Fisheries agency advises against LNG site permits
January 19, 2008
The Oregonian
For the time being, the National Marine Fisheries Service has recommended that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers deny a dredging permit to a controversial liquefied natural gas terminal that has been proposed on the Columbia River upriver from Astoria.
In comments filed Friday on the federal energy regulators' Web site, the marine fisheries agency said NorthernStar Natural Gas Inc.'s application for a permit for its proposed Bradwood Landing terminal was so deficient that it should submit a new one and that the corps should consider issuing another public notice for comment.
The fisheries agency said construction of the terminal would have a heavy impact on salmon and other endangered species, and that a thorough analysis was required of alternatives that would have less adverse effects.
The agency said the project description in the application was inconsistent with those submitted to Clatsop County and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and that the project appeared inconsistent with salmon recovery plans.
The agency also said a proper evaluation of the project's impact would include related projects such as the proposed Palomar gas pipeline and a possible expansion of the Williams Northwest pipeline to accept the terminal's gas.
The marine fisheries agency said it's willing to reconsider its recommendation if the company revised its application, including information on how it intended to mitigate all adverse effects.
Joe Desmond, a spokesman for NorthernStar, said the company is working with the agencies to provide them with revised and updated information to move its application forward.
"This doesn't suggest what their ultimate decision might be," Desmond said. "It's a process issue."
-- Ted Sickinger
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