Bradwood Landing, The Next Trojan
If you get mail in this county, yes even two year olds, you have probably received a slick piece of marketing from Northern Star AKA the folks behind the LNG facility development at Bradwood Landing. Yes, they are burning up the resources to try to convince you that they are really a nice company with their concerns to make (Clatsop)
Northern Star was flying below my radar until the recent salmon preservation flier was mailed. Here they claim that the park on the Columbia at Fort Stevens is actually Fort Clatsip State Park, do notice how they spelled Clatsop, and placed a national monument about ten miles to the North West from where it actually is.
Next they left out the island which would have the biggest impact if there were ever a problem at Bradwood,
They mention mitigation, which simply means that they are going to fuck up the environment so badly with their construction and dredging that the least they can do is preserve a scrap of land that the river can reclaim at any time.
They are also going to buy Knappa a new fire station, which will come in handy when recovery efforts are needed. No fire department could possibly do anything if there were ever a disaster at an LNG terminal. Especially if the disaster happened on a tanker heading up to the facility, lets say in front of Astoria.
Folks, think it over. Sure the towns made out pretty well when the Trojan Plant was built a little further up river. New schools and all that, but remember how the public applauded when the cooling tower was brought down.
North Star is an opportunistic company that will do all it can to suck the life out of our community without regards to the safety of the citizens who live here and make their living here.
I wrote to North Star explaining my concerns with their carpet bagging behavior. The only point they addressed in their reply was that they would be willing to take me off their mailing list. I would have gone for it, but I think I’d rather see what else they plan to send out so I can comment further.
So according to them Fort “Clatsip” State Park is on the
Labels: Bradwood Landing, LNG, Northern Star
posted by The Guy Who Writes This at 5:39 AM
16 Comments:
Guy, you forgot that they gifted (bought off) Washington's Julia Butler Hanson whitetail deer wildlife refuge with millions of dollars.
And they did something for Cathlamet as well. Wasn't that 750K?
They are going to continue greasing the community, I'm sure.
I just heard that KAST is going to broadcast from the Bradwood Landing office once a week. Does anyone out there have more details on this? If so I wonder how much it costs to purchase that sort of loyalty and PR?
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Thank you Guy!
This whole LNG and the river is unsettling for me. I am glad that this blog is visiting the topic and asking questions. Realising what is going on here is uncomfortable for me but needed. That is the only time I do anything usually - When things get a little too uncomfortable.
For now about all I can do is research the facts in the matter. That said, what can I do or what can we do? suggestions anyone? At this point I am willing.
Thanks again
A great place to start is here:
http://www.columbiarivervision.org/
re: Cathlamet
They wrote a 200k check to the Wahkiakum Community Foundation. Promised "up to 20M" over many, many years. They also got one short of a majority on the board that doles out the money.
check out the Wahkiakum Friends of the River's site. They are the local anti-LNG group.
I wrote them a note of support and they wanted to know more about the KAST broadcast.
A friend heard Tom Freel say on the radio this morning that during December they will do remotes from Lum's every Friday in December and from the Bradwood office every Tuesday in December. Fancy that!
Maybe they can stop doing that advertiser auction now that they have a friend with deep pockets. Corruption is running deep around here.
The possibilty for a large LNG facility was one of the primary reasons I chose not to live in the Astoria area. I couldn't see living near something that has the potential to melt metal a half-mile away.
You'd be pretty safe on the South Slope, if that's any consolation.
It would be really refreshing to see anti-LNG people who at least had the grace to know what they were talking about! LNG cannot blow up - it is a physical impossibility. I also agree that NSNG went over the top on their mail campaign, but heaven forbid they should try to INFORM people about what's going on. Oh no, everything they say is and will always be a LIE to you all. Yes they are red-faced over their typo in the brochure, and since they know everyone noticed that, you can bet it taught them to proofread. I checked into the map, however, and discovered that it is an artists conception painted from a Lewis & Clark historial document. So I guess you should complain to the artist.
By the way, for those who think that NSNG is just telling people what they want to hear about mitigation, safety, etc., remember that everything they've said they will do is a part of the permitting process. Even if they were just telling tales, putting it INTO the FERC approval process means that those promises will be kept.
And for those who are still on the fence in the matter - please remember that the Anti-LNG sites as listed above say and do anything they like to try and sway people.
So then, why is it they told us the gas will be for Oregon only, and now they are building a pipeline to California.
LNG plants may be safe(matter of opinion), however the ships are far from safe. Also did you know that that 3% of the LNG goes into the atmosphere while unloading? Do you realize that shipping restrictions will be so drastic that other forms of goods transportation will be harmed? Do you know they, a private company, are going to sieze land for the pipelines, I thought only the governmant could do that. How would you like to lose your home so North Star can make money from supplying California with Gas?
The gas delivered to this region is not going to be sent to California, that is the plan for the proposed project further on down the coast near Coos Bay, which is a completely different company. NorthernStar's gas will be put into the NW Natural pipeline for use in Oregon and Washington.
Also, there is no indication of drastic shipping restrictions - that is something that is still being determined by the Coast Guard. The channel itself may be restricted in the course of the tankers transit, but only during its passing. Everyone seems to think it's a 2 mile ahead/behind and 1 mile on each side security zone, and that just simply will not apply here. The bridge will not close, shipping will not be disrupted. Also, I would like to see any proof of your statement that the company would "sieze" private property, because obviously, that is something they cannot do as a company. Again, I think it's all just rhetoric that has been dished out by various groups.
That pipeline from Coos Bay you are talking about is now planned to extend up this way. I was recently at a meeting where property owners in the path of the pipeline have letters from North Star stating their intent to have their property condemmed. The size of the facility that is planned is overkill. Washington and Oregons natural gas use is 1/5 if what they will be importing.
Also if you ever meet anyone who has done any consulting work for them the secrecy agreement they had to sign is very suspicious to me. If everything is all sunshine and lollypops, why do you need a secrecy agreement.
You know, I didn't care one way or another about LNG two months ago. My only thought was to put it in Warrenton so as not to screw up shipping up stream, and if there was an accident, so what, it's only Warrenton. When that flier came out it made me wonder. I spoke to some pro LNG people and I went to that one meeting at the Cannery Pier Hotel. So let's say that only 1/2 of what the LNG people are saying is true, and 1/2 of what the opponents are saying is true. I have to side with the opponents.
There is so much wrong with the whole thing. I will encourage you to attend one of these meetings for the purpose of objectivity. Afterwards you may change your mind.
If the Jordan Cove pipeline has been changed to come this way I was not aware of that - fine, but NorthernStar has nothing to do with that project as previously stated - I was simply responding to the comment that Bradwood's gas was going to CA.
A non-disclosure agreement is standard in any industry where high technology or security is involved. The people that need to know, know - and people that don't need to know wouldn't have any use for the information anyway. It has nothing to do with keeping secrets.
I also think that Warrenton would have been a lousy location, even for just a storage facility. Bradwood, however, is the most reasonable of any of the sites along the Columbia River.
People need to face facts that importing LNG into the US is in our future whether they wish it or not. The majority of our gas here comes from Canada and Alaska, and more and more of it is being routed to the East Coast. With nothing done to equalize the supply and demand in this part of the country, gas prices for industries and the consumer will keep increasing. It isn't an immediate need, no, but an eventual one.
LNG and regasification terminals have existed for decades in other countries and other locations in the US, within a much closer proximity to major populations than here. Over the last 20 years especially, advances in design and safety have excelled, vanquishing the need to fear this substance.
Be assured, sir, I know of what I speak - and yes, I have attended both opposition meetings and many presentations by the various energy companies and government entities involved.
On the note of "it's gonna happen eventually no matter what anyone says", I would just hope that even if NorthernStar somehow doesn't get approval and goes away, that the next company that DOES get approval is even half as professional and community or environmentally minded. I don't think we would be as fortunate.
Certain things alarm me, the non-expert blogger-citizen. If this is so safe, why has it been stopped in several other parts of the country? Why did Tejauna (sp) Mexico turn it down? They normally don't give a crap about anything.
Any industry that concerns the citizens the way LNG does needs full disclosure. The bait and switch tactics alarm me. Questions aren't being answered, kind of like the tobacco industry, but the DOE is doing all it can to force this upon us.
Anyway, you are responding to a post that has now been archived and it is doubtful that your points of view will be unseen for the most part. I encourage you to visit and post your ideas on a local forum, Clatsop County Matters. Here is the address
http://driedsalmon.proboards54.com
You may post anonymously. Please balance the discussion.
Personally I still hold the opinion that it will harm our area economically, except for the new fire equipment Knappa will get. The jobs will be few, and the strain in the infrastructure will be great.
Thank you very much for the link, as I've been looking for somewhere to post. There are many many supporters but unfortunately only the naysayers seem to be vocal, so I would love the opportunity to balance the discussion with logical and factual info that some people might not be aware of, and that might just ease some minds. It's been a pleasure.
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