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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (March 21, 2020)
A2 THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2020 IN BRIEF Razor clam dig off in Washington state OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington state halted a four-day razor clam dig that was to begin on Friday. The Department of Fish and Wildlife said the action was in response to Pacifi c County’s health offi cer advising the closure of beaches to razor clam digging over concerns about the coronavirus. State shellfi sh managers had approved a dig after vetting it with county offi cials and health depart- ments in Grays Harbor and Pacifi c counties, and after consultation with state health offi cials. “WDFW is responsive to the needs of local com- munities, and we manage razor clams in consulta- tion with our coastal communities to ensure sustain- able harvest,” said Larry Phillips, the state’s coastal region director. “But, under these circumstances, we need to include more than sustainable harvest in our deci- sion-making and do what is the best for the commu- nity. We understand that the county health depart- ment is responding to a global pandemic and WDFW is canceling these digs to support that work and keep folks healthy.” Pacifi c County’s order doesn’t ban access to pub- lic beaches. “However, as a reminder, Pacifi c County recommends that people at higher risk of serious ill- ness from COVID-19 stay home as much as possi- ble,” the county said. — Chinook Observer County says only fl ush toilet paper The Clatsop County Public Works Department says fl ushing anything besides toilet paper and bodily waste can clog sewer pipes and create a mess that can cause a public health hazard. Wipes, paper towels and napkins cannot be fl ushed. Offi cials say even wipes coined as “fl ush- able” can cause backups. They advise people to have a wastebasket in their bathroom to dispose those items. The use of wipes has increased because of con- cerns about the coronavirus. Two local measures qualify for May ballot Two local measures have qualifi ed for the May ballot. The Clatsop County Fair Board is asking voters to renew a fi ve-year levy with an increase to fund the growing cost of maintaining the fairgrounds. The Cannon Beach Rural Fire Protection District is asking voters to approve a levy to hire a second commanding offi cer and replace equipment. Despite postponements due to the coronavirus, Oregon Secretary of State Bev Clarno said the May election is moving forward as planned. — The Astorian In Brief DEATHS March 18, 2020 Deaths LAYTON, Mary Dolores, 87, of Asto- ria, died in Astoria. Caldwell’s Luce-Lay- ton Mortuary of Asto- ria is in charge of the arrangements. THOM, Robert Lee, 78, of Cannon Beach, died in Cannon Beach. Caldwell’s Funeral & Cremation Arrange- ment Center of Sea- side is in charge of the arrangements. March 9, 2020 REINIKKA, Allen L., 74, of Bellingham, Wash- ington, formerly of Asto- ria and Seaside, died in Bellingham. Memorial to be held at a later date. Gillies Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Lynde n, Washing- ton, is in charge of the arrangements. ON THE RECORD Theft full of groceries. On the Record • Thomas Kenneth Criminal trespass Sullivan, 41, of Ilwaco, Washington, was arrested Wednesday near Safe- way in Astoria for theft in the second degree after allegedly stealing a cart • Kristian Erik Wil- liamson, 60, was arrested Wednesday on W. Bond Street in Astoria for crim- inal trespass in the sec- ond degree. PUBLIC MEETINGS SATURDAY Warrenton City Commission, 5 p.m., emergency meeting, City Hall, 225 S. Main Ave. TUESDAY Warrenton City Commission, 6 p.m., City Hall, 225 S. Main Ave. Astoria Planning Commission, 6:30 p.m., City Hall, 1095 Duane St. PUBLIC MEETINGS Established July 1, 1873 (USPS 035-000) Published Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday by EO Media Group, 949 Exchange St., PO Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103 Telephone 503-325-3211, 800-781-3211 or Fax 503-325-6573. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Astorian, PO Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103-0210 DailyAstorian.com Circulation phone number: 503-325-3211 Periodicals postage paid at Astoria, OR ADVERTISING OWNERSHIP All advertising copy and illustrations prepared by The Astorian become the property of The Astorian and may not be reproduced for any use without explicit prior approval. Federal regulators approve Jordan Cove LNG project Terminal planned for Coos Bay By TED SICKINGER The Oregonian Federal regulators on Thursday approved the Jor- dan Cove liquefi ed natural gas export terminal in Coos Bay and the 230-mile Pacifi c Connector Pipeline, presaging a battle with Oregon, whose regulators have declined to issue the three most signif- icant state permits for the facility. The project’s owner, Cal- gary-based Pembina Pipeline Corp., immediately informed the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development that it intends to fi le a federal appeal to that agency’s decision last month that the project is inconsis- tent with state land use laws. Statute allows the company to appeal the decision to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wil- bur Ross, and the Trump administration is a fi rm backer of energy exports in general, and the Jordan Cove project in particular. The notice of appeal the company sent to the agency Thursday may be a decla- ration of war with the state, however. Backers of the proj- ect have been promising locals for 15 years that they would comply with state and local permits, but Pembina is now signaling that it intends to preempt the state. The federal decision and the notice of appeal immedi- ately drew fi re from Gov. Kate Brown and U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, and Brown vowed the project wouldn’t move forward without following state permitting processes. The Federal Energy Reg- ulatory Commission voted 2-1 to approve the controver- sial project, effectively agree- ing with a staff recommenda- tion that most of the project’s impacts could be reduced to less than signifi cant levels, and the public need for the By ASHLEY NERBOVIG and LUKE WHITTAKER Chinook Observer ILWACO, Wash. — One of the largest creditors of Jes- sie’s Ilwaco Fish Co. is chal- lenging the appointment of a receiver for the troubled sea- food processor. Jessie’s fi led for receiver- ship in late February, short- changing several fi shermen owed money by the company. Pacifi c County Superior Court Judge Donald Rich- ter assigned Christopher Wain, owner of the Bellevue fi rm, Turnford Restructur- ing Group, as receiver. Wain was recommended by Donald Alber, owner of Alber’s Sea- food Inc., which bought Jes- sie’s in 2013. But GemCap Lending I LLC, one of Jessie’s larg- est creditors, opposes Wain’s appointment and moved to have him replaced by Revi- talization Partners, a fi rm out of Seattle. GemCap’s motion was supported by Jessie’s sec- Luke Whittaker/Chinook Observer Attorney Faye Rasch, right, speaks with Florian Mumford, owner of the F/V Dream, following a hearing at Pacifi c County Courthouse in South Bend. ond-largest creditor, Craft3. All creditors are allowed to participate in the vote on whether to appoint a new receiver. The court was looking at a tentative date next week. But due to concerns about the coronavirus, all civil matters will be postponed through April. In April 2017, Jessie’s borrowed $5 million from GemCap and pledged all the company’s assets as collat- eral. GemCap was not told Jessie’s would be put into VOLUNTEER PICK OF THE WEEK Neko 7 year old white Lab blend Printed on recycled paper Subscription rates Eff ective May 1, 2019 Neko lives with hearing loss, but overcomes with a sweet and vibrant personality. MAIL (IN COUNTY) EZpay (per month) ...............................................................................................................$11.25 13 weeks in advance ...........................................................................................................$37.00 26 weeks in advance ...........................................................................................................$71.00 52 weeks in advance ........................................................................................................ $135.00 DIGITAL EZpay (per month) .................................................................................................................$8.00 a license or permit for this project unless the U.S. s ecre- tary of c ommerce overrides this objection on appeal.” Even if the commerce sec- retary decided to overturn the state’s land use decision, it’s not clear the project could obtain a water quality and dredging permit if the state is opposed. Pembina said in a news release Thursday that the deci- sion from FERC represents the most signifi cant step for- ward for Jordan Cove since Pembina acquired the project in 2017 in a merger with its owner, Veresen Inc. “We appreciate FERC’s science-based approach to their review. The approval emphasizes yet again that Jor- dan Cove is environmentally responsible and is a project that should be permitted given a prudent regulatory and legal process was undertaken,” said Harry Andersen, Pembina’s s enior v ice p resident and c hief l egal o ffi cer. The company did not address its diffi culties with state permits, but emphasized that it had received approval from 14 local jurisdictions. The company already has a somewhat fractious rela- tionship with Oregonians. Its previous attempt to build a propane export terminal in Portland ultimately led the city to adopt a moratorium on development of all new fos- sil fuel infrastructure. Public hearings on its land use per- mit for the LNG terminal and Receivership plan stalled MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Out of County Rates available at 800-781-3214 facility outweighed any of those impacts. Commissioner Richard Glick dissented, saying the decision violated the Natu- ral Gas Act and the National Environmental Policy Act because it did not adequately consider the project’s green- house emissions or its impact on endangered species. The commission’s chair, Neil Chatterjee, said Pembina now needs to obtain all neces- sary permits from the state. Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality denied the project’s water quality cer- tifi cate last year. It did so in part for procedural reasons and said Jordan Cove could reapply. But it also said at the time that it had “insuffi cient information to demonstrate compliance with water qual- ity standards, and because the available information shows that some standards are more likely than not to be violated.” In January, the Department of State Lands rejected an extension request from Pem- bina for the project’s dredg- ing permit, saying it had not received critical information. And the Department of Land Conservation and Development last month said the project would have signif- icant adverse effects on state lands. The state agency deter- mined the project was not con- sistent with the state’s land use laws and said neither the Fed- eral Energy Regulatory Com- mission nor the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers “can grant pipeline drew tens of thou- sands of public comments. And the company’s c hief e xecutive, Mick Dilger, has made disparaging remarks to fi nancial analysts about state regulators inability to handle permitting for a large hydro- carbon project. Brown issued a statement Thursday saying she had long been clear that her posi- tion has been to ensure the neutrality and fairness of the state permitting process. But she said she was stunned by FERC’s decision to go for- ward with a decision at a time of national emergency. “As the FERC c hair stated earlier today, it is now incum- bent on the company to secure all state permits. Currently, this project does not have a green light from state agen- cies,” she said . “I want to reit- erate that I will not stand for any attempt to ignore Ore- gon’s authority to protect pub- lic safety, health and the envi- ronment,” she said, adding that she had asked state law- yers to consider all appropri- ate legal action to assure state permitting processes will be followed. “Let me be clear to the concerned citizens of s outh- west Oregon: until this proj- ect has received every sin- gle required permit from state and local agencies, I will use every available tool to pre- vent the company from taking early action on condemning private property or clearing land.” Jessie’s largest creditors battle COPYRIGHT © Entire contents © Copyright, 2020 by The Astorian. MEMBER CERTIFIED AUDIT OF CIRCULATIONS, INC. A rendering of the proposed Jordan Cove LNG terminal in Coos Bay. Sponsored by Bayshore Animal Hospital CLATSOP COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER 1315 SE 19th St., Warrenton • 861- PETS www.dogsncats.org Noon to 4pm, Tues-Sat receivership. An affi davit that Richard Ellis, co-president of Gem- Cap, fi led this month gave insight into Jessie’s fi nances. In the 10 days prior to fi ling for receivership, Jessie’s bor- rowed almost $500,000 from GemCap, Ellis said. And to get that money, Jessie’s may have lied about how much inventory it had, according to the affi davit. At a scheduling hearing last week to discuss when to hold a creditors’ meeting to appoint a new receiver, Arnold Willig, GemCap’s attorney, argued GemCap was the largest creditor of Jessie’s and it was GemCap’s right to have a choice in the receiver. Willig referred to GemCap as the “lifeblood” of Jessie’s. The attorney for Turnford, Faye Rasch, argued against the appointment of Revital- ization Partners. The fi rm is large with many lawyers and employees, Rasch said. Wain’s operation is stream- lined, with just one receiver and one lawyer, she said. And Wain is already work- ing to sort out the company’s fi nances. She said replacing the receiver would drag out the process. Florian Mumford, captain of the F/V Dream, Jim Kary, owner of F/V The Beach- comer, and Kary’s nephew, Ross Kary, sat in the court- room while the two attorneys argued. Referring to GemCap as the lifeblood of Jessie’s didn’t sit well with Ross Kary, who is working to get his uncle the money he is owed by Jessie’s. “The fi shermen are the lifeblood of the company,” Ross Kary said. Full Menu available on our Facebook page Call or message us your order on Facebook OPEN for deliveries & serving Grandma’s Prime Rib Friday & Saturday nights TO GO Open 11am - 11pm Camp Rilea • 33194 Patriot Way, Warrenton • 503-861-0245
