community news
State Appeals Board
Denies LNG Project
Oregon Land Use Board of
Appeals Upholds Clatsop
County’s Decision Denying
Gas Pipeline for LNG Terminal
LUBA’s decision comes after
years of legal wrangling by the LNG
company. In October 2013, the Clatsop
County Board of Commissioners voted
5-0 to reject the Oregon LNG pipeline.
A state appeals board agreed The County Commissioners concluded
with Clatsop County’s decision that a that Oregon LNG’s proposed 41-mile
liquefied natural gas (LNG) pipeline long, high-pressure gas pipeline violated
would threaten public safety and the county’s land use laws on dozens
improperly harm protected rivers and of grounds. Oregon LNG claimed the
Commissioners were biased, but the
farmland.
On April 29 the Oregon Land Oregon Court of Appeals rejected that
Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) ruled in argument.
The Oregon LNG company
favor of Clatsop County, upholding the
County’s decision to deny a key permit proposes building an LNG terminal
for the Oregon LNG pipeline. Without in Warrenton, Oregon, and exporting
the critical land use permit, the proposed North American natural gas to overseas
LNG pipeline cannot be built, as state markets. Among the project’s many
law prohibits the LNG company from impacts, the company proposes
securing state environmental permits or dredging a massive hole that spans
certifications without county land use 135 acres of the Columbia River in
Youngs Bay — roughly the size of 102
permits.
“We are thrilled that LUBA football fields — for a turning basin to
chose to respect our county’s decision accommodate LNG tankers that would
to deny Oregon LNG’s proposed dock at the terminal. This area is the
natural gas export pipeline,” said Laurie heart of what has historically been the
Caplan, an Astoria resident and local most popular sport and commercial
activist representing Columbia Pacific salmon fishing area on the Columbia
River. Oregon LNG’s dredging alone
Common Sense.
In the decision, LUBA ruled would destroy critical habitat for twelve
that Clatsop County properly decided stocks of endangered and threatened
that the LNG pipeline violates local salmon and steelhead. The project
laws designed to protect public safety also requires taking private property
and salmon. The County found that using eminent domain to build the gas
the pipeline operates with pressurized pipeline from the United States-Canada
flammable and explosive gases that border to Warrenton.
The LUBA decision is the
present a well-documented safety risk
to nearby residential uses. The County latest setback for the struggling LNG
also found that Oregon LNG’s plans company. In August 2014, Oregon LNG
to bore the pipeline under salmon- filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Army
bearing rivers violated the requirement Corps of Engineers (Army Corps) over
to protect the Columbia River estuary, a property dispute. The Army Corps
an area at the center of regional and claims that it owns permanent rights
national efforts to recover endangered to use the site of the proposed LNG
terminal. If a federal court upholds the
salmon.
A free conversation with play activists Jonathan Blasher and Tara Doherty
“Today’s decision marks a Army Corps’ property right, Oregon
significant
turning point for LNG on LNG cannot build the terminal.
Tuesday, April 21
the Columbia River,” stated Brett
6:30 pm at the Vernonia Library Currently, there are two
VandenHeuvel, Executive Director for proposals to locate LNG facilities on the
Research shows that play and physical activity can have positive effects on
Columbia Riverkeeper. “The people of Oregon Coast and the Columbia River,
children’s health, well-being, and education; they also boost health and
coupled with associated proposals to
Clatsop County want clean water, safe
creativity in adults. What is the value of play? Please note: this session will
communities,
and strong salmon runs. construct hundreds of miles of new
include interactive play for all levels of ability.
natural gas pipelines throughout Oregon
LNG development would take us in the
Blasher and Doherty are both from Playworks, a Portland-based national
and Washington.
wrong direction.”
nonprofit that transforms schools by providing play and physical activity at
The Power of Play:
Promoting Health and Creativity
recess throughout the school day.
Guns in America:
Exploring the Second Amendment
A free conversation with Reed College professor Pancho Savery
Wednesday, May 20
6:30 pm at the Vernonia Library
The topics of gun violence, gun control, and the right to bear arms are
constantly in the news. The Second Amendment guarantees Americans the
freedom to own guns. Why wasn’t this freedom incorporated into the First
Amendment, along with freedom of the press, speech, religion, and right of
assembly? What special circumstances made the freedom to own guns
important enough to merit its own amendment?
Savery is professor of English, humanities, and American studies at Reed
College, where he teaches courses in American literature post-1850, African
American literature, and modern and contemporary American and European
drama. For the past twelve years, he has worked with Oregon Humanities on
the Humanity in Perspective program.
This program is made possible by the generous support
of Oregon Humanities, the National Endowment for the
Humanities, and the Oregon Cultural Trust.
Hosted by the Friends of the Vernonia Public Library and the Vernonia Library Board.
For more information, contact Shannon Romtvedt at
(503) 429-1818 or shannonr@vernonia-or.go v
may7
County Commissioners
continued from front page
safety of pipelines and the gas industry,
the lack of transparency by the project’s
financial backers, and the responsibility
of the Commissioners to look out for
the welfare and common good of the
citizens of Columbia County.
The Commissioners also dis-
cussed Ballot Measure 5-243, which
would increase the Natural Resources
Depletion tax (and specifically targets
the gravel industry in the county) to
provide revenue to maintain county
roads and fund the Columbia County
Rider public transportation system. Lo-
cal business owner Mike Pihl told the
Commissioners and the audience that
if the increase passes it would impact
his business and he might be forced to
purchase rock for road building from
Washington County instead of support-
ing local Columbia County businesses.
“We need to exercise common sense
and I’m going to vote no on it,” said
Pihl.
Hyde told the audience that Co-
lumbia County is the only county in the
state that taxes aggregate, which cur-
rently funds road maintenance. Hyde
said he is very concerned about setting
a precedent of taxing a specific industry
when the county has a compelling need.
“There is no doubt in my mind that we
have a compelling need,” said Hyde. “I
think our transit system and the way it
serves our citizens and particularly our
senior citizens, is an important issue for
us. We do have to find a way to be re-
sponsible enough to fund it. But just
to go after an industry because there
is an opportunity to tax them on what
they produce, I think is very dangerous.
What’s next-timber?”
2015
7
Heimuller and Fisher agreed
with Hyde. Heimuller stated that he is
in favor of road projects and that he has
a passion for public transit.
When asked how they fund
the transportation system if the bal-
lot measure is rejected, Heimuller said
many public transit systems are funded
through a special tax district and tax all
property owners to pay for operations.
Others use a business tax on all busi-
nesses. Heimuller did not expound on
other options for funding public transit.
When asked about a proposed
moratorium on marijuana dispensaries
in Columbia County, Commissioner
Hyde explained that the County is wait-
ing for the state to establish guidelines
for where retail marijuana sales will
be allowed. “We’re not trying to stop
marijuana consumption in Columbia
County,” said Hyde. “The people of
this state have spoken, on both medi-
cal marijuana in the 1990s and on rec-
reational last year.” Hyde went on to
say that they have heard complaints
about grow operations from neighbor-
ing properties. Hyde said a temporary
moratorium on medical dispensaries
and retail establishments would allow
time for the state to formulate specific
guidelines and doesn’t impact the 975
medical marijuana card holders or the
768 licensed medical marijuana grow-
ers in the county. Hyde confirmed that
the county moratorium only effects
unincorporated areas of the county.
Hyde added that the state is considering
dispensing marijuana through liquor
stores.
