PRESS RELEASE

April 14, 2008

Conservation, business and property rights groups file ballot measure referendum and legal challenges to overturn Clatsop County’s LNG land use approval

Astoria, OR – Groups opposing NorthernStar’s planned Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) import projects made a double-sided challenge on Friday to Clatsop County’s recent decision approving land use permits for the controversial LNG and pipeline project.  The Columbia River Business Alliance, Columbia Riverkeeper, and Northwest Property Rights Coalition (NWPRC) submitted legal papers with the Clatsop County elections clerk to hold a ballot measure referendum to overturn the County’s recent decision to open all lands in the county that were zoned for parks, recreation and open space to major gas pipeline construction.  The referendum will ask voters if they support changing County law to allow gas pipelines through parks, recreation and open space lands.  If voters reject the measure it would have the effect of retaining existing county law that prohibits pipelines through park lands and overturning the County’s land use approval of the NorthernStar LNG project.

Groups fighting the planned LNG projects have also filed a legal challenge to the NorthernStar project with the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA).  The appeal is based on numerous violations of County and State zoning law.  County law for example, only allows for “small to medium” sized facilities at the Bradwood project site.  The Bradwood LNG project and its two 17 story tall storage tanks would be the largest facility in the county and involve the largest private dredging project in decades on the Columbia River.  County planning staff repeatedly advised the Commissioners that the project could not be considered a “small to medium” facility, but the commissioners nonetheless found that it was.

“This referendum will give people the chance to decide whether they want high risk pipelines running through their parks and open spaces,” says Don West with the Columbia River Business Alliance. “Our parks are not only important for our quality of life, but they’re important if we are going to attract new businesses and good jobs to the County.  Even people who may support LNG don’t support the idea that we should open up our park and recreation lands to high-risk gas pipelines.”

“This referendum will be a chance for voters to say no to a project which is entirely based on NorthernStar’s power to use eminent domain to force its pipelines across peoples’ property,” adds Marc Auerbach with NWPRC.  “That the County government would bend over backwards for a project that is so dependent on the abuse of private property rights and open up County park and recreation land to gas pipelines is difficult to believe.”

Brent Foster, Executive Director of Columbia Riverkeeper, says the groups are confident with their chances for success with both the LUBA appeal and referendum.  “The County Commissioners are out of sync with what County law requires and the interests of the public,” says Foster.  “To call an LNG terminal a ‘small to medium’ facility does not even pass the laugh test.”