Delays, economics scuttle LNG plan

Death by 1,000 cuts was the way one opponent of NorthernStar's proposed Bradwood Landing liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant described his group's strategy.

It seems to have worked, for NorthernStar announced Tuesday afternoon it is suspending the project because of delays in permitting and "the difficult investment environment."

Groups such as Wahkiakum Friends of the River and Columbia Riverkeeper opposed the plant every step of the way, saying the environmental and community safety concerns outweighed any economic benefit of the plant.

While the citizen groups may not have carried much weight, they did bring issues to the attention of elected officials and permitting agencies that forced Bradwood Landing proponents to spend time and money to address.

The economy has changed considerably since NorthernStar first aired its proposal.

The recession that arrived in September, 2008, took the wind out of our sails and the money off of Wall Street.

The petroleum industry also announced development of new techniques to extract natural gas from the ground, and the nation's supply increased to the point that importing LNG from abroad was no longer so necessary or lucrative.

That combination of factors proved to be too much for NorthernStar and its backers.

Proponents will lament the loss of investment the plant could have brought to the lower Columbia River area.

But as Cathlamet Mayor George Wehrfritz commented (see story on Page 1), we don't have an idle plant sitting across the river.

Instead, we have an opportunity to work for development that will have the support of the community.