Governor fights federal control of LNG


In February, the scrap over liquefied natural gas terminals in Oregon jumped from being a heated topic on the coast to a major talking point in state politics.

 

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SALEM In February, the scrap over liquefied natural gas terminals in Oregon jumped from being a heated topic on the coast to a major talking point in state politics.

In a strongly worded letter to the chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Gov. Ted Kulongoski insisted that FERC stop its review of the state’s three proposed LNG terminals until the agency considered every alternative for supplying natural gas to the region.

He wrote that he was concerned the agency’s approach to licensing had “created a crises of confidence with Oregonians.”  Kulongoski will ask Oregon’s congressional delegation to work to appeal portions of Energy Policy Act of 2005, which gave the federal government exclusive authority in approving LNG terminals. NorthernStar Natural Gas, the company behind a proposed terminal on the Columbia River near Astoria, defended the permitting process.         

ABRAHAM HYATT


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