LNG developers offer $20m for local projects; foes cry bribery
Friday, August 18, 2006 6:48 AM PDT
By Janine Manny
Printable version
E-mail this articleNorthernStar Natural Gas Thursday pledged up to $20 million for community projects in Wahkiakum County and surrounding areas if it gets to build a liquified natural gas import terminal across the Columbia River in Oregon.
While the beneficiaries lauded NorthernStar's generosity, LNG critics said the donation is an attempt to buy off opposition to the controversial terminal at Bradwood Landing.
The company announced its donation plans at a press conference Thursday morning at the Julia Butler Hansen House in Cathlamet, awarding a $100,000 donation to the Wahkiakum Community Foundation.
Northern Star/Bradwood Landing also promised $100,000 a year until the terminal is built, then up to $500,000 a year for every year the facility is in operation.
Bradwood Landing is near Knappa, Ore., across the Columbia River from Puget Island.
"This gift is huge, and the legacy it leaves is huge," said Karen Bertroch, director of the Wahkiakum Community Foundation. "But it's not about the money. It's about Bradwood Landing's intent of sharing and philanthropy and their willingness to invest in the community."
Not everyone in Cathlamet was overwhelmed by the size of the donation, however.
"I guess it's a way to buy off the community," Chris Holmes of Wahkiakum Friends of the River. "There is a lot of controversy over building a LNG plant there."
Liquified natural gas terminals take shipments of natural gas that is supercooled into a liquid form and shipped by special cargo ships. The terminals reheat the product into a gas form and distribute it through pipelines.
LNG critics say handling LNG is dangerous and would disrupt shipping traffic on the Columbia.
NorthernStar is seeking approval for the terminal from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which is expected to act on the proposal next year. Several state and local agencies and private citizens have told FERC they're concerned about the terminal and a pipeline that would go under the Columbia River and through Cowlitz County.
If the Bradwood Landing LNG plant is not approved, the donations would stop, Northern/Star Bradwood Vice President Gary Coppedge said at Thursday's press conference
"We'll make the donation up until we decide not to build," Coppedge said. "But we don't foresee that happening. We are very confident we've met all requirements and surpassed all standards. Now we're committed to community outreach and education while we finish the regulatory process."
In announcing the grant, Coppedge said, "We were deeply impressed with the (Wahkiakum) foundation's commitment to economic and ecological excellence. We're very excited about this partnership. This is what we need to be doing."
The Wahkiakum Community Foundation, founded in 2003, focuses on enriching families, building a strong economy in the region and promoting a healthy environment. The foundation's budget this year was about $400,000.
Projects the foundation would like to fund include purchasing new equipment for the Wahkiakum Family Practice Clinic and a generator for the fire station, renovating Norse Hall, completing Svensen Park on Puget Island, building a skateboard park in Cathlamet, renovating the Skamokawa Grange Hall and completing the boat ramp on Puget Island. Other potential projects are improvements to the Julia Butler Hansen Swimming Pool and Skamowa's Vista Park.
Representatives of Bradwood Landing, the Wahkiakum Community Foundation trustees, local citizens and Bertroch will make a committee to allocate the funds.
"We'll also develop a community grant process and accept requests," Bertroch said.
Holmes, of Wahkiakum Friends of the River, noted that the terminal would bring no tax revenues to the Washington side of the river and few, if any jobs, and "we would have to respond to any crises."
Holmes said NorthernStar Natural Gas chose the Bradwood area because few people live near there -- at least on the Oregon side.
"I think they thought it was a slam dunk, but they've run into roadblocks," Holmes said. "They called it a 'remote location' and thought there would be little or no regulatory hoops to jump through. I think they're finding it's a different situation."
Past Month's Most Commented Stories