Former Transportation chairwoman claims wrongful termination for turning down coal money; Keystone XL pipeline protest planned in Salem; stage set for public comments on propane plant.
BY JACOB PALMER | OB DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR
Governor John Kitzhaber is being accused of pressuring a former Transportation Commission chairwoman to take money for a coal export terminal.
Catherine Mater told OregonLive.com that she was fired because of her refusal to take $2 million in subsidies:
She was the deciding vote in a 3-2 commission motion in August that doomed the grant that would’ve benefited Ambre Energy, the company proposing to annually export 8.8 million tons of coal through Oregon.
Kitzhaber’s action is puzzling because of his outspoken opposition to coal exports. His office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
An early harbinger for the controversial port that would allow mass amounts of fossil fuels to Asia will be discussed today as Pembina Pipeline Corp is seeking a zone change to allow a propane terminal.
From the Portland Tribune:
Pembina estimates that more than half the propane will wind up supplanting the use of coal, diesel and other dirtier fossil fuels in Asia that produce more carbon emissions and pollute the air. “It’s an opportunity to move a clean fuel to replace and transition away from heavier carbon-burning products,” Taylor says.
Environmentalists worry about potential explosions from transporting propane, and note that Pembina has declined to discuss that issue. They decry the use of hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” to extract the propane from Alberta gas fields, which involves injecting a water and chemical mix underground to pry loose oil and natural gas deposits.
Another major concern for environmentalists, the proposed Keystone XL pipeline that could be nearing reality with the political shift in the legislature, will be protested in Salem today.
“(Canadian) tar sands oil is the dirtiest kind of crude oil, with higher climate-changing carbon emissions than conventional crude oil,” the group said in an email. “Extracting tar sands oil wreaks terrible destruction on the land, water and health of communities on the front lines of production.”
The rally will begin at 5 p.m. on the east side of the bridge at Marion and Commercial streets NE.
Read more in the Statesman Journal.
