Jordan Cove Eelgrass Hearing

Eelgrass.\Photo by York Johnson.

As part of its plan to construct an LNG (liquefied natural gas) facility on Coos Bay’s North Spit, the Jordan Cove Energy Project proposes to dredge up eelgrass beds that are crucial to the estuarine ecosystem, and then develop new eelgrass beds elsewhere (as “mitigation,” in the planning term).  Oregon Shores along with many local conservationists have opposed this scheme.  The Coos Bay Planning Commission will hold a hearing on the proposal on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 6 p.m. in Coos Bay City Hall (500 Central Ave.)

Oregon Shores believes that the project could wind up doing severe damage to the bay’s eelgrass beds.  We argue that the company has not demonstrated that it has made adequate effort to avoid impacting eelgrass (always the first priority), and that its unproven mitigation scheme involves dredging in an area zoned as natural, with little guarantee of success and the possibility of doing further damage.  This is one of the many reasons Oregon Shores opposes the Jordan Cove LNG project.