An LNG protest sign from FERC's December 2009 field trip in Washington County.
If LNG opponents were hoping for a new angle in their fight against Oregon LNG, this isn’t it.
A report by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) clears the company of any serious wrongdoing in how it dealt with landowners along the route of its proposed pipeline in Northwest Oregon.
LNG Protesters at a rally outside Portland City Hall. Photo by Dennis Newman.
At the final round of FERC LNG Hearings in Oregon, we heard again from landowners frustrated with a system they see as secretive, intimidating, and stacked against them.
We also heard from officials with Oregon LNG and their contractors who were at times apologetic, but mostly defended how they’ve conducted themselves.
It’s hard to know where to begin.
At the first FERC public hearing about Oregon LNG, property owners unloaded themselves of a long list of complaints about the company, the federal government and how LNG issues are decided.
Don’t expect video coverage of FERC’s meetings in Oregon this week. Video and audio recordings have been banned by the administrative law judge who’s holding the meetings.
Rob Manning of OPB is also here and has checked with his supervisor – apparently FERC is allowed to do that.
I was told that recording video would be “disruptive”. However, FERC is making its own audio recording which it plans to use for creating a written transcript that will be released in about ten days.
An LNG protest sign from FERC's December 2009 field trip in Washington County.
FERC is following through on promises to investigate landowner complaints against Oregon LNG.
The agency has scheduled three public meetings in Oregon this month to give landowners a chance to speak out, and the company a chance to defend itself.
It’s no surprise that Brett VandenHeuvel of Columbia Riverkeeper is pleased with the new Wyden-Merkley bill that would return decision making over LNG projects back to the states.
Columbia Riverkeeper is one of the main groups opposing two proposed LNG projects near Astoria – Bradwood Landing and Oregon LNG. It’s also involved in efforts to block two pipelines that would connect the terminals to the interstate gas pipeline system.
But in our conversation today, some very interesting questions came up about just how easy it might become to stop all LNG projects in Oregon, if the bill becomes law.
An LNG protest sign from December, 2009.
Oregon’s two Senators are joining forces on a bill that could bring LNG projects in our state to a grinding halt.
Wyden and Merkley want to take away control over LNG projects from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). They’ve introduced a bill that would return that power to the states.
Whether or not Wyden and Merkley are outright trying to stop LNG in Oregon is unclear. But given the current political landscape in this state, that’s a real possibility, should the bill become law.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has put out a special request for more information about the complaints being lodged against Oregon LNG.
As we reported last week, FERC will hold a series of town meetings in Northwest Oregon to hear those complaints. But before those meetings are scheduled, FERC Deputy Chief Administrative Law Judge Bobbie McCartney is asking the public to submit new comments via e-mail. The notice says FERC is looking for, “pertinent information regarding Oregon Pipeline’s conduct with landowners during the environmental review process, to provide a summary of such information, including locations, names, dates, nature of the interaction, or other relevant information.”
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.
An LNG tanker at sea. Photo from www.lngoneworld.com.
UPDATE: LC 85 made it out of committee and has been introduced as SB 1020.
If you want to see how LNG issues divide and energize Oregonians, then take a look at two bills the legislature will consider next month.
One makes it easier to LNG companies to get some of the permits they need to build plants and pipelines. The other says, “Wait a minute! Shouldn’t we decide if these projects are really needed?”
If past fights are any indication of how strongly people feel about these issues, then things could get ugly.
