County Hearing on Jordan Cove

Jordan Cove, top center of photo, site of the proposed LNG terminal.\Photo by Alex Derr.

Oregon Shores has been engaged in a wide range of local land use issues relating to the proposed Jordan Cove LNG export terminal, which Canadian multinational corporation Pembina seeks to build on Coos Bay’s North Spit.  These issues involve the jurisdictions of Coos County, and the cities of Coos Bay and North Bend.  The Coos County commissioners will deliberate on two of these issues in one session, taking place on Wednesday, Dec. 4, beginning at 1:30 p.m. in the county’s Owen Building Large Conference Room (201 N. Adams in Coquille).

The issues to be heard are:

*The so-called “Early Works Alignment” issue concerning the pipeline associated with the LNG plant where it crosses the county (AM-18-010 / HBCU-18-002);

*Coos County’s share of the Navigability Improvement proposals (which also affect the cities of Coos Bay and North Bend), which involve altering the bay bottom, probably through blasting, to improve access for giant LNG tankers, resulting in tremendous impacts to the estuary (AM-18-011/HBCU-18-003).

On this latter issue:  This application involves multiple proposals required to widen the western channel of Coos Bay for the sole purpose of facilitating LNG tanker transit to the proposed LNG terminal on the North Spit.  Termed “navigational reliability improvements,” the proposals involve dredging and possibly in-water blasting at three locations within Coos County authority, and one location within the City of Coos Bay’s authority. Significantly, Jordan Cove is requesting Coos County to rezone over 20 acres of estuarine areas currently zoned for natural or conservation purposes to allow for the dredging required to widen the channel. Oregon Shores strongly opposes the application, and has submitted extensive comments at the public hearing and subsequent open record periods highlighting how the proposed channel alterations and associated components would violate the county’s land use plan and statewide planning goals.  We argued that Jordan Cove had not made the case that any real public need would be served by dredging more of the estuary bottom--this dredging would have serious impacts on the estuary and its denizens, including shellfish harvested by local industries, and in reality serve only Jordan Cove (to the detriment of the estuarine environment and the Coos Bay region’s economy).

If you want full technical details, go here.

Note that new verbal testimony will not be taken at the hearing.  It may be possible to submit written comments—the county’s process is very unclear, and has changed more than once.  Again, see the county notice linked to above to find out the latest.

For more information about the hearing, contact Jill Rolfe, planning director, (541) 396-7770, jrolfe@co.coos.or.us.