Clatsop commission okays LNG permits

The Clatsop County Board of Commissioners on December 13 voted 4-1 to give initial approval to Bradwood Landing LLC's application for a liquified natural gas terminal and related facilities on the Columbia River across from Puget Island.

The board will consider its findings for final approval of the permits at another date.

The commissioners' vote decided in principle that Bradwood Landing met or would meet the applicable criteria for each of its 27 applications for zone changes and land-use permits.

Two commissioners questioned whether or not the site would meet the county's current zoning laws, but only Commissioner Sam Patrick voted against permit approval.

The board approval also included conditions the company will have to meet to construct the proposed $600 million LNG terminal and pipeline. One of the conditions limits the development to two, not three, 17-story LNG storage tanks at the site.

The permit approval drew mixed reactions from proponents and opponents.

“The construction and operation of the Bradwood Landing terminal will bring good jobs to Clatsop County, but more importantly will help secure a more stable energy future for Oregon and Washington,” said Paul Soanes, president of NorthernStar Natural Gas, in a company statement.

Based on the commission’s vote, NorthernStar Natural Gas will work with the county to prepare findings consistent with the board’s discussion for final approval at a subsequent meeting.

Opponents disappointed

In their own statement, opponents vowed to continue their struggle against the Bradwood LNG terminal and related pipelines.

Cheryl Johnson expressed outrage at the commissioners for glossing over the public's safety concerns.

"Our Commissioners clearly did not act in the interest of the people of this county," she said. "They have exposed us to enormous risks from this project without even resolving who will pay for added safety and security or how these gaps would be filled. The communities of Warrenton, Astoria and Knappa are saying that our emergency response services and public safety infrastructure can't deal with this, and the commissioners didn't even address their concerns."

George Exum, chair of Wahkiakum Friends of the River and who lives within a mile of the facility, said the decision ignores concerns of Oregon scientists, state law, and their own planning department, which twice recommended the permits be denied.

"The commissioners rushed forward without considering Oregon state agency comments that contradict many of the commissioners' misconceptions about impacts to fish, public safety, and the estuary as a whole," Exum said. "We are absolutely disgusted that the commissioners didn't take the valid concerns of local communities like our own into account."

"The four commissioners basically bent over backwards to approve this project," said Brent Foster, executive director for Columbia Riverkeeper. "They made absurd justifications for their decision, finding that this facility – the largest industrial development in recent history on the Columbia with its 700,000 cubic yards of dredging – was a medium-sized project. It would be laughable if it didn't put so many people and endangered salmon at risk."