The Jordon Cove Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG, Natural Gas compressed for over-seas transportation) terminal is proposed for Coos Bay on the Oregon coast, with a 230 mile send-out gas-pipeline, called the Pacific Connector Pipeline, ending at Malin Oregon, near Klamath Falls at the California Border.
On December 17 2009, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC, the federal agency in charge of approving energy projects) granted approval of the Jordon Cove import terminal and Pacific Connector pipeline. Represented by WELC, we have asked FERC for a reconsideration, but have not yet had a response.
Do we need it? The Company's Environmental Review for the terminal and pipeline claims the United States NEEDS to import natural gas from foreign governments; that we need to increase our dependence on countries like Russia for our energy supplies; and that we need to ship the gas to California. Several proposals to put the LNG Terminal in California have failed, so Oregon is the next closest opportunity.
The Company is a conglomerate of Canadian and US energy companies. If FERC affirms their approval of the project, it will allow Jordon Cove Company to build the import terminal in Coos Bay, and the Pacific Connector Pipeline Company to have the power of eminent domain to force the pipeline through the lands of hundreds of families along the 230 miles, and through the homes of hundreds of endangered species on federal lands.
latest news
September 23, 2011: Jordon Cove petitions the Department of Energy to change the proposed Import Terminal near Coos Bay to an Export Terminal. No longer do we have to fight the insane proposal to increase on our energy dependance on Russia. Instead, we have to fight the insane and cruel methods of fracking for natural gas in the United States. "Fracking" is a relative new way to drill for Natural Gas which has provided us with a huge supply of domestic natural gas. "Fracking" also pollutes ground water. It has polluted many families ground water to where they can light their home water faucets on fire. (See the oscar-nominated "Gasland" film for more information). Exporting domestic natural gas on the expensive world market will increasing our gas costs here at home. The only thing standing in the way of huge profits for the multinational energy companies are the families in the route of the Pipeline. Will the US Government find that exporting our natural gas is in the PUBLIC GOOD? Of course not. Therefore, condemning private property for the pipeline route just can't happen.
Background:
PIPELINE OVERVIEW
The 36” pipeline will carry unodorized gas at up to 1,440 psi pressure for 230 miles, from Coos Bay to Malin at the California border near Klamath Falls. (UPDATE: for export it will carry gas the other way). The pipeline that blew up recently in San Bruno, California was carrying only 200 PSI. Think what 1400 psi would do.
Two hundred and twenty private property owners live along the pipeline, and most do not want it.
EMINENT DOMAIN
FERC and Williams pipeline often brag that less than 1% of their negotiations have to go through eminent domain, that 99% of the time they are able to successfully negotiate out of court. What they don’t say is that is because the power of eminent domain means people are virtually forced to settle out of court.
The writer of this article (Francis) is part-owner of land near Days Creek that is in the path of the Pipeline. Pacific Connector has told us they would give us 25% to 75% of the assessed value of the permanent 50 foot wide easement. In other words, for the pipeline traveling 1/2 mile through our property, clearcutting a 95' wide swath through our forest, traveling near the living area, next to the organic garden, across our driveway, we would get a one-time payment of around $2,000. If we don't want to baby-sit their dangerous, high-pressure pipeline for generations to come, they can drag us into court and force us to accept their deal because of their power of eminent domain. And we might even have to pay their legal fees.
The same thing could happen to hundreds of families in Southern Oregon. Why would the U.S. Government allow a foreign government to do this to US citizens? Because, FERC claims, there is a public need for the natural gas. (UPDATE: Now that the gas is officially for exporting, we await what FERC has to say about this).
The Energy Companies have insisted in the past that this pipeline is in the public good because we NEED to import Natural Gas. They have insisted this is NOT for exporting our natural gas. In fact, in their Environmental Review (EIS), they state that if another pipeline is built, the Ruby Pipeline, there would be no need for the Jordon Cove Terminal and Pipeline; NO NEED to condemn any families properties. Since September 23, 2011, the Energy Companies did what we expected, admitted what we knew all along -- that the pipeline is for exporting gas from the Fracking field of America's heartland.
The Ruby Pipeline was proposed to bring natural gas from the gas fields of the mid-west to Malin Oregon, the very same place the Jordon Cove Pacific Pipeline will end. The Ruby Pipeline will deliver our abundant domestic gas to California. In fact, due to new technically (fracking) since the Pacific Connector Pipeline was proposed, there is an abundance of natural gas from the United States. It now makes sense that the Energy Companies want to export our own natural gas resources, to make more money on the world market, which in turn would raise our domestic cost of natural gas.
In the summer of 2011 the Ruby Pipeline was finished, and is now pumping gas into the California market. It was time for the Pacific Connector pipeline to die, since they said importing gas would not be needed if the Ruby Pipeline was built. But they did not die. Instead, on September 23, 2011, the Energy Company's officially applied for an export terminal in Coos Bay. Now the Pacific Connector pipeline will bring gas the other way, from the Midwest via the Ruby Pipeline, and into the Pacific Connector pipeline, to Coos Bay.
For years we accused them of this hidden agenda and they denied it. This is known as Bait and Switch. From "we need to import", to "we need to export". It remains to be seen how they can claim exporting is for the public good, so they can still get their power of eminent domain over Oregon families. We believe it is unfair to pay families so little, while the multi-national companies make trillions of dollars off our lands.
CLIMATE CHANGE
Money made and paid is not the primary issue, Climate Change is. Natural Gas is not a friendly fossil fuel as the energy company's claims. Fracking has carbon impacts and terrible impacts to ground water. Converting to Liquefied Natural Gas has carbon impacts, transporting gas has carbon impacts, and most of all, burning natural gas has carbon impacts: It is changing our climate. Little methane leaks here and there have a huge cumulative impact because methane is 20 times more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon. If cheap natural gas floods our energy market, it will set back the development of renewable energy. Cumulatively, this spells disaster for our earth.
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Jordon Cove export terminal overview (on the IMPORT terminal. We haven't yet heard how exporting will make this different)
Slip Dock will take a bite out of the North Spit, removing 4.25 million cubic yards of excavation.
* built to accommodate 148,000 m3 size LNG ships.
* Two LNG Storage tanks will be built each holding 160,000m3
* 37 megawatt natural gas power plant
* Natural gas liquids extraction facility (propane, ethane, butane)
* Sendout: 1.0 billion cubic feet per day (the entire state of Oregon uses less than 0.7 bcf/d on an average day.
The Terminal
* Is within 1 mile of the North Bend schools, homes, elder care facilities.
* On narrow shipping channel
* On unstable sand dune
* In tsunami zone
* In airport flight path.
* 50.2 million gallons of fresh water needed to test the LNG storage tanks, first segment of pipeline and fill the firewater pond (taken from Coos Bay North Bend Water Board)
* Dredging / excavation impacts to coos bay
* Inconsistent with land use laws
* Thermal hazard zone – 1.1 miles (encompasses North Bend, Empire, Charleston, along LNG shipping route).
In summary, the Jordan Cove facility will be built on an unstable sand dune in a tsunami and earthquake subduction zone at the end of an active airport runway in an area known for high winds, storms, and natural ship disasters.
Other Pipeline impacts
The proposed Pacific Connector pipeline would cross about 379 waterbodies. 106 of which are fish-bearing and 115 are perennial streams
The pipeline will clearcut a 100 foot wide swath across 70 miles of public lands, including 41 miles of BLM lands and 28 miles of Forest Service lands,
Northern Spotted Owl:
The pipeline heavily impacts northern spotted owl habitat in the heart of their range in Oregon.
* The pipeline clearcuts within 80 known owl site home ranges. (4.6-49).
* Over 420 acres of NSO habitat is directly clearcut, with thousands more acres degraded in Uncleared Storage Areas and fragmented interior habitat.
Marbled Murrelets:
This project harms marbled murrelet habitat, mostly by logging large trees within their critical habitat (CHU OR-06-d), logging occupied habitat, as well as fragmenting forests, which threatens murrelet nests with predation.
The pipeline clearcuts 84 acres of suitable habitat, including occupied stands. Fragmentation is a serious issue for murrelets because nest predation by corvids takes most murrelet eggs.
4000 acres of new edge effects that would increase murrelet predation. (at 700 feet back)
