One thing’s for sure, if landowners along the route of the proposed Oregon LNG pipeline in were trying to get FERC’s attention, it worked.
Today, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission announced it will schedule a series of town meetings in Northwest Oregon to hear from landowners who are unhappy with the behavior of Oregon LNG employees and contractors during a recent field trip.
With any project this big and this controversial, there are bound to be complaints. But FERC spokesman Sarah McKinley says it’s “pretty unusual” for the agency to take this kind of action.
The complaints to FERC started coming in after representatives from FERC and Oregon LNG visited some of the properties along the proposed pipeline route in Clatsop, Washington, Yamhill, and Marion Counties. The purpose of the trip, held in early December, was to get a first hand look at some of the environmental impacts of the pipeline, and to speak directly with landowners along the route.
(See: Farmers & Landowners Give FERC An Earful About A Second LNG Pipeline)
Some of the complaints include:
- Missing information from maps and documents about the route, including the locations of landslide prone areas, wetlands and stream crossings.
- Some of the maps and documents had major changes in them from the previous visit, but landowners say weren’t aware of this until after the FERC and Oregon LNG teams had left their property.
- Some of the Oregon LNG employees and contractors were seen collecting GPS data during the visit. Landowners say that when they gave Oregon LNG permission to come on the property, the company was specifically told not to do that.
About two weeks after the trips were over, Senator Ron Wyden wrote to FERC Chairman Jon Wellinghoff, asking him to investigate the complaints. As FERC noted in today’s announcement, the town meetings will be held at Wellinghoff’s request. FERC has not yet scheduled the events.
Dan Serres of Columbia Riverkeeper, which opposes LNG projects in Oregon, says he’s “never seen anything like this” from FERC.
But, he says, the real test will be if FERC makes changes in how it handles LNG applications. Serres says these kinds of complaints are nothing new. “It’s been going on for years. The only way it’s going to stop is if they (FERC) stop approving these projects.”
That may be a possibility. Wellinghoff has been chairman for less than a year, and has consistently voted against LNG proposals. Another member, John Norris, is new to the commission. Serres describes him as an unknown quantity. Plus, there’s a vacancy yet to be filled by President Obama.
If all three members hold anti-LNG views, it would be enough to change the balance of power on FERC.
The Oregon LNG Pipeline is one of two pipelines proposed for Northwest Oregon. It would be connected to a proposed LNG import terminal near Warrenton, and carry the gas 117 miles to a site near Molalla in Clackamas County. Opponents say not only would it do serious environmental damage to valuable farm land in the Willamette Valley, but also that the imported natural gas it delivers isn’t needed and is more polluting than domestic supplies.
The company says it will spend about a billion dollars on the two projects, creating 500 jobs during the three year construction phase, and 50-75 jobs to operate the terminal and pipeline. Oregon LNG says the imported gas will is necessary to keep up with the state’s demands for more energy.
MEANWHILE…
Oregon DEQ has scheduled a public meeting to explain its role in the permitting process for the Bradwood Landing LNG project. The meeting will be held March 3rd at the Knappa High School Gym in Astoria. The meeting begins at 6pm.
