Clatsop commission re-affirms approval of Bradwood Landing

In a 4-1 vote, the Clatsop County board of commissioners re-affirmed last Thursday its approval of the Bradwood Landing liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal near Astoria.

The commission approved findings which reflect their December 13, 2007, vote on land use changes sought by NorthernStar Natural Gas and the county’s conditions for approval.

Bradwood Landing developer NorthernStar Natural Gas agreed to contract with the county and put in writing the company’s commitment to abide by the county’s conditions of approval and not to appeal those conditions to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

NorthernStar is seeking to build an LNG import terminal at Bradwood, across the Columbia from Puget Island.

Opponents of the proposed project packed the meeting. After the vote, they vowed to put a referendum on the ballot to overturn the county's decision.

And on Tuesday, Clatsop County Commissioner Richard Lee lost a recall election spearheaded by fores of the proposed project.

Among the commitments that NorthernStar has made to Clatsop is a commitment to pay full county property taxes, estimated at more than $7.8 million per year after construction, and not seek inclusion of its facility in an enterprise zone.

Conditions of approval imposed by Clatsop County include:

--To ensure that Clifton Channel remain accessible for fishing;

--A limit of two LNG storage tanks;

--To improve the condition and safety of Clifton Road, the access road to the site from Highway 30;

--To obtain permits from the county to conduct wetlands mitigation projects;

--To set aside funds to pay for the eventual decommissioning of the project and restoration of the site, and

--To comply with the County’s recommendations regarding public safety before terminal operations.