Climate activists traveled from Eugene to Coos Bay to speak out at a public meeting for the Jordan Cove LNG project.
Kerin Sharma
A series of public meetings for the Jordan Cove liquefied natural gas project began Tuesday afternoon on Oregon’s south coast.
It was the first public meeting since the Canadian company Veresen refiled its permit application with the federal government. The company is proposing to build an LNG export terminal near Coos Bay, in addition to the 235-mile Pacific Connector Pipeline that will connect the terminal to natural gas supplies in the mountain West.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission denied the permit last year. But backers believe they will get a different outcome under the Trump Administration.
More than 100 people attended the meeting, including Clarence Adams, a landowner from Tenmile, in Douglas County. The route of the proposed pipeline crosses his property.
“Very discouraging to have to fight this thing over and over again. Once they lose, they should lose period,” he said. “I’m not going to sell to them. They’re going to have to take me to court. It’s not about the money, it’s about the private property rights.”
Union members at a public meeting in Coos Bay say the proposed Jordan Cove LNG project will provide much needed jobs in southwest Oregon.
Kerin Sharma
But others beyond the individual rights issues and see Jordan Cove as a potential boon for the local economy – especially in terms of construction job creation.
“I always felt this project was going to go. It’s a viable project and one that’s really needed for Southwest Oregon,” said Gary Jackson, Senior Business Representative with The Laborers International Union, Local 373.
Federal regulators will use the meetings to determine what will be considered as part of the project’s environmental impact analysis.
Two more public meetings are planned this week, one Wednesday afternoon in Roseburg and the other Thursday in Klamath Falls.