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Salem rally marks new stage in pipeline fight

Opponents gather support from politicians, attention from media Wednesday

February 08, 2008
By Nick Christensen
The Hillsboro Argus

SALEM - It was more evolution than revolution, a symbolic step forward as area residents try to keep natural gas terminals and pipelines out of Oregon.

But Wednesday's rally on the steps of the state Capitol was a big step, and it marked a new stage in the fight against at least two pipelines and three terminals planned for the western half of the state.

About 300 people attended the rally, which lasted over two hours as more than a dozen speakers talked about why the gas proposals are wrong for Oregon.

And while the speeches sounded familiar, the setting was not. Politicians and lobbyists walked outside and took note. Television cameras lined up to talk to protesters.

Even the Raging Grannies, a social justice organization founded in 1987 in Victoria, B.C., were represented, with a group from Corvallis decked in colorful clothes that screamed for attention.

A movement that started six months ago with a few frustrated landowners had finally succeeded in catching the public's attention.

"It's really gratifying. It's an important issue that has a lot to do with the very soul of Oregon," said Anne Berblinger, owner of an organic farm near Gales Creek and the proposed pipelines. "Are we as a state really committed to renewable energy and fighting global warming, or are we mouthing the right words but not willing to stand up for what we say?"

It was a byproduct of better organization, to be sure, but also political intrigue. The rally started with a speech by Secretary of State Bill Bradbury, who first went public with his opposition to the gas projects last week and gave a more detailed explanation of his positions at the protest.

Bradbury doesn't agree with the gas projects because of the fossil fuel emissions tied to the use of natural gas.

"Have we learned nothing from the retreating glaciers we see on Mount Hood? Have we learned nothing from the melting snowpacks we see in the Cascades?" Bradbury asked. "Do we fall back on the same old shortsighted ideas that got us here in the first place? Or do we move forward into a renewable world that will still be around for our kids?"

He addressed the proponents' case that natural gas could be used to reduce America's reliance on coal for electricity.

"Sure, LNG is cleaner than burning coal," Bradbury said, as a hawk circled above the crowd, screeching. "It's also much dirtier than regular natural gas that comes to us from pipelines from Canada and the Rockies."

The gathering also drew two Democratic challengers for Gordon Smith's U.S. Senate seat - the Republican is up for election this year. Oregon House Speaker Jeff Merkley, D-Portland, gave an impassioned speech, while lawyer Steve Novick went heavy on details in discussing his concerns about the gas projects.

"Do LNG terminals make any sense for Oregon? Do they enhance our fishing and our farms? Will they make any single community in Oregon safer? Will they help us tackle global warming?" Merkley asked to a chorus. "You all have it just right. No is the right answer."

Novick questioned the channel dredging required in the Columbia River for LNG tankers to dock, the need of the gas and whether it will benefit Oregon or California more and the effect of security measures on river traffic.

"And because we have not heard those answers, we need to take action," Novick said. "Specifically, the governor needs to take action."

Novick criticized the federal process for siting natural gas facilities, and suggested Democratic Gov. Ted Kulongoski should step up by denying permits the projects need to go forward.

Kulongoski was absent from the rally, eliciting the "Where's Kulongoski" chant that first brewed in a December protest in Portland.

Many protesters want to see Kulongoski join the other politicians in categorically opposing liquefied gas imports, something he has been reluctant to do so far.

Instead, the governor has directed state agencies to thoroughly examine the projects' environmental studies, and comments submitted about the draft study of the proposed Bradwood Landing gas terminal, on the Columbia River east of Astoria, reflect that scrutiny.

Still, opponents have been critical of Kulongoski's position as released in a November memo, in which he wrote that gas can serve as a "bridge to a future energy portfolio that is more dependent on renewables."

That's in contrast to Bradbury's statement from last week, in which the secretary of state said "To increase our use of fossil fuel at a time when we are trying to wean ourselves off of fossil fuel is nuts."

Kulongoski press secretary Patty Wentz said the governor and Bradbury are longtime allies on global warming.

"The governor is not sure if LNG is the way to go, and that's why this discussion is so important," Wentz said. "The media coverage makes it seem as if his support is stronger than it may be. It's one of the possibilities for a bridge technology."

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