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Opposition emerges against Columbia River LNG terminal Bradwood Landing Northern Star Natural Gas terminal now before FERC opposed by residents; four others proposed for river Joseph B. Frazier Associated Press Writer
A proposal for a liquefied natural gas import terminal along the lower Columbia River near here hit a wall of sometimes hostile opposition Sept. 29 at a hearing called in Knappa, Ore., to allow area residents to express concerns.
While river pilots and tug boat operators told the U.S. Coast Guard and federal energy regulators they were confident the massive tankers could be brought upriver safely, many speakers expressed fear of environmental damage, terrorist attacks and the possibility of an explosion and firestorm.
The proposed site at Bradwood Landing, a former lumber mill company town, is 38 river miles from the Columbia’s mouth. Northern Star Natural Gas wants to build two LNG storage tanks with the capacity of sending out about 1 billion cubic feet of natural gas a day, enough to meet about a third of the needs of the Pacific Northwest.
The crowd of several hundred at Knappa High School was heavily dotted with people in red T-shirts with the slogan “I am NOT an LNG ‘acceptable risk.’” Many were from Puget Island in the Columbia River, a tip of which is about a half mile from where the tanks would be placed. A fireball from the tanks, residents said, could cause second-degree burns to some islanders. Two cargoes a week proposed LNG ships, which can be 1,000 feet long, would discharge cargo about twice a week.
“If it goes ahead,” said area resident Robert Pile, “the natural setting of the lower Columbia would change radically and for practical purposes forever.”
He said while there is an assumption that a disaster will not take place, “the possibility remains.”
Northern Star has sent preliminary application to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which will prepare an environmental impact statement. The five commissioners will decide whether to grant the permit.
The hearing was to gather information on what should be considered in seeking the permit.
Northern Star hopes to begin building in 2007 and be operational by 2010. It notes that energy demands in the region are going up and says they are best met by natural gas, which is abundant, clean and relatively cheap.
A terminal in the Northwest, spokesmen said, is a way to free the region from reliance on gas from other areas of the country. Four terminals discussed for Columbia There are no LNG import terminals on the West Coast now, but four are being discussed for the Columbia as is another near Coos Bay. The Bradwood Landing project is the only one currently before the FERC. There are four in other parts of the country.
But there was wide skepticism Sept. 29 that the Coast Guard, try as it might, could not guarantee there would not be a terrorist attack on the ships or on the storage site, whose two tanks would hold the liquefied equivalent of 7 billion cubic feet of gas.
Skepticism runs high among many of the 800 or so residents of Puget Island, connected to the Oregon side of the river by a small ferry. The island, part of Washington, is the nearest populated area to the proposed site.
Bill Coons, who retired to the island of small farms and, increasingly, other retirees, 13 years ago said the system probably is safe if it works as intended.
“But if there’s an attempt by a terrorist to set one of these off, oh man...”
He said he asked Northern Star, which insists on the safety of the tanks, if they would give island residents life insurance policies.
“I didn’t get an answer,” he said.
Northern Star Chief Executive William Garrett Jr. said he had talked to many people on the island who favored the project or were at least neutral and dismissed opponents as a vocal minority.
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