Salem, OR; Rally Against Risky Expolsive LNG

We had a GREAT day yesterday in Salem. Please everyone thank KCBY and KVAL
for covering the story. They came down in the wee hours of the morning and
saw us off from the Pony Village Parking lot in North Bend. They also made
sure their affiliated stations in the Salem area covered the event. We got
some great press out of this! See how to link to the video of the news
stories below. A big THANK YOU to everyone who pitched in and helped make the
rally a success!

Please drop a note to Secretary of State Bill Bradbury and tell him
THANKS........ bill.bradbury [at] state.or.us
************************************************************

http://www.kval.com/news/local/15380791.html


Salem rally opposes LNG plants in Oregon



Story Published: Feb 6, 2008 at 5:40 PM PST
By Tom Adams

Video (Go to web link above and click on video link)

SALEM - It's quickly becoming the hot-potato energy issue in Oregon.
Developers have plans for three liquefied natural gas terminals in the state,
one of them at North Bend.

Project opponents converged on Salem today (Feb. 6) to make their voices heard.

"It doesn't make any sense. We want clean jobs."
Carol Fischer of Bandon and 200 others like her arrived on the capitol
steps--all united against LNG. They're fired up against 3 proposed terminals
in Oregon.

One would be in Coos Bay-North Bend and two others in the Columbia Gorge. The
terminals would take imports of supercooled natural gas, reheat the liquid
into gas and send it down pipelines.

Past published reports indicate Governor Ted Kulongoski has expressed cautious
support for the south coast facility, and that had people at the rally upset.
Carol Fischer told KVAL, "The governor of Washington says no-don't put it in
our front yard, and what happened to Kulongoski? He's just waiting to see what
happens?"

Supporters of the LNG terminals say the gas imports are vital for Oregon's
energy resources, but all the folks here at the rally completely disagree.

High school junior Matt Hundley from Gales Creek made the trip. He says the
gas pipeline would run right through the family's 5 acre farm.
"It's all we have out there. They're unconstitutionally seizing land with
eminent domain," explains Hundley.

Adds M.A. Hanson of Myrtle Creek, "You're talking eminent domain; using
eminent domain on my neighbors, and everybody in Oregon is my neighbor. This
is my state."

Top democrats lent their support to the rally and accepted about 4,000
signatures of people against the projects.

Jody McCaffree heads the committee Citizens Against LNG and says, "If they
would have done a programmatic environmental impact statement as required by
N-E-P-A, we would probably not be here today, because these terminals are not
needed."

Opponents hope a federal energy review process will shed a more critical eye
on the projects. Rally member Mary Margaret Muenchrath points out, "Here we're
bringing in this kind of LNG energy from Indonesia and other places. We don't
need it; we don't want it."

Governor Kulongoski has called for more analysis of potential environmental
impacts.



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http://www.kcby.com/news/15374326.html

LNG opponents raise their issues in Salem

Story Published: Feb 6, 2008 at 2:50 PM PST

By Azenith Smith

Video (Go to web link above and click on video link)

North Bend - Dozens of area opponents of liquefied natural gas development in Oregon
bring their voices to the capital.

With signs in tow, about 50 LNG opponents from the South Coast packed this bus early
Tuesday morning in North Bend, on route to Salem for the day.

They join other opponents from all over the state, including Myrtle Creek and
Roseburg, for a statewide rally on the capital steps.

According to Jodi McCaffree of Citizens against LNG, they plan to lobby Governor Ted
Kulongoski and state legislators to stop LNG terminals from being built in Oregon.

Their main concerns are the potential health and safety hazards they believe the
projects would cause.

"We think we don't need any terminals in Oregon," says McCaffree. "If you look at
the statistics, there's an overbuild already on these terminals across the county. A
lot of them will be underutilized because we don't need that much gas."

This marks the first time that the group will be busing it to the state capital.

There are currently three LNG projects in the works for the Oregon Coast, including
Jordan Cove Energy's application, which would place one on the North Spit.



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http://www.oregonlive.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/business/1202356517123190.xml&coll=7

Rally pumps up numbers against LNG terminals

Energy - Foes say the plans would continue Oregon's dependence on imported fuel

Thursday, February 07, 2008

JULIA SILVERMAN

The Oregonian

SALEM -- A clear divide is emerging among Oregon Democrats in the fight over whether
to build three liquefied natural gas terminals in Oregon, along with hundreds of
miles of buried pipelines to move the gas to West Coast markets.

At a rally Wednesday in Salem, Oregon House Speaker Jeff Merkley, D-Portland, who is
hoping to be his party's U.S. Senate candidate in November, came out against the
proposed terminals, which would turn imported hypercooled fuel into natural gas. He
is the second high-profile Democrat in the past week to publicly oppose the plan,
joining Secretary of State Bill Bradbury.

Portland lawyer Steve Novick, another U.S. Senate candidate, also attended the rally
and railed against the terminals.

Their stances are in contrast to Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski, a second-term Democrat
who is open to the idea of allowing the terminals to proceed.

Kulongoski told a panel of editors last week that Oregon could benefit from the
addition of liquefied natural gas to its energy portfolio, saying it would reduce
the state's dependence on other sources of energy, especially coal and hydropower.

But he has called for a more detailed analysis of potential environmental impacts,
including the effect on fish and wildlife habitat, and water quality.

Bradbury, however, is ready to pull the plug on the proposals that would place one
terminal in Coos Bay and two on the Columbia River.

"Knowing what I know about the last century of energy policies, I cannot in good
conscience support a move that would tie us to fossil fuel imports from foreign
countries," Bradbury said. "I do not think Oregon should be the pusher, enabling
California's dependence on fossil fuels."

Houston-based NorthernStar Natural Gas Inc., which wants to build a terminal at
Bradwood Landing, 20 miles east of Astoria, has contended that its proposal would
bring a needed influx of new jobs and property taxes to Clatsop County, and shield
ratepayers from price increases as natural gas supplies dry up.

"The most important thing to look at is where the governor is on this issue, because
he has had the opportunity to rely upon the state agencies who have examined this
issue completely and thoroughly," said Joe Desmond, senior vice president for
external affairs at NorthernStar. That company is the furthest along in the
permitting process.

Governor draws criticism

Kulongoski isn't running for re-election, but his stance is raising hackles among
environmentalists, who have saluted the governor in the past for pushing for
legislation to require utilities to draw 25 percent of their energy from renewable
sources by 2025 -- a fact about which Bradbury took pains to remind Wednesday's
crowd.

"I am a registered Democrat, and I'm disappointed with the governor," said Gales
Creek resident Paul Sansone, whose hometown could be on the route of a future
pipeline. "The unrest is viral. People are feeling totally railroaded."

Bradbury's voice is important in the debate because he sits on the State Land Board,
which could have jurisdiction over the use of state lands for any LNG terminals and
associated pipelines. The other members are Kulongoski and state Treasurer Randall
Edwards, who said Wednesday that he is concerned about Oregon's energy future and
whether the LNG projects are the right path to take. "These are extremely complex
proposals with multiple hurdles ahead before the issue would ever reach the State
Land Board," Edwards said.

Merkley and Novick, meanwhile, are looking to appeal to the sizable group of
environmentally aware voters who will weigh in during the Democratic primary on May
20.

"Does this project do damage to Coos Bay if there is a natural tsunami?" Merkley
said. "Does it damage the Columbia shipping channel? Isn't this just one big
floating bomb?"




©2008 The Oregonian


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http://www.oregonlive.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/news/120224103111120.xml&coll=6



Officials begin to look at LNG Sec. of State Bradbury, A.G. candidate Kroger
among those against gas projects

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

By Nick Christensen

The Hillsboro Argus


For months, northwest Oregon residents fighting proposed natural gas
developments have asked elected officials to join their cause.

It's been slow in coming, but results are starting to trickle in.

Speaking in Forest Grove last week, Secretary of State Bill Bradbury, a noted
environmental advocate, announced his opposition to the proposed natural gas
projects in the region. He'll be a part of an anti-LNG rally Wednesday in
Salem.

On Saturday, the Forest Grove City Council directed staff to begin looking at
the impacts two gas pipelines could have on the city, particularly with regard
to its water supply.

They join a slow trickle of leaders opposing a series of gas developments in
Oregon, including three liquefied gas import terminals on the Oregon Coast and
at least two major compressed natural gas pipelines across the region.

Bradbury's opposition, while not surprising, is pronounced in both him being
the state's No. 2 constitutional officer, and in its direct opposition to Gov.
Ted Kulongoski's stance on the gas terminals.

There were no recordings of Bradbury's speech at Pacific University available,
but a statement released by his office was strong.

"To increase our use of fossil fuel at a time when we are trying to wean
ourselves off of fossil fuel is nuts," Bradbury said, according to a
spokesman.

Kulongoski has said that natural gas is an important resource while Oregon
tries to increase its use of renewable energy.

Peter Hansen, CEO of terminal and pipeline developer Oregon LNG, agreed with
that sentiment.

"As long as Oregon gets 42 percent of its electric energy from coal-fired
power plants, there's a lot that natural gas can do to improve that
situation," Hansen said. "While not perfect, it (gas) gets us to a point where
we're burning a cleaner fuel and I think that's what we should be focused on."


Brent Foster, director of gas project opponent Columbia Riverkeeper, said
Bradbury's opposition is important despite him not running for re-election
this year and his office having little say over the pipeline evaluation
process.

"I think what Bradbury's done is made clear that you don't go on a fossil fuel
diet by doubling your state's importation of fossil fuels," Foster said.
"Bradbury is one of the most respected leaders in Oregon, period. And on top
of that, he's looked at as a regional leader on global warming."

Jim Moore, a political science professor at Pacific University, said
Bradbury's position within the environmental movement is further solidified by
his stance.

"He's one of the people who sat at the foot of Al Gore to learn how to give
his global warming talk," Moore said. "A stance like this fits in very well
with that in terms of when he leaves office a year from now, going into a very
prominent environmental role, whatever that may be."

Moore said Bradbury's position, as it relates to Kulongoski, shouldn't have
much of an impact unless some decisions wind up before the state's
three-member land board, which both sit on along with State Treasurer Randall
Edwards.

"But even those fights generally don't go out of the board meetings," Moore
said.

More intriguing is the position taken by Lewis and Clark law professor John
Kroger, a Democratic candidate for Oregon Attorney General this year.

"We really need to be focusing at the state level on alternative energy and
renewable energy sources, and reliance on more LNG brought from overseas is
heading us in the wrong direction," Kroger said. "It's not about politics.
It's about what kind of country we're going to have."

Foster said Oregon's next Attorney General will have a critical role in the
permitting process for the natural gas projects.

"The governor has a lot of influence on the agencies, but if DEQ decides not
to issue clean water permits, it's the attorney general's office that would
represent DEQ," Foster said. "It's the attorney general's office that's going
to be advising DEQ whether it can issue or deny the permits."

Kroger said he would give the projects a thorough environmental review.

"The most important thing the attorney general can do is ensure that any
proposal that's being considered complies 100 percent with Oregon's
environmental laws, and if they don't, we should oppose them in court," Kroger
said.

The position of Kroger's likely Democratic challenger, State Rep. Greg
Macpherson of Lake Oswego, was not clear. Messages left with Dan Lombardi of
Macpherson's campaign were not immediately returned.

Closer to home, the Forest Grove City Council, at its retreat meeting Saturday
at Pacific University, directed city staff to examine the potential impacts of
the gas pipelines. City officials have up to now stayed out of the pipeline
discussion, as the lines pass at least a mile from the city limits.

Last week, City Manager Michael Sykes said the city would be looking at the
potential impacts the pipelines could have on the city's water supply,
especially at points where the line crosses water lines feeding the city with
its municipal supply.




©2008 The Hillsboro Argus

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(NOTE - There were far more rally protesters than 200. I would say more like 300 + )

http://molallapioneer.wordpress.com:80/2008/02/06/lng-protest-draws-about-200-in-salem/

February 6, 2008...4:51 pm

LNG protest draws about 200 in Salem

By Abby Sewell
Molalla Pioneer

About 200 Oregonians, including some from Molalla, rallied on the steps of the state
capitol in Salem today, in an attempt to sway Gov. Ted Kulongoski on the issue of
the three liquefied natural gas terminals and more than 550 miles of natural gas
pipeline currently proposed for construction in Oregon.

The protesters were joined by a couple of high profile faces, most notably, Oregon
Secretary of State Bill Bradbury, who first stated his opposition to LNG in Oregon
last week, calling it a "dirty" fuel.

"I believe at a time when we're trying really hard, really desperately, to wean
ourselves off of fossil fuels, it just doesn't make any sense to build a new
facility that will increase our use of fossil fuels," he said. "It's the wrong
direction."

Of the three proposed LNG facilities, two on the Columbia River and one near Coos
Bay, two of them could have an effect on Molalla. The Oregon LNG pipeline would
begin at a proposed LNG terminal near Warrenton and end at the Williams Northwest
Pipeline gate station just west of Molalla; while the Palomar Gas transmissions
pipeline would run from the proposed Bradwood Landing LNG near Wauna to the Gas
Transmissions Nothwest pipeline in central Oregon, passing just south of Molalla
along the way.

As at many previous events centering around the LNG and pipeline proposals, the word
"California" came up more than once during today's rally.

"Any one of those three LNG terminals would more than meet (Oregon's) annual demand
for natural gas," Bradbury said. "Where do you think the rest of it is going
-California. I do not think Oregon should become the pusher enabling California's
dependence on fossil fuels."

Jim Gilbert, a Molalla-area nursery owner and chair of the Molalla Community
Planning Organization, said, "If California wants gas, let them build the pipeline."

Sarah Kagan, a spokesperson with Pacific Environment, a San Francisco-based
environmental advocacy group, who traveled to Oregon for the rally, said many
Californians don't want the gas, either.

"We don't want it in California, because it will derail our clean energy efforts,"
she said. "California, Washington and Oregon have made huge steps forward on
renewable energy, and this would take us backwards."

Kulongoski has taken no position for or against LNG in Oregon, other than to say the
projects must meet Oregon's environmental and safety standards.

"The governor's been very clear in his position neither to oppose or support at this
time any specific proposals," Kulongoski spokesperson Anna Richter Taylor said.

The governor did raise concerns about the Bradwood Landing proposal in a Dec. 13
letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, questioning the need for the
project and calling the environmental analysis flawed.

Even if Kulongoski were to take a stand opposing LNG in Oregon, however, FERC has
had the ultimate authority in siting LNG terminals since the federal Energy Policy
Act passed in 2005.

"There is the (state) permitting process, but FERC has the ultimate siting
authority," Richter Taylor said.

Steve Sechrist, a spokesperson with Northwest Natural Gas, one of the partners in
the Palomar pipeline project, was on hand scoping out the oppostition at today's
rally.

Sechrist declined to comment on the protesters' specific issues with the project but
said, "I'm glad to see people exercising their rights. That's what this whole
process is about that we're going through."


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If you would like to know more or help out with stopping the LNG plant in Coos Bay OR, here are some activist websites;

http://www.oregonwaters.org/LNG.htm

http://www.nocaliforniapipeline.com/reasons.php

http://jordancoveretort.com/Welcome.htm

http://citizensagainstlng.googlepages.com/