Liquefied Natural Gas
Background: What is Proposed?
Energy speculators from New York, Texas and California have descended on Oregon with plans for three massive Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) port and storage terminals. Even one of these plants would import twice as much gas as Oregon currently uses. If all three were approved it would increase Oregon’s gas imports by more than 500% and significantly expand U.S. dependence on foreign fossil fuels. The primary goal of the projects is to send gas to California, which has itself denied every LNG terminal that has been proposed to date because of LNG’s public safety and environmental impacts. The plan of the proposed LNG projects is to use Oregon as a backdoor for sending LNG-derived gas to California.
Two LNG terminal ports are proposed for the lower Columbia River and one is planned for Coos Bay. Each of these terminals would include over 220 miles of high-pressure gas pipelines that would rip across sensitive wildlife habitats in Coos Bay and the Columbia Estuary, across thousands of Oregonian’s family farms and forestlands, and through important forest habitats including Mt. Hood National Forest. Numerous state and federal agencies, from Oregon DEQ and ODFW to the National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. EPA, have raised serious concerns about the impacts of planned LNG projects, as have a diverse coalition of business leaders, conservationists, farmers, commercial and sport fisherman, and private property rights advocates. Native Americans are opposing one or more of these projects.
Over 500 miles of planned gas pipelines would cut across many of Oregon's most valuable family farms and through critical fish and wildlife habitats across Oregon.
Oregon has authority to say “No” to LNG but we need to strengthen it
While the 2005 federal Energy Policy Act gave the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission primary siting authority over the planned LNG terminals, Oregon has multiple opportunities to deny the LNG plants. Federal statute specifically gives Oregon authority to deny the necessary Clean Water Act permits, Clean Air Act permits and Coastal Zone Management Act authorization.
Additionally, LNG developers need authorization to use state-owned resources, such as over 15 billion gallons a year of water for NorthernStar’s project, as well as state-owned land and wetlands. Oregon Water Resources Dept. and the Oregon Dept. of State Lands could deny water rights and state land leases for these projects because both agencies have to ensure the projects are “in the public interest,” or meet “a public need.” The proposed legislation would make clear Oregon agencies could only give away State-owned resources for an LNG proposal if there was a need for the project in Oregon.
What is LNG?
LNG is methane gas (aka “natural gas”) that has been cooled to - 261º F for high density tanker transport from the Middle East, Russia, Indonesia, and other places where it is produced.
