Commissionerscontinue talkson LNG negotiations

Wahkiakum County officials hope to wind up soon their negotiations with NorthernStar Natural Gas, LLC, to provide security for tankers carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) up the Columbia River.

Commissioners held a workshop Tuesday morning with other county officials to discuss their understanding of issues in the negotiations.

NorthernStar is proposing to build an LNG terminal in Oregon at Bradwood, across a half-mile-wide channel of the Columbia River from Puget Island. Called Bradwood Landing, the proposed operation has drawn opposition from people concerned about the safety risks and environmental impacts.

Sheriff Dan Bardsley has been negotiating a contract with NorthernStar to provide security, including various issues such as fire protection service and a marine escort for LNG tankers.

Because the plant would be located in Oregon, there will be no property tax or other revenue going to Wahkiakum or other Washington jurisdictions.

The county needs to negotiate as good a deal possible for citizens and local government, commented Commissioner Blair Brady.

The negotiations need to make sure Bradwood Landing would completely cover the county's expenses and that there are other funds that would benefit the community, he said. Sheriff Dan Bardsley has said that the contract would call for 10-12 new deputies for security work, and Brady emphasized all their costs be covered.

Brady also noted that Bradwood already has committed to giving $100,000 a year to the county for good will, via the Wahkiakum Community Foundation, with 60 percent going to emergency response agencies and 40 percent to community activities. Once the plant is built and operating, the company has said the contribution will increase to $500,000 per year.

"I don't feel that it's mitigation for what we're doing; it's extra," he said.

Bardsley said he is adjusting the costs he uses as the basis for his negotiations to be "marked up," giving the county a bit more money than the actual expenses would be to help cover all costs of having the extra employees.

"Keep in mind that we're still in negotiations," Bardsley said. "What we can attribute to LNG is paid by LNG. So there's no cost basis for non-related LNG expenses at this point. The big thing would be the overtime."

Commissioner Lisa Marsyla related that she had met with William S. Garrett, chief executive officer of NorthernStar last week. She said he hopes for a quick settlement of the security arrangement; he also said the company might try to contract with Columbia County, Ore., if the security pact isn't settled quickly.

"I didn't know there was room for negotiation," Marsyla said. She added that if the plant is constructed, she doesn't want the county to have any expense related to it, and also, the economic impact of having 10-12 more deputy sheriffs would be "huge."

"If we allow it to go to Columbia County, it would be sad," she said. "I would like to continue to negotiate with Bradwood Landing in good faith."

Commission Chair Dan Cothren also met individually last week with Garrett. He told Brady it would have been good if Brady had done so.

Brady said he didn't like the idea of commissioners meeting one-by-one outside of the public meeting process.

"I would like to have a meeting in a public forum," he said. "I'm tired of the guise of national security (as a basis to hold closed meetings--editor). I think it's a cloak to keep things calm. We shouldn't meet behind closed doors; it circumvents the public process."

After more discussion, Cothren said he would try to set up a meeting with Garrett and the commissioners in public.

Bardsley reminded the board that the negotiations have been going on for years. Fire departments have a list of needs they want to be able to respond to a potential LNG emergency, and the company has said it would pay for those needs.

However, the officials said they weren't sure if that money would come out of the funds intended for the community foundation or if they'd be a separate item.

"That's the tipping point," Marsyla said.