent domain when pipelines run across their property.
Federal and state laws are designed to minimize these impacts, but HB 2015 raises the standards before state permits can be issued. Brett VandenHeuvel with Columbia Riverkeeper calls it, “A common sense bill that says that we should not give away state land and water rights unless there is a need for LNG in Oregon.”
There’s also a larger carbon footprint associated with imported LNG. Schmidt says the energy it takes to cool the gas into liquid form, ship it overseas in large tankers, then heat it up again in Oregon adds 30% more carbon into the atmosphere than gas from the U.S. or Canada. That’s why the bill includes the requirement that LNG facilities conform to Oregon’s greenhouse gas standards.
Schmidt is expecting a huge turnout for the first hearing on the bill which starts today at 1pm. She says thousands of Oregonians have joined the coalition to support HB 2015.
The hearing before the House Sustainability and Economic Development Committee will be held in Hearing Room E at the state capitol.
You can also watch streaming video of the hearing through the Oregon Channel. Click on the Hearing Room E link about 1pm.
