Oregon county to vote on blocking natural
gas terminal
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[May 16, 2017]
By Tom James
SEATTLE (Reuters) - A coastal Oregon county
will vote Tuesday on a ballot measure to block a proposed natural gas
terminal, the latest in a series of efforts to thwart energy projects
across the Pacific Northwest.
The measure would ban transport of fossil fuels not intended for local
use through Coos County, located about 200 miles (322 kms) south of
Portland.
Backers have called the initiative a response to a $7.6 billion proposal
by Calgary-based Veresen Inc, to build a facility in the county where
natural gas would be liquefied and transferred to tanker ships for sale
abroad. They have cast the measure as a local refusal to contribute to
global warming.
Should the ban pass, it could bring the county into conflict with the
administration of President Donald Trump. Gary Cohn, head of the
National Energy Council, in April singled out the Veresen project as a
priority for the administration.
The Coos County initiative is part of regional resistance in the
Northwest to fossil fuel projects that has seen the blockage of several
major export facilities.
Last year, the Lummi Nation Native American tribe and environmental
groups blocked an export terminal in Northwest Washington state that
would have moved Montana and Wyoming coal to markets in Asia.
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In January, Washington State denied a permit for a coal export
terminal in the city of Longview, citing concerns about the
financial viability of the project.
In February, bowing to pressure from activists, Seattle's city
council voted to divest approximately $3 billion from Wells Fargo,
citing concerns over the bank's support of the North Dakota Access
Pipeline, among other factors.
Passage of the Coos Bay measure would be another blow for liquid
natural gas projects on the West Coast, even as depots in other
areas of the country have moved forward.
Cheniere Energy Inc opened a port in Louisiana last year and several
other companies are set to open projects on the Gulf Coast in 2018
and 2019. Dominion Energy Inc plans to open the Cove Point LNG port
in Maryland later this year.
(Reporting by Tom James, additional reporting by Valerie Volcovici
and Timothy Gardner; Editing by Patrick Enright and Andrew Hay)
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