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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2015
Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian
People listen during the Oregon LNG permit public hearing at the Warrenton Community Center Wednesday.
LNG: ‘What part of ‘no’ don’t you understand?’
Continued from Page 1A
‘Prime site’
Warrenton Planning Direc-
tor Skip Urling recommended
that Kearns approve Oregon
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ample, the company must take
measures to mitigate the proj-
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public infrastructure.
A series of consultants for
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company’s efforts to minimize
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operations — and to shore up,
with state-of-the-art geotech-
nical and design methods, the
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tanks and facilities.
This project, which has been
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from local, state and federal
agencies, “has been scrutinized
probably more than any project
you’ve seen,” said Mike Con-
nors, the Portland attorney rep-
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He said the city decided a
decade ago to amend its com-
prehensive plan and rezone the
land to allow for the type of in-
dustrial development the com-
pany is proposing.
“For decades, this particu-
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prime site for a heavy, marine
industrial use, and the city has
made attempts to try to entice
or encourage development,” he
said, adding that “the question
any young people that can stay
here.”
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saw the jobs issue from a differ-
ent angle. “They say we don’t
care about jobs,” she said. “We
care about jobs — and if you
ruin the environment, you don’t
have any jobs for anybody.”
Yes and no
“I think we all want the
7KH /1* VXSSRUWHUV PD\ same thing. We want a good
have been outnumbered, but living environment. We want
their message was consistent. a place we can enjoy and that
Again and again, they focused ZHFDQEHSURXGRI´VDLG/LVD
on the need for family-wage /DPSLQJ DQ /1* VXSSRUW-
jobs in Warrenton; some even er and former Warrenton city
ZRUH EXWWRQV UHDGLQJ ³/1* commissioner. “I think we can
= JOBS.” The company has FRH[LVWZLWKWKLV/1*SURMHFW
promised that the three- to four- if it’s done right.”
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year construction period would
provide thousands of new jobs H[SUHVVHG WKH LPSDWLHQFH DQG
and deliver about 150 perma- LQFUHGXOLW\ RI /1* RSSRQHQWV
Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian
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nent jobs.
Daniel Kearns, a Portland land use attorney, speaks during an Oregon LNG permit public
³-REVKHUHDUHKDUGWR¿QG´ entering the community since
hearing at the Warrenton Community Center Wednesday.
Dick Hellberg, a former War- 2004: “Why are we here after
renton city commissioner, so many years?”
“We’ve said ‘no,’ and we’ve
of whether this type of use is mendation to approve the eliminating wildlife habitats.
said. “Without jobs for people,
appropriate in this particular pipeline and terminal permits,
In addition, she reminded we’re going to continue to give said ‘no,’ and we’ve said ‘no,’”
location has already been deter- *ROGEHUJVDLGWKH/1*SURMHFW Kearns that earlier this week food to the food bank without /XFDVVDLG³,W¶VWKHROGVD\LQJ
mined.”
violates multiple provisions in a federal judge in Portland solving the problem,” he said. What part of ‘no’ don’t you un-
+RZHYHU/DXUHQ*ROGEHUJ the city code, including the cri- XSKHOGDPDJLVWUDWH¶V¿QGLQJV “And we’re not going to have derstand?”
the staff attorney for Columbia WHULRQLQYROYLQJSXEOLFEHQH¿W
Riverkeeper — a Hood Riv-
She quoted the U.S. Envi-
er-based environmental group ronmental Protection Agency
WKDW RSSRVHV WKH /1* SURMHFW as stating the project will not
— argued that the city’s deci- provide the kind of economic
sion to designate the area for in- EHQH¿W WKDW WKH DSSOLFDQW DQG
dustrial development “does not local governments anticipate;
predetermine that an industrial instead, the project will con-
development of this magnitude tribute to the further degra-
is appropriate.”
dation of the Columbia River
Despite Urling’s recom- estuary while changing or
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to a U.S. Army Corps of En-
gineers easement on the pro-
posed site arose only after the
statute of limitations had run
out. The ruling underlined the
fact that part of the site is, at
the moment, unavailable to the
company.
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the building’s businesses the same
Fishermen’s Cooperative Pack-
ing Co., from the Port of Asto-
The Red Building includes ria for $120,000. They planned
the Bridgewater Bistro, of- WR VSHQG PLOOLRQ ¿[LQJ LW
¿FHVDQG7KH/RIWDWWKH5HG up.
Building, an event space up-
At an Astoria Develop-
stairs. At the last meeting, ment Commission meeting in
/RPPDVVRQ VDLG KH SODQV WR 2010, city councilors voted
keep the businesses the same. to give Union Fish Proper-
In 2004, partners Ryan ties a $350,000 loan to help
Davis and Helligso, working ZLWK ¿UVWÀRRU UHQRYDWLRQV
under Union Fish Properties, and a $325,000 grant to help
bought the Red Building , the write down previous loans.
last structure from the Union Then-Community Develop-
Continued from Page 1A
ment Director Brett Estes said
at the time that the urban re-
newal district had been largely
created to establish a confer-
ence center.
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Development Commission
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February. In anticipation of a
possible sale, the commission
later agreed to transfer the
loan to Cary and Helligso, in-
stead of Union Fish, and fur-
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