Officials visit LNG facility in Maryland

Three Wahkiakum County officials toured a Maryland liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility to learn about safety and security.

Making the trip were Commissioner George Trott, Sheriff Dan Bardsley and Undersheriff Jon Dearmore. Bardsley and other local officials have been meeting for some time with NorthernStar Natural Gas, who has proposed an LNG receiving plant at Bradwood, Ore., across the Columbia River from Puget Island.

Trott and Bardsley said Tuesday the purpose of the trip was to allow them to see first hand the safety and security measures in place for a working LNG plant. NorthernStar has been negotiating safety and security needs with fire departments and law enforcement authorities on both sides of the Columbia.

Bardsley said the main purpose of the trip was to obtain information that is so secure that Maryland officials would only release it in a face to face meeting.

"The facility itself is somewhat different than what will be here," Bardsley said. The biggest public reaction, he was told, occurred after the firm operating the plant built the three-ship pier and left it idle for a long time. Fishermen began using the area to catch rockfish and were upset when the plant began operating and they had to leave.

NorthernStar financed the trip for the county officials.