LNG topic of two Oregon meetings

Two public meetings in Oregon will focus on the impact on the Columbia-Pacific Region of two proposed plants to receive liquefied natural gas (LNG).

The City of Warrenton recently sent people to Boston to see the LNG set up there. They are going to debrief the commission at their regular meeting on February 12 at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers at Warrenton City Hall, 225 South Main.

Public comment about water issues and the permitting process for the proposed LNG terminal and pipeline for Bradwood will be received at a public meeting with representatives from three Oregon state and federal government agencies on February 13, 4 p.m., at the Holiday Inn Express at 204 West Marine Drive in Astoria. Following presentations by the agencies, the meeting will be open for public comment until 8 p.m.

Staff members from the OR Department of Environmental Quality, the OR Department of Land Conservation and Development, and the National Marine Fisheries Service will provide information about the role of their agencies in the permitting process. People at the meeting will have an opportunity to ask questions of all the agencies and to provide comments on the issues of water, including river, streams and wetlands affected by the proposed Bradwood import terminal.

Several Oregon state agencies recently criticized numerous aspects of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement submitted by NorthernStar, the LNG promoter. The agencies, numerous citizens, scientists, and the fishing industry are especially concerned about the impact LNG will have on the Columbia River estuary and habitat.

The Clatsop County Board of Commissioners is expected to approve numerous land use changes within the next month or two that will allow the project to go to the next step in the permitting process. Other federal agencies still need to issue their own permits.