Contacts:
Bethany Cotton, Cascadia Wildlands, (541) 434-1463
Allie Rosenbluth, Rogue Climate
Nathan Matthews, Sierra Club

After Years of Community Organizing, Jordan Cove LNG Export Terminal and Fracked Gas Pipeline Project is Dead

Pembina Announces It Has “Decided Not to Move Forward With the Project” and Asks the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to Cancel Its Permit

WASHINGTON, DC — Pembina, the Canadian company that tried to impose a fracked gas pipeline and export terminal on communities across Southern Oregon, today filed a formal request asking the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to cancel its permit for the project.
 
The company’s pipeline and export terminal subsidiaries “have decided not to move forward with the Project,” the request says.
 
They “remain concerned regarding their ability to obtain the necessary state permits in the immediate future in addition to other external obstacles,” the filing adds.
 
Pembina’s cancellation of this project follows years of opposition from a broad coalition of Oregonians concerned about risks to health and safety, climate change, environmental impacts, landowner rights, impacts on indigenous communities, and the need to shift to clean energy jobs instead of expanding fossil fuel use.
 
More than 50,000 Oregonians filed comments with state agencies when Pembina was unsuccessfully trying to show that it qualified for state permits. Tens of thousands attended public hearings over the past several years to express their opposition.
 
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality denied Pembina’s application for a Clean Water Act Section 401 permit in 2019 and Pembina withdrew their application for a removal-fill permit from the Oregon Department of State Lands in 2020. In 2021, the U.S. Department of Commerce sustained Oregon’s objection to Jordan Cove LNG under the Coastal Zone Management Act and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission determined that Oregon had not waived its authority to deny the Clean Water Act Section 401 certification.
 
“This is amazing news. We knew the project wasn’t viable because of all the risks that it brought to our communities,” said Chairman Don Gentry of the Klamath Tribes. “I am thankful for the cooperative effort to bring about this victory. This is a significant relief for our members who have been so concerned about the impacts for our members and the region as a whole”    
 
“This is a great day for landowners along the pipeline route, and a great day for Oregon,” said Deb Evans, an impacted landowner.  “This has been a long time coming, and we are so relieved that the threat of eminent domain is no longer hanging over us.”  
 
“The defeat of this project shows what communities can accomplish when we insist that public officials put the public interest ahead of the special interests of big corporations,” said Hannah Sohl of Rogue Climate, an organizing group of residents of the South Coast and other Southern Oregonian counties. “Now, we need those same public officials to act with urgency to speed our transition to clean energy jobs and greater energy efficiency.”
 
“The Jordan Cove Energy Project has occupied our South Coast community and the State of Oregon for over 15 years,” says Mike Graybill, former director of the South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve. “Today’s long overdue decision provides an opportunity to move on to a discussion of a more sustainable future.” “Jordan Cove LNG finally recognizing that this ill-advised project will never be built represents a hard-fought victory for Oregon communities who have worked for more than a decade to protect their land and water from dangerous fracked gas infrastructure,” said Nathan Mathews, senior attorney at the Sierra Club. “The fossil fuel industry would have us believe that their plans for a massive expansion of gas exports are a done deal, but this is proof that that’s far from the case. We will continue to work alongside communities from coast to coast as they fight back against the industry’s destructive expansion plans.”
 
“For too long, Oregonians have been living under the cloud of a potential dirty fossil fuel project destroying our shores, waterways, wildlife, and livelihoods,” said Susan Jane Brown, Wildlands Program Director for the Western Environmental Law Center, and an attorney representing conservation interests challenging the Jordan Cove Energy Project.  “At long last, Pembina finally recognizes that Oregon is no place for fracked gas infrastructure.  Our coalition has proven that endless pressure endlessly applied will win the day.”
 
“This victory shows that we can accomplish great things when we collaborate together to fight against the destruction of our rivers and natural environment by the fossil fuel industry,” said Emily Bowes, Conservation Director at Rogue River Keeper.

“Pembina has finally admitted what we knew all along – Oregon communities would never stand aside to see this project built,” says Courtney Johnson, executive director of Crag Law Center. “We could not be more proud to have fought beside community members for more than 15 years to overturn local permits and convince state regulators of the flaws in this project.”

“Today we are celebrating the protection of public health in southern Oregon from this deadly and dangerous gas pipeline and LNG export terminal,” said David De La Torre, Healthy Climate Program Director with Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility. “When communities come together to safeguard clean air, drinking water, and a healthy climate, we grow ever closer to a world with justice for all.”
 
“At long last, the fifteen-year shadow over the proposed pipeline route and Coos Bay is lifted,” said Bethany Cotton, conservation director for Cascadia Wildlands. “Today we celebrate with the communities, Tribes, landowners, organizations, and individuals who diligently fought against long odds to keep their rivers, forests, ocean, airsheds, communities and our climate safe from this reckless proposed fracked gas pipeline and terminal: and won.”
 
“We applaud the tireless efforts of our fellow advocates, tribes, and landowners that led to the project owner’s decision to abandon this dangerous export terminal and pipeline project,” said Daniel E. Estrin, General Counsel and Advocacy Director for Waterkeeper Alliance. “While these ‘David vs. Goliath’ battles to protect our environment and climate from the fossil fuel industry often start with what feel like very long odds, we see time and again that when communities stand up and arm themselves with the law and science to fight for what’s right, we often beat those long odds. We especially appreciate the seriousness with which the State of Oregon took its responsibility throughout these proceedings to protect its residents, waterways, and our shared climate from disaster.”
 
From Lesley Adams, RRK Founder and Current Board Member, “Rogue Riverkeeper was founded in the early days of the Jordan Cove LNG proposal because we knew our rivers and fish and forests were more valuable than fossil fuels.”
 
“The nation needs to recognize Oregon for standing together and fighting this environmental monstrosity. Protect our Mother Earth as she gives us life and I pray to the creator for blessings for the Rogue Climate Organization as they are modern day warriors. Thank you.” Perry Chocktoot, director of the The Klamath Tribes Culture and Heritage Department. 

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The post Press Release: Jordon Cove LNG Pipeline Project DEAD first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.

Join us in speaking at the next City Council meeting!
Monday, May 24, 2021 
Join @ 7:15 PM | Begins @ 7:30 PM

Online Virtual Event, Free and Open to the Public
Zoom link

How To:

*Use the “raise hand” zoom function to ensure that you get a chance to testify. It’s critical that we continue to keep up a presence at all city council meetings letting them know that this is a critical issue for our city, and that they cannot continue to kick the can down the road on climate issues.

Find template testimony here, and a fact sheet that you can use to add additional information to your testimony. It is always most powerful if you create a unique testimony focused on your lived experience and why you care about electrifying buildings and fighting the climate crisis. 

If you’re not able to testify, please consider using our online action to tell them to regulate fossil fuels in the city, or even better, write them a personalized comment and send to: mayorcouncilandcitymanager@eugene-or.gov.

Fossil Free Eugene is a coalition of local grassroots organizations calling for the end of fracked gas in Eugene. Here are our demands:

1. Mandate the transition of all utilities in Eugene to 100% renewable energy by 2030
2. Ban the construction of all new fossil fuel infrastructure in Eugene
3. Levy a fee on NW Natural and other climate polluters to create a justice fund to transition low income and historically marginalized communities from fracked gas to electric appliances, and to retrofit these homes to increase efficiency

You can read more about the Fossil Free Eugene coalition here.

The post Tell City Council: It’s Time for a Fossil Free Eugene — Monday, May 24 first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is in the early stages of developing a new greenhouse gas reduction program. This program is the centerpiece of Governor Brown’s 2020 Executive Order on climate change, and could be one of the strongest tools Oregon has for meeting its emission reduction goals. Noticeably absent from the program: fracked gas power plants.

The six largest climate polluters in Oregon are fracked gas power plants. Yet DEQ is proposing to exempt these facilities from regulation under its so-called “Climate Protection Program.” 

Oregonians who are concerned about letting the state’s largest emitters off the hook can turnout to the next Environmental Quality Commission on Friday, March 26 at 10:15AM to virtually testify that DEQ must include the top climate polluters in Oregon and prioritize communities over polluter’s profits. 

Important Web Links:

• Zoom link for the hearing on Friday, March 26 at 10:15am
• Online Action you can do today, with Power Past Fracked Gas.
• DEQ’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Program 2021
• Testimony Guide

The post No Free Pass for Dirty Fracked Gas! first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.

Contact:
Allie Rosenbluth, Rogue Climate

Oregon Denial of Jordan Cove LNG Project Upheld by Federal Government

Decision marks yet another blow against the proposed fracked gas project and LNG terminal in Southern Oregon

[Washington, D.C.] — The proposed Jordan Cove LNG export terminal and fracked gas pipeline faced another massive blow today when the US Secretary of Commerce rejected a request to override the State of Oregon’s February 2020 denial of the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) federal consistency review. This project cannot begin construction without approval of the CZMA federal consistency review. This is another enormous victory for communities across the region who have been fighting this project for over 15 years. 

“Pembina’s last-ditch effort to override Oregon’s authority to stop Jordan Cove LNG has failed,” said Allie Rosenbluth, Campaigns Director at Rogue Climate. “Oregonians and our state agencies know that this project is bad for our coast, climate, and communities. This victory is thanks to the thousands of people speaking out against this dangerous project. Together we will assure Jordan Cove LNG is never built and that our communities can focus on building local jobs in clean energy instead.”

“We are thrilled that Oregon’s decision is being upheld at the federal level to protect the coastal zone which runs from the peak of the Coast Range to the waves of the Pacific Ocean, from this dangerous and destructive project,” said Katy Eymann, President of Coos County organization Citizens for Renewables. “I am so thankful that the voices of many, many people living in our coastal zone have been heard and respected.”

The Coastal Zone Management Act provides that states may review projects requiring a federal permit for consistency with the state’s enforceable policies of its coastal management plan. In early 2020, Oregon found the Jordan Cove LNG project was inconsistent with the state’s coastal policies because of adverse effects to fisheries resources, endangered and threatened species, cultural resources, and several other grounds. 

The company appealed that decision, asking that the NOAA Administrator override the state’s objection. Today, the NOAA Administrator found that the company failed to meet its burden of showing that the project is consistent with the objectives of the CZMA. NOAA particularly noted the insufficiency of the record regarding impacts to endangered and threatened species, cultural and historic resources, and cumulative effects. 

“This company has tried to gloss over the devastating impacts of this project for years. NOAA’s decision represents a level of scrutiny deserving of such a massive and irreversible project, and finds the evidence lacking. Now that the state and the federal agency have spoken, it’s time for this project to be gone, once and for all,” said Courtney Johnson of Crag Law Center.

This is the second Oregon denial of Jordan Cove LNG upheld by the Federal Government in 2021. On January 19, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) upheld Oregon’s denial of the Clean Water Act 401 permit. Jordan Cove cannot be built without approvals from the State of Oregon under the Clean Water Act and Coastal Zone Management Act.

“This is some light at the end of the tunnel as we continue to fight for the safety of our communities and our water systems. This decision means that Pembina can’t roll over Oregon’s authority, rural communities, and Indigenous livelihoods. This happened because of the work of so many landowners, community groups, and Tribal voices coming together to advocate for our public and environmental health,” said Paul Wilson, Klamath Tribal member.

“Today’s decision is welcome news; however, because FERC continues to put the cart before the horse and approve conditional orders, we are still threatened with eminent domain,” said Deb Evans, an affected landowner challenging the 2020 FERC approval. “Congress and the Biden Administration need to insist FERC reverse or stay its decision until all applicable permits are approved.”  

“We commend the federal government for firmly aligning with impacted landowners, communities, the state of Oregon and the best available science in rejecting yet another required approval for this climate-destroying proposed project,” said Bethany Cotton, Conservation Director for Cascadia Wildlands. “It is long past time for the proponents to acknowledge they do not and cannot comply with key environmental safeguards and permanently withdraw the dangerous proposal – we encourage them to do so now.”

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The post Federal Government Rejects Request to Overturn Oregon’s Denial of LNG Project first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.

Contacts:
Dylan Plummer, Grassroots Organizer, Cascadia Wildlands, (541) 434-1463
Avery Temple, Climate Justice Fellow, Cascadia Wildlands

City of Eugene Hits Brakes on NW Natural Contract Renewal, Citing Climate Goals

30+ Grassroots Climate Groups Claim Victory as City Council Stalls on Talks

EUGENE, OR – After three months of public pressure and countless hours of public testimony about the climate and health impacts of fracked gas, the City’s franchise negotiations with NW Natural last night hit an impasse. Members of the Fossil Free Eugene campaign hailed this new development as a victory, as the franchise agreement being discussed was set to lock the city into a ten-year contract in which the fracked gas corporation could use the City’s right of way to expand its infrastructure and capacity without restriction. 

Dylan Plummer, Grassroots Organizer with Cascadia Wildlands, said:
“I am heartened to see the City taking bold steps to reconsider contract terms with NorthWest Natural after many months of grassroots pressure to act on climate. NorthWest Natural is following the same fossil fuel playbook used against communities across the country to try and intimidate our town — astroturfing tactics, veiled threats, and public relations designed to delay, divide, and distract. Last night a majority of our City Council showed us, the youth of Eugene, that they’re not fooled and are ready to take bold action to transition to renewable energy and protect our future.”

Councilor Jennifer Yeh said:
“While I was supportive of the efforts to negotiate a new franchise agreement and carbon reduction agreement initially, because I felt like having NorthWest Natural as a partner in this agreement would be ideal, it seems that dragging out these unsuccessful negotiations is not going to benefit anyone. It’s time for us to look for different ways to achieve our climate recovery goals concerning the use of natural gas”

“We cannot continue to use fossil fuels like we have in the past. If NorthWest Natural does not want to be a partner in reducing these negative impacts, then we need to find other ways to protect our community, as a community.”

“Why encourage the increased use of a harmful fossil fuel, when we can transition to safer carbon free options… Eugene may be a small city, but by adding our efforts to the efforts of other communities, we can make real change”

Mayor Lucy Vinis said:
“I don’t want to be a model to show how a city is held hostage to a franchise agreement that doesn’t serve our higher goals. It is an important moment to stand really clearly for what we see as our legacy work going forward.”

“This meeting is a point in time to just say that we’re most likely to see this lapse, it’s not to say that we’re not continuing to negotiate, that we’re not going to continue to try and find a path… but we’re at this point of time where we’re just not close enough”

Councilor Claire Syrett said:
“Two years ago we gave NorthWest Natural an opportunity to step up and join us in demonstrating leadership on addressing climate change, and to create a model of an agreement that other communities could follow… As we’ve gone through this process, I have seen NorthWest Natural dragging their feet, engaging in a public relations campaign that spreads lies about what we are doing, that they are not sincere in wanting to come to an agreement that would actually benefit us.”

“[The franchise agreement that NorthWest Natural is proposing] is really a lopsided agreement that pays lip service to their state commitment to work towards greenhouse gas reduction. This is an industry that is facing an existential crisis: fossil fuels need to be phased out. We were hoping to work together towards a transition to a future that we need to embrace, but NorthWest Natural seems to be working the tobacco industry playbook instead, seems determined to push back on these efforts instead of facing the future with grace and integrity.”

The city of Eugene has been in a protracted back and forth with the gas utility for over a year and a half over the future of using “natural” fracked gas to heat homes, schools and businesses in the city, and Councilors are openly discussing the possibility of walking away from negotiations. 

Eugene has demanded that the utility commit to emissions reductions necessary to reach their climate goals. Yet the utility has refused to budge, leading to drawn-out negotiations and multiple six-month extensions of the current agreement. The current extension is set to end in May, and City employees say that they need to have a plan of action by mid February at the latest to avoid a lapse in the agreement.

Sahara Valentine, a high school organizer with Earth Guardians 350 (EG350) and plaintiff in the Juliana v. United States climate lawsuit, said:
“My generation recognizes that we will be inheriting the climate crisis, and that’s why we are fighting to prioritize a safe environment for all. It is time for City Council to show that they value my future by justly transition Eugene off of fossil fuels”

Yesterday morning, more than 30 organizations, including the national environmental organization the Sierra Club, Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility and NAACP Eugene Springfield sent a public letter to Mayor Lucy Vinis, City Manager Sarah Medary, and the Eugene City Council, calling on Eugene to walk away from franchise agreement negotiations with the fracked gas utility NorthWest Natural. The letter outlined the organizations’ concerns about the impacts of gas to climate and public health. Last month, the Eugene Sustainability Commission endorsed the platform of this newly formed alliance, the Fossil Free Eugene coalition, in a resolution.

Damon Motz-Storey, Healthy Climate Program Director with Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility, said:
“The scientific evidence is clear: not only does fracked gas accelerate the climate crisis — one of the greatest public health crises the world has ever faced — it also harms our health right inside of our homes. We must take bold action to phase out the use of gas in homes, increase home energy efficiency, and transition to clean energy by developing the local workforce.”

Beyond the immediate cessation of franchise negotiations, the coalition is calling for the city to: (1) ban all new fossil fuel infrastructure, including new gas hookups; (2) mandate a transition to 100% renewable energy; and (3) utilize the ongoing franchise agreement negotiations with NorthWest Natural to develop a fund for transitioning the community to renewables.

Avery Temple, Environmental and Climate Justice Fellow with Cascadia Wildlands, said:
“Big corporate polluters, like NorthWest Natural, cause massive harm to BIPOC communities. Fossil fuel industries induce climate change at our expense to line their pockets. We must be bold in our demands to forge a just transition away from fossil fuels and towards an equitable future for all.”

Rachel Golden, deputy director of the Sierra Club’s Clean Buildings campaign, said:
“The science is clear: we can’t avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis if we keep making new buildings dependent on fracked gas. By asking their gas utility to quit digging the climate hole any deeper, Eugene is putting action behind their words and setting a national example for climate leadership.”

Selena Blick, Fossil Free Eugene Coordinator with 350 Eugene, said:
“If the City Council is serious about meeting Eugene’s climate goals, they need to stand up to NorthWest Natural and walk away from this franchise agreement. NorthWest Natural does not have our city’s or our planet’s best interests at heart and must be treated just like any other fossil fuel company and held accountable for their role in the climate crisis.”

Cities and states across the country are embracing efforts to require that new construction utilize electric appliances instead of gas-fired ones. For most of Oregon, swapping gas for electric heating is the climate equivalent of giving up a car cold turkey. While most cities are using ordinances and building code updates to address building emissions, Eugene is taking a unique approach by critically examining their franchise agreement with their gas utility. 

The following organizations are part of the Fossil Free Eugene Coalition: Beyond Toxics, Black Thistle Street Aid, Breach Collective, Cascadia Action Network, Cascadia Wildlands, Earth Guardians 350, East Side Solar, Electrify Now, Eugene Democratic Socialists of America, Eugene Environmental and Climate Justice Committee, Eugene Interfaith Earthkeepers, Extinction Rebellion Justice Eugene, Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology, Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation, Great Northwest Installation, Human Rights, Greywater Action, Human Stories, Many Rivers Group Sierra Club, NAACP Eugene Springfield, Oregon Chapter Sierra Club, Oregon League of Conservation Voters, Protect Our Winters – Central Oregon Alliance, Sanctuary Committee of Temple Beth Israel, The Sierra Club (National), Springfield Eugene Tenants Association, Springfield Eugene Showing Up for Racial Justice, Stand.earth, Sunrise Eugene, Solar Oregon, Twende Solar, University of Oregon Climate Justice League, and 350 Eugene.

Background and Resources:
Watch the City Council work session here (starting at around 50 minutes). Watch the public forum and the rest of the work session here. Find the draft of the franchise agreement being discussed here (starting at page 17).

Read the letter sent to Mayor Lucy Vinis and Eugene City Councilors here. Read more about the City of Eugene’s franchise agreement with NorthWest Natural here. Read about the Fossil Free Coalition here. 

Find relevant, free to use photographs here.

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The post Victory for Eugene Climate Goals! first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.

Contact:
Dylan Plummer, Cascadia Wildlands, (541) 531-1858, dylan@cascwild.org

Potentially fatal blow for fracked gas export terminal and pipeline proposed in Oregon

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] — Today, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) upheld the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s denial of a key permit for the proposed Jordan Cove LNG export terminal and Pacific Connector fracked gas pipeline. The Jordan Cove LNG project cannot move forward without a Clean Water Act approval from the state of Oregon.

This is the latest in a series of regulatory losses for Jordan Cove LNG, representing a huge blow to the 15-year-old proposal that has been vehemently opposed by Tribes, impacted landowers, fishermen, climate advocates, and others. The project has also not qualified for other critical state, federal, and local permits needed to move forward.

In its summary of today’s meeting, FERC wrote: “The order finds that Jordan Cove and Pacific Connector never requested certification with respect to the Commission authorizations for the Jordan Cove Energy Project and that the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality could not have waived its authority to issue certification for a request it never received.”

“The FERC decision is very encouraging. It is certainly our hope that Pembina will give up on this devastating project once and for all,” said Chairman Don Gentry of the Klamath, Modoc, and Yahooskin Tribes.

“The evidence in the record was clear, FERC had no choice other than to deny Pembina’s request to waive Oregon’s 401 water quality authority,” said impacted Douglas County landower Stacey McLaughlin. “Any approach to seeking approval of its Pacific Connector Pipeline and Jordan Cove Energy Project without proper permits compromises the safety of Oregon’s landowners. Pembina is proving it cannot be trusted—this is not a characteristic seen in a ‘good neighbor.’”

“The headwinds for the Jordan Cove project continue to blow strongly. FERC’s decision to uphold Oregon’s authority to deny a water quality certification for the project demonstrates that measures are in place to protect the Coos Bay estuary and rivers of southern Oregon,” said marine biologist and Coos County resident Dr. Jan Hodder.

“Today’s unanimous FERC decision shows that when our communities come together and speak out, we win! Thousands of southern Oregonians have raised their voices to stop this project for years and will continue to until the threat of Jordan Cove LNG is gone for good,” said Hannah Sohl, executive director of Rogue Climate. “Now we must focus on creating good, local jobs in clean energy and energy efficiency in Oregon.”

“Today’s decision is a huge win for clean water and healthy communities who’ve been fighting this harmful project for nearly 15 years,” said Robyn Janssen, director of Rogue Riverkeeper. “FERC’s decision to uphold Oregon’s 401 denial gives me hope that this is the end for Jordan Cove LNG.”

“Today’s decision confirms Oregon’s right to protect its communities and waters from big polluters like the proposed Jordan Cove liquefied natural gas terminal and pipeline,” said Andrew Hawley, attorney at the Western Environmental Law Center. “We have battled this harmful behemoth for decades and defeated it at every turn. With everything we know today about climate change this project must never again rise from the ashes.”

“Jordan Cove LNG would have threatened the drinking water of nearly 160,000 Oregonians. Today’s FERC decision is a win for public health,” said Damon Motz-Storey, Healthy Climate Program director at Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility. “Oregon’s right to deny Clean Water Act permits on the basis of unacceptable harm to our water resources is vitally important. This is a day to celebrate.”

“For 15 years this climate-polluting proposal threatened landowners, waterways, forests and imperiled species across southern Oregon,” said Dylan Plummer, grassroots organizer with Cascadia Wildlands. “Today, we can finally breathe a sigh of relief, and tomorrow we will redouble our efforts to end this project for good.”

“The latest rejection of the Jordan Cove project is yet another victory for our clean water and our communities. We’ve said time and again that this project will never be built, and today’s announcement is just further proof of that,” said Sierra Club senior attorney Nathan Matthews.

“Jordan Cove LNG was poised to become the biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions in our state of Oregon should it have been approved, responsible for 15 times more emissions than the now-closed Boardman coal plant’s annual emissions. This project was a disaster in waiting for the climate and communities in its path, and today’s news from FERC is a welcome relief after years of fighting this dirty project,” said David Turnbull, strategic communications director at Oil Change International. “Let’s hope this is the start of a new era at FERC, where communities and our climate are protected rather than ignored in the face of industry demands.”

The post Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Upholds Oregon’s Denial of Key Jordan Cove LNG Permit first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.

Contacts:
Dylan Plummer, Grassroots Organizer, Cascadia Wildlands 541.531.1858 dylan@cascwild.org

Broad Coalition Calls for Transition Away from Fracked Gas and Halt to Construction of New Fossil Fuel Infrastructure in Eugene

EUGENE, OR – Eugene residents and grassroots organizations including NAACP Eugene/Springfield, Beyond Toxics and Springfield Eugene Tenants Association sent a public letter to Eugene Mayor Lucy Vinis, City Manager Sarah Medary, and the Eugene City Council today, calling for a moratorium on new natural (fracked) gas infrastructure citing the impact that fracked gas is having on the climate and the environment. This demand is part of a years-long campaign to hold the city accountable to its newly revised Climate Action Plan, which it is not on track to meet.

Avery Temple, a climate and racial justice organizer in Eugene, said:
“Every day that we do not act, we are one step closer to climate chaos — the brunt of which falls on BIPOC communities. We must be unapologetically bold in our decisions to fight climate change and forge a just transition away from fossil fuels to secure an equitable future for all.”

The letter comes as the fight to amend the City of Eugene’s franchise agreement with fracked gas utility Northwest Natural heats up. Community members are calling for the City of Eugene to significantly alter their franchise agreement with the utility, to provide for the transition off of fracked gas and other fossil fuels in line with the City’s Climate Action Plan, and to provide subsidies for low-income households to switch to renewable energy.

Eric Richardson, Executive Director of NAACP Eugene/Springfield, said:
“As a proponent of the rights and dignity of people of color we at the Eugene/Springfield NAACP enthusiastically support all efforts at addressing the long standing disparities and  the silencing of frontline communities. We believe these initiatives have within them the necessary emphasis needed to move our State forward through policy”

Betzi Hitz, an organizer with 350 Eugene, said:
“Continuing to build new gas pipelines and install gas appliances will lock in future carbon emissions and methane leakage and make it nearly impossible to reach Eugene climate targets. We need to be planning for the future, not locking ourselves into the dirty energy systems of the past.”

The full list of groups signed onto the letter is: Beyond Toxics, Cascadia Action Network, Cascadia Wildlands, Eugene Democratic Socialists of America, Eugene Environmental and Climate Justice Committee, Heart in Hands, NAACP Eugene Springfield, Springfield Eugene Tenants Association, Sunrise Eugene, University of Oregon Climate Justice League, University of Oregon Young Democratic Socialists of America, and 350 Eugene.

Background and Resources:
Read the letter sent to Mayor Lucy Vinis and Eugene City Councilors here. Read more about the City of Eugene’s franchise agreement with Northwest Natural here. 

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The post Cascadia Wildlands and Allies Call for Eugene to Step Away from New Fracked Gas Infrastructure first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.

Contact
Gabby Brown, Sierra Club, gabby.brown@sierraclub.org, 914-261-4626
Susan Jane Brown, Western Environmental Law Center, brown@westernlaw.org, 503-914-1323
Allie Rosenbluth, Rogue Climate, allie@rogueclimate.org, 541-816-2240
Dylan Plummer, Cascadia Wildlands, dylan@cascwild.org, 541-434-1463

Southern Oregon Advocates Challenge Federal Approval of Jordan Cove LNG

[Washington, DC] — Today, southern Oregon organizations filed a lawsuit challenging Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approval of the Jordan Cove LNG export terminal and Pacific Connector fracked gas pipeline. FERC issued its approval in March, conditioned on the project qualifying for critical permits from the state of Oregon. Three of those permits have already been denied or withdrawn.

A group of Oregon landowners impacted by eminent domain filed their own challenge to the project late last week. Many others, including the state of Oregon, multiple Tribal governments, and fishers and crabbers, had also all requested FERC revisit its ruling on the widely opposed project, and have 60 days from FERC’s May 22 denial of rehearing to file their own lawsuits.

The lawsuit, filed in the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit by Rogue Riverkeeper, Rogue Climate, Cascadia Wildlands, Center for Biological Diversity, Citizens for Renewables, Friends of Living Oregon Waters, Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility, Oregon Wild, Oregon Women’s Land Trust, and Waterkeeper Alliance, represented by the Sierra Club and Western Environmental Law Center, challenges FERC’s approval of the project under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Natural Gas Act. The groups will argue FERC failed to consider critical information about the proposed facility and that it is not in the public interest.

“Today, we’re standing up for the health of the Rogue River and the health of our communities in southern Oregon,” said Stacey Detwiler of Rogue Riverkeeper. “With two permit denials from the state of Oregon, Jordan Cove LNG should never have made it this far. Together, our communities will make sure that this harmful project is stopped once and for all.”

“FERC should not have burdened Oregon’s environment, communities, and landowners by approving a pipeline that nobody needs and that Oregonians don’t want,” Nathan Matthews, Senior Attorney with the Sierra Club. “Jordan Cove has failed to obtain key permits from the state of Oregon because it is clearly not in the public interest. Had FERC done the full analysis the law requires, they would have come to the same conclusion.”

“Even though Jordan Cove failed to secure even one necessary state permit, that could change, and the project still requires federal approval,” said Susan Jane Brown, attorney with the Western Environmental Law Center. “Federal approval is the keystone to the Jordan Cove Project, and because of the project’s glaring climate, clean water, and other ecological impacts, we want to knock out that flawed federal approval.”

“Jordan Cove LNG would harm recreation, our local fishing industry and the health of the bay, in addition to threatening the safety of thousands in Coos County,” said Jody McAffree of Coos County organization Citizens for Renewables. “Over 15 years Jordan Cove LNG has not moved forward because people who live and work in the impacted communities have challenged the ill-conceived project at every turn. Now we’re taking our fight to the federal level and won’t stop until the project is gone for good.”

“The Jordan Cove LNG project would devastate the local environment and weaken efforts to combat the ongoing climate crisis,” said Jared Margolis, a senior attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. “The Trump administration can’t keep ignoring the harm fossil fuel development does to our climate and endangered species. This project should never have been proposed, and we’ll continue to fight it.”

“This project was previously considered and rejected by FERC because there was not sufficient need for gas to justify the adverse environmental and landowner impacts,” said Daniel E. Estrin, Waterkeeper Alliance general counsel and advocacy director. “Since that rare rejection almost four years ago, global demand for LNG exports has dramatically decreased, yet FERC attempts to bring this frightening zombie back to life. This reversal is the epitome of unlawful, arbitrary and capricious agency action, and would be a disaster for Oregon’s waterways and our climate. It will not stand.”

“Over 40,000 people sent comments and hundreds turned out to hearings across the four impacted counties to ask FERC to deny Jordan Cove LNG, which would risk our climate, clean drinking water, public safety, and more,” said Allie Rosenbluth of Rogue Climate. “FERC has failed to listen to the people of southern Oregon who stand united against Jordan Cove LNG. Now, our communities’ concerns about this project will get their time in front of a judge.”

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More information about the Jordan Cove Project

The post Press Release: Landowners and Organizations Challenge Federal Green Light for Pipeline first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.

By Sam Krop, Cascadia Wildlands Grassroots Organizer

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we spent the weekend field checking a threatened area of old growth forest along the proposed Jordan Cove pipeline route out in the Oregon coast range between the towns of Remote and Sitkum, by Coquille.

As we drove along the coast range, we couldn’t help react at how nuked with clearcuts/tree plantations the area is. Both on private and BLM land, drainage after drainage of hillsides expose bare, eroding soil, murky streams and endless logging trucks hauling massive Douglas fir rounds to the mill. Most of the forest stands that we drove through were uniform — unhealthy and fire prone tree plantations that were protected as late successional reserve (LSR) by the NW forest plan in the 90s.

Thankfully, we had a tip about a potential spot of old-growth, spotted owl habitat somewhere deep off trail along the pipeline route. Skeptically, we drove through clearcut after tree plantation to get to the place we were told the old-growth could be. We parked at the end of a dusty logging road and looked into a dense and dark tree farm. Donning our coats and hats to protect from the thousands of delicate and flammable young tree branches in the plantation, we dove in.

In about a quarter mile of bushwhacking through the young tree farm, the forest began to change and open up as it sloped downwards towards a steep drainage where we could hear a stream noisily flowing below.

Emerging onto that waterway from the crowded and dark young forest was like the unraveling of a tension you don’t know you’re carrying. Soon we were greeted by massive old-growth trees and ancient snags, the guardians of a network of waterways at the base of the slope. We followed a trail across the first creek, which we later named ‘stinky creek’ after the many stink currants we identified growing all along it.

Looking down, we saw bear and coyote scat and even came across scattered piles of elk bones feeding the forest floor.

Looking up, we admired towering ancient and rotting snags with their myriad pock-marks from woodpeckers, sapsuckers and insects, the forest’s very own ecosystem engineers. These critical habitat snags were marked by the pipeline workers with bright orange flags that read “killer trees.” Laughing at the backwardness of reducing these life bearing snags to murderers, we noted that these would surely be the first cut if pipeline construction were to occur in this forest.

Walking through this forest, we simply couldn’t wrap our minds around how someone could see this place and think to destroy it.

We cut south from the pipeline route to follow the maincreek, lured in by the picturesque Cascadian river, which we later found out is home to threatened coastal coho salmon.

The river pools and bubbles up around rocks, flows under low hanging branches, splits and rejoins itself running steadily west through the forest.

Just as we felt things couldn’t get more beautiful, we stumbled upon a waterfall—a perfect smooth buttslide branching from the main stream, fed from some unseen tributary originating deep in the forest north of the river.

When we scrambled to the top of that waterfall, low and behold, we found another, even bigger waterfall with a little swimming pool at the base. In shock, we realized that this double waterfall is just a couple hundred feet south of the marked pipeline corridor.

After centuries of survival through fire, wind and flood, the idea that a pipeline would destroy this pristine area is unthinkable.

What’s more, the presence of fire on the landscape is notable in the context of a highly explosive fracked gas pipeline. In a place where fires are recurrent and necessary for forest health, an inevitable fire coming into contact with a hazardous pipeline is terrifying even to consider. This situation is made more concerning by the highly flammable young timber plantations that surround this patch of pristine forest.

Settling down for the evening in our campsite just above the old-growth, we couldn’t help but wonder how someone could plan to construct a pipeline through the pristine forest we explored that day. It’s conceivable only when realizing that those behind this destructive project have likely never been to this place or seen any of the places the pipeline would impact for themselves. Pembina, the Canadian pipeline corporation backing the Jordan Cove LNG Project, are completely disconnected from the places and communities they plan to destroy. They don’t care about the old-growth or the threatened species that depend on it. They don’t care about the sacred places for indigenous cultures along the pipeline route. They don’t care about the landowners who would have their family properties used as right-of-way, against their will, for the construction of this fossil fuel transport project. Those responsible don’t know these places, and they really don’t care to.

As we readied for bed that night, a dark shadow flew over our heads and let out an owl’s hoot. Moments later, that call was joined by another owl responding from the darkness just above our heads. We sat silently and listened, thrilled that we were visited by these feathered friends spying on our dwindling campfire. While we were convinced that it was a family of spotted owls communing with us on behalf of the forest –  we later ID’d them as barred owls, which made sense given that we were camping in the young plantation just above the old grove. Still, we felt the forest was greeting us after our long day appreciating it, and it felt pretty amazing to make a couple bird friends during these isolating times in the COVID pandemic.

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Cascadia Wildlands is proud to be a part of a strong and growing coalition of conservation activists, landowners, tribes, and community members working to stop the Jordan Cove LNG pipeline. We are a part of this movement because we know intimately what is at stake if this project were to be built, and with that knowledge in mind, we won’t stop until the pipeline is stopped once and for all.

If you can help with this important effort, please take a moment and learn how to get involved. Last week, 29 members of US Congress sent a letter to FERC demanding a halt to construction and approvals during the coronavirus outbreak. None of Oregon’s Federal Representatives signed on to this letter to FERC.

Send an email to tell Oregon’s Congressional Delegation to urge FERC to halt approvals and construction during the coronavirus outbreak.

You can check out the album here with photos from our trip to this slice of old-growth in the pipeline path.

The post BLOG: Field Checking Old-Growth on the Jordan Cove LNG Pipeline Path first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

OREGON – Despite the ongoing COVID-19 public health crisis, on Thursday, March 19 a politically unbalanced Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved the Jordan Cove Energy Project and Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline over the objections of numerous state, federal, and local stakeholders and decision makers (details here.)

Shortly after the FERC decision on Thursday, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) issued a statement on Thursday, explaining his opposition to the project:

“A few days ago, Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell stacked the decks when yet another Republican commissioner was confirmed to FERC, leaving the Commission unbalanced. This is despite current law that says the FERC should be an independent and bipartisan commission. Today, a stacked and incomplete FERC approved the controversial and complicated Jordan Cove project. There was no rush. A balanced and full FERC should have made the decision. If that’s not bad enough, the Commission has decided to disregard local private property rights and environmental concerns identified by Oregonians. Both shortcomings and additional ones have been documented in the strong objections to the Jordan Cove project by three Oregon state regulatory agencies. All this adds up to a clearly rigged process designed to advance Trump-McConnell corporate interests over Oregonians. All these violations are contrary to everything the Oregon Way stands for – fairness, transparency and accountability. I now have to oppose this project.”

Senator Ron Wyden now joins Senator Jeff Merkley, Representative Peter DeFazio, Oregon State legislators Senator Jeff Golden, Senator James Manning, Senator Michael Dembrow, Representative Pam Marsh, Representative Tawna Sanchez, and the Jackson County Commissioners in opposing the Jordan Cove LNG export terminal and Pacific Connector fracked gas pipeline.

Also, after the FERC decision on Thursday Oregon Governor Kate Brown, who has remained neutral on the project and has previously committed that the Jordan Cove LNG project must meet all state requirements for the protection of Oregon’s citizens and natural resources, issued a clear statement  about FERC’s decision:

“I want to reiterate that I will not stand for any attempt to ignore Oregon’s authority to protect public safety, health, and the environment. I have asked the state’s lawyers to consider all appropriate legal action to assure that Oregon permitting processes will be followed. And let me be clear to the concerned citizens of Southwest Oregon: Until this project has received every single required permit from state and local agencies, I will use every available tool to prevent the company from taking early action on condemning private property or clearing land.”

Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) expressed his opposition to the Jordan Cove LNG project in a 2017 guest opinion titled “Create jobs without jeopardizing our future,” stating:

“Jordan Cove will contribute massively to pollution that is profoundly damaging our state and our world. Generations from now, our grandchildren will wonder why we continued to burn fossil fuels when the catastrophic consequences were so evident. Thus, it becomes clear that we have to shift from building large-scale fossil fuel infrastructure, including Jordan Cove, and instead invest massively in building the enormous backlog of infrastructure projects that will improve our state and nation, not damage it.”

Representative Peter DeFazio (OR-4) added his voice to those opposing the project in 2019, explaining:

“I do not support the Jordan Cove LNG terminal for the following reasons: The federal approval process is run by unelected political appointees, the project tramples on private property rights, and it will exacerbate the urgent and immediate threat of climate change.”

Oregon State Senator Jeff Golden (SD 3) and Oregon State Representative Pam Marsh (HD 5), decried the timing of FERC’s decision, noting Friday:

“[Jordan Cove LNG] has repeatedly failed to secure necessary approvals from Oregon state agencies. In the wake of outright denials and objections from the Department of Environmental Quality and the Department of Land Conservation and Development, Pembina withdrew their application to the Division of State Lands just before it would have been rejected. The fact is that on multiple fronts, the Jordan Cove/Pacific Connector Pipeline proposal falls dramatically short of the minimum environmental standards that guide Oregon’s decisions on natural resources…We will stand with Oregon state officials in taking every lawful step to prevent that from happening. And we will continue to stand with tens of thousands of Oregonians ready to take every lawful step to ensure that the Jordan Cove/Pacific Connector Pipeline project is never constructed.”

 The Jackson County Commissioners have long opposed the Jordan Cove LNG project and sent detailed concerns to the Oregon Department of State Lands in 2019:

“The Jackson County Board of Commissioners is unanimously opposed to the Jordan Cove Pipeline project. The proposed Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline has not been adequately planned…”

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Communities and individuals across Southern Oregon have opposed the Jordan Cove LNG export terminal and fracked gas pipeline for more than 15 years. Tens of thousands of Oregonians from across the political spectrum have worked together to educate our neighbors and decision makers about the irreparable environmental, safety, social, and economic impacts of the project, which would become the largest single-source of climate pollution in the state if built. The State of Oregon has already denied critical state permits that Jordan Cove LNG cannot move forward without, even with FERC’s recent approval.

During this very challenging time and on behalf of the numerous organizations, impacted landowners, businesses, and others who have worked tirelessly to defeat this handout to Canadian fossil fuel special interests, we thank our Oregon leaders for standing up for Oregonians, public and private lands, wildlife, clean water, and our shared climate.

Co-signed by:

Andrew Napell * Barbara Brown * C2 Cattle Co. * Clarence and Stephany Adams * Craig and Stacey McLaughlin * Frank Adams * John Clarke * Kenneth and Kristine Cates *Linda and Mike Craig * Larry and Sylvia Mangan * Jody McCaffree * Pamela Brown Ordway * Patsy R. and John M. Roberts, Jr. * Ron Schaaf and Deb Evans * Russ and Sandy Lyon * Tammy Bray and John Caughell * Wendy and William McKinley * Jim and Joan Dahlman * Mitzi Sulffridge * Nichols Bros. Inc. * Tim and Natalie Ranker * 350 Corvallis * 350 PDX * Cascadia Wildlands * Citizens For Renewables/Citizens Against LNG * Greater Good Oregon * Hair on Fire Oregon * Institute for Fisheries Resources * Landowners United * Oregon Coast Alliance * Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility * Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition * Oregon Wild * Oregon Women’s Land Trust * Our Land, Our Lives * Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations * Pipeline Awareness Southern Oregon * Rogue Climate * Rogue Riverkeeper * Sierra Club, Oregon Chapter * Stop Fracked Gas PDX * Trout Unlimited * Western Environmental Law Center

The post Organizations opposing Jordan Cove LNG thank Oregon leaders first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.