DIVERSE COALITION FILES CHALLENGE OF RISKY FOREIGN ENERGY PROJECT

Contacts:
Susan Jane Brown, Staff Attorney, Western Environmental Law Center – 503.914.1323
Lesley Adams, Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center – 541.488.5789
Jody McCaffree, Citizens Against LNG – 541.756.0759
Rory Cox, Pacific Environment – 415.399.8850 x302

Coos Bay, Oregon – A coalition of environmentalists, local landowners, fishermen, and landowners filed a petition for rehearing with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) regarding its December 2009 decision to approve the Jordan Cove liquefied natural gas terminal and Pacific
Connector pipeline.

The project includes a terminal to import foreign-sourced liquefied natural gas proposed to be located on a spit near Coos Bay, and the 234-mile pipeline which would ship the gas from the terminal to Malin, Oregon, near the California border. There, the pipeline would connect with an existing pipeline, enabling the natural gas to be delivered to Northern California.

Jody McCaffree, resident of the Coos Bay Area, stated, “The violations of law in FERC's approval of this project are so severe it took 185 pages just for our attorneys to list them. It is time for FERC to stop catering to outdated energy systems of the past and get on board with energy independent, energy efficient, renewable energy systems of the future."

According to Rory Cox, California Program Director at Pacific Environment, “FERC ignored all the obvious reasons why this project should be rejected, and gave it their rubber stamp. This appeal addresses those reasons.”

Lesley Adams of the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center, agreed, saying, "I am appalled that FERC would grant approval for a project of this nature with its enormous threats to Oregon's waters, forests and communities without due diligence in fully analyzing its necessity or impacts."

Bob Barker, whose retirement home is next to the pipeline route, knows that the project will have a devastating impact on the hundreds of landowners along the pipeline route whose private property will be taken against their will. “This intrusion on private property rights and the Oregon environment is not justified by a project that will increase our dependence on foreign source natural gas when the domestic supply of natural gas is sufficient to meet U.S. needs for the foreseeable future”.

The Jordan Cove project is sponsored by PG&E, Williams Pipeline, and Fort Chicago. The coalition is represented by Western Environmental Law Center, based in Eugene, Oregon. The groups filed their petition for rehearing with FERC on Saturday, January 16th 2010. A copy of the petition for rehearing is available upon request.

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