143rd YEAR, No. 45
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2015
Burn
ban
boots
battles
ONE DOLLAR
THE CLASH OVER LNG
Civil War living
history continues
with prices dropped
By ERICK BENGEL
The Daily Astorian
No muskets will be fired, nor
cannons blasted; no candles lit,
nor campfires kindled at the Civil
War re-enactment, to be held over
Labor Day weekend at Fort Ste-
vens State Park. The ongoing open
fire ban in place at state parks and
throughout Clatsop County is to
blame.
This means that, for the ¿rst time
in the Northwest Civil War Coun-
cil’s history, the event won’t feature
battle re-enactments, which tradi-
tionally have been the highlight.
“They will probably do some
drilling, but the battles themselves
will not happen,” council President
Scott Ingalls said. “It’s a pretty big
chunk of our event.”
An artillery demonstration and
a speed-loading contest have also
been canceled. Re-enactors won’t
be able to cook meals over open
¿res, either.
The council knows the burn ban
will decrease the expected number
of attendees and participating re-en-
actors. But the group understands
that ¿re¿ghting resources are tied
up throughout the state as men and
women continue to battle blazes on
several fronts.
“We wholeheartedly support this
decision on the part of the parks and
the county,” Ingalls said. “We don’t
want to be the ones that start a ¿re
there are no ¿remen to ¿ght.”
He added that the re-enactors
will make do with Àashlights and
Coleman stoves.
“Sure, it’s an inconvenience for
us, but big deal,” he said. “I think
it’s absolutely the best decision.”
See BURN BAN, Page 10A
Hugh McKenna/Daily Astorian File
Cliff Owen/AP File
In 2014, federal regulators concluded that Dominion Energy’s proposal to export liquefied natural gas from its Cove Point terminal on the
Chesapeake Bay in Maryland would pose “no significant impact” on the environment.
Astoria may
take sides on
Oregon LNG
City has no regulatory
say over project
Warrenton staff gives
OK to LNG permits
Public hearing scheduled for Wednesday
By DERRICK DePLEDGE
The Daily Astorian
In a symbolic gesture, the City Council
will likely back a resolution opposing the
Oregon LNG project as a potential threat to
the North Coast.
Astoria does not have any regulatory
oversight over the $6 billion project, but
many residents be-
lieve a terminal and
pipeline pose risks to
the environment, pub-
lic safety and the qual-
ity of life.
The resolution is
timed for the opening
of a hearing in War-
renton Wednesday on
development permits
for the project and
Arline
public meetings lat-
LaMear
er this month at the
Clatsop County Fairgrounds on the Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission’s draft en-
vironmental review.
“I think it’s important that we go out
and put ourselves on the line regarding the
LNG project,” Mayor Arline LaMear said.
“To me, the primary responsibility that the
City Council has is to protect the health and
safety of the citizens.
“And I think that this project could
threaten our health and safety.”
Christopher Baker washes a pitch-
er during the Civil War re-enact-
ment at Fort Stevens State Park.
See ASTORIA, Page 10A
By ERICK BENGEL
The Daily Astorian
IF YOU GO
W
ARRENTON — Warrenton’s plan-
ning staff will recommend the approv-
al of Oregon LNG’s land use permits
to develop a liTue¿ed natural gas terminal on the
Skipanon Peninsula and a natural gas pipeline to
serve the terminal.
The recommendation is contingent on the
energy company satisfying the city’s conditions
to offset the impact of the proMect on traf¿c and
public works.
Planning Director Skip Urling will present
the recommendation to hearings of¿cer Daniel
Kearns, a Portland land use attorney, at a public
hearing at 5 p.m. Wednesday at the Warrenton
Community Center. If necessary, the hearing
may continue Thursday.
After Urling’s testimony, members of the
public and interested parties may voice their
opinions. To ensure everyone gets a chance to
speak, Kearns may limit the amount of time each
person has to testify.
“I think that the opposition’s pretty well or-
ganized,” Urling said. “I think they’re going to
have a lot of people.”
A rally outside the community center is
planned for 4:15 p.m., said Laurie Caplan,
co-chairwoman of Columbia Paci¿c Common
Sense, a local group opposing the LNG project.
The project
Oregon LNG, a subsidiary of Leucadia Na-
tional Corp., a New York-based holding com-
pany, hopes to build an export terminal near the
5 p.m.. Wednesday
Warrenton Community Center
170 S.W. Third St.
Columbia River on land the company has leased
from the Port of Astoria and the Oregon Depart-
ment of State Lands.
The project design includes a facility to lique-
fy the natural gas by cooling it, two large storage
tanks, a loading terminal for tankers and addi-
tional support facilities. The new 87-mile pipe-
line, which would connect to an existing pipeline
in Woodland, Wash., would carry natural gas pri-
marily from Canada to the proposed terminal in
Warrenton.
The company estimates the project will cost
more than $6 billion.
For the terminal, the city’s permit actions
include site design review, two conditional
uses, a wetland hardship variance, a fence-
height variance and large-scale development
review.
For the pipeline, the permit actions include a
conditional use permit, a wetland hardship vari-
ance and large-scale development review.
Order of operations
After the hearing, Kearns will likely keep the
record open to written comments for one week.
Oregon LNG will have one week to submit a ¿-
nal written argument.
See WARRENTON, Page 10A
Wyden comes to Seaside to help foster kids
What happens
when kids age
out of foster care?
By R.J. MARX
The Daily Astorian
SEASIDE — Young peo-
ple leaving the foster care
system are falling through the
cracks, in terms of housing,
health care and basic neces-
sities.
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden came
to Seaside Monday to show
support for a Senate proposal
to expand funds available for
foster care families. The legis-
lation expands reimbursement
to provide parenting skills,
family counseling, mentoring
programs and services to sta-
bilize families in crisis.
“It looks like this fall we’re
going to be able to advance
this bill,” Wyden, D-Ore., the
ranking member of the Sen-
ate Finance Committee that
oversees foster care, said. “In
a tight budget environment,
it would be very hard to pro-
vide direct ¿nancial support,
but the idea is that we provide
young people ways to ¿nance
college, ways to secure hous-
ing and health care.”
Wyden, whose wife, Nan-
cy, joined him, chose Seaside
to debut his foster care ¿nance
reform package because the
city is home to FosterClub,
the Seaside-headquartered na-
tional network for young peo-
ple in foster care.
Nancy Wyden’s father and
aunt had both been in foster
care; her father from age 5 to
12 and her aunt from 13 to 15,
she said.
“I want you guys to pre-
tend you’re in my shoes,”
Sen. Wyden said. “I’d be in-
terested in hearing what you
would be working with you if
you were in my shoes.”
Royce Markley, 22, who
spent nine years in Oregon
and Washington state foster
care systems, said he had re-
ceived little or no information
on ¿nancial aid before enter-
ing Linn-Benton Community
College. “That put a lot of
strain on my life and my edu-
cation,” he said.
R.J. Marx/The Daily Astorian
See WYDEN, Page 10A
Celeste Bodner of FosterClub in Seaside receives a visit
from U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Monday.