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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 6, 2017)
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS | January 6, 2017 | PAGE 9 Jordan Cove LNG terminal: Not dead yet ROOFERS STEP UP TO HELP TOY & JOY MAKERS: Members of Roofers Local 49 donated $1,283 in cash and four bags of toys to Portland Fire and Rescue’s Toy & Joy Makers. Making the presentation to a representative of Portland Fire and Rescue are Business Manager Russ Garnett (left) and Local 49 President Travis Hopkins (right). Local 49 donates to the Toy & Joy Makers every year. Toys are collected at the union’s annual Christmas party, and money is raised through a 50/50 raffle. Toy & Joy Makers is a local toy drive founded by Portland Fire & Rescue in 1914, to help out local families in need around Christmas time. Veresen Inc., the Canadian company behind the proposed Jordan Cove liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant in Coos Bay, says it will file a new, revised application after being denied construction permits by the Fed- eral Energy Regulatory Com- mission (FERC). The company wants to build an LNG storage facility on the North Spit in Coos Bay. The original proposal included an adjacent 420-megawatt power plant, and a 234-mile connector pipeline. The price tag was $6 billion, all privately-funded, without any taxpayer incentives. A project labor agreement is in place with the Oregon Build- ing and Construction Trades Council to build the facility with all-union labor. It also has sup- port from the Oregon AFL-CIO. The new filing with FERC will not include a power plant. Last March, FERC denied the construction permit applica- tions, stating that market sup- port wasn’t there, and that the public benefits of the pipeline didn’t outweigh the potential for adverse impacts on landowners and communities. Veresen’s request for a re- hearing was denied by FERC on Dec. 9. “While the decision was dis- appointing, we remain commit- ted to this project,” said Betsy Spomer, CEO of Jordan Cove Energy Project, L.P. and Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline, LP, in a press release. On Dec. 13, Jordan Cove LNG withdrew its application with the Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council to build a power plant. “Through feedback from stakeholders and extensive en- gineering work, we have de- signed a more efficient facility that does not require a power plant, and will reduce overall environmental impacts,” said Spomer, emphasizing that the 2015 Final Environmental Im- pact Statement remains valid and has already confirmed that the project is environmentally responsible. As Jordan Cove LNG readies the applications for re-filing, im- portant agreements, such as the project labor agreement, will stay in place. “It’s business as usual,” said Tim Frew, executive secretary of the Oregon Building & Con- struction Trades Council. “Jordan Cove’s investment will rank among the largest pri- vate investments in Oregon’s history,” State Sen. Arnie Rob- lan said in a press release issued by Boost Southwest Oregon, a coalition of organizations, politicians, and individuals that support the project. “The project will generate hundreds of mil- lions in tax revenue for schools, infrastructure improvements and public safety that will take the burden off the backs of local taxpayers.” Boost Southwest Oregon has put out a call for more people to join their coalition “to make our voices heard.” To become a booster, go to boostsouthwest- oregon.org/boosters. Oregon, Washington buck national trend as job-related deaths decline A total of 4,836 fatal work in- juries were recorded in the United States in 2015, a slight increase from the 4,821 fatal in- juries reported in 2014, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics re- ported Dec. 16 in its Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. Oregon and Washington were among 29 states to buck the na- tional trend and see their job-re- lated fatalities decrease. Oregon registered 44 job-re- lated deaths in 2015, compared to 69 the previous year. That equates to 2.6 deaths per 100,000 workers. Washington had 70 work- place fatalities in 2015, com- pared to 88 in 2014. That equates to 2.1 deaths per 100,000 workers. Key findings of the 2015 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries: • Annual total of 4,836 fatal work- place injuries in 2015 was the highest since 5,214 fatal injuries in 2008. • The overall rate of fatal work in- jury for workers in 2015, at 3.38 per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers, was lower than the 2014 rate of 3.43. • Hispanic or Latino workers in- curred 903 fatal injuries in 2015—the most since 937 fatal- ities in 2007. • Workers age 65 years and older incurred 650 fatal injuries, the second-largest number for the group since the national census began in 1992, but decreased from the 2014 figure of 684. • Roadway incident fatalities were up 9 percent from 2014 totals, accounting for over one-quarter of the fatal occupational injuries in 2015. • Workplace suicides decreased 18 percent in 2015; homicides were up 2 percent from 2014 totals. • Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers recorded 745 fatal in- juries, the most of any occupa- tion. • The 937 fatal work injuries in the private construction industry in 2015 represented the highest to- tal since 975 cases in 2008. • Fatal injuries in the private oil and gas extraction industries were 38 percent lower in 2015 than 2014. • Seventeen percent of decedents were contracted by and perform- ing work for another business or government entity in 2015 rather than for their direct employer at the time of the incident. ONLINE EXTRA To see the full report, go to https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ cfoi.nr0.htm
