Page 8 - NorthAmOil Week 27
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West Coast environmental woes
US WEST COAST
WHILE the US is rapidly establishing itself as a major LNG heavyweight, not all plans are win- ning local support – particularly on the country’s West Coast. A lawsuit was led this week against Tacoma LNG in Washington State, while the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) led a major rebuke to plans for the Jor- dan Cove LNG project, in Coos Bay.
The lawsuit against Tacoma LNG, which is under construction, was filed in Thurston County, a statement from the Advocates for a Cleaner Tacoma (ACT) group said on July 9. is sought to challenge a decision by the Wash- ington State Department of Ecology’s issue of a permit for a proposed facility in the port, backed by Puget Sound Energy.
Tacoma LNG is a small-scale liquefaction facility, with proposed capacity of 400,000 tonnes per year (tpy), intended to provide fuel for local transportation. At times of peak demand, the plant could also regasify LNG and inject the gas into the grid – operating as a peak shaving facil- ity. It is anticipated to be operational in late 2020.
ACT, which is working on the case with the Sierra Club, claims that the issue of a water quality certi cate for the plant did not include a thorough analysis of climate emissions and other impacts. e department has a “legal responsi- bility to consider the full environmental impacts of proposed fossil fuel projects, and Tacoma LNG is no exception,” said a Sierra Club repre- sentative, Stephanie Hillman. “It is unacceptable to allow this massive fracked gas facility to be built in our state without considering the threat to our communities and our climate.”
In addition to the alleged certi cate dispute, ACT has also expressed concerns about the impact on the Puyallup people. Construction of the plant would violate the Medicine Creek Treaty rights, the group said. e department should carry out a full lifecycle climate impact analysis, it continued.
Washington State Governor Jay Inslee came out against Tacoma LNG in May. Speaking dur- ing a ceremony to ban hydraulic fracturing in the state, the governor called for investments in renewable sources. “I cannot in good conscience support continued construction of a [LNG] plant in Tacoma or a methanol production facil- ity in Kalama.”
Inslee said previously they might have reduced greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions but “I am no longer convinced that locking in these multi-decadal infrastructure projects are suf- cient to accomplishing what’s necessary”. e Puyallup Tribe called on Inslee to halt the con- struction of the Tacoma LNG plant in February 2018.
Jordan Cove
Oregon’s DEQ led a 250-page report on July 5, the last day commenting was allowed on the
A nal decision from FERC is expected in 2020 on Jordan Cove LNG.
draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process, set out by the Federal Energy Regula- tory Commission (FERC).
Construction of the plant would have diverse impacts on the local environment, FERC said in March, but most of these could be managed.
e Oregonian department disagreed. e FERC report was insu cient and the conclusion – about the manageable impacts – was disputed. e federal government’s report was “inaccu- rate and inconsistent with DEQ’s recent review of the proposed project’s impacts on state water quality”.
e DEQ rejected Jordan Cove LNG’s appli- cation for a water quality certificate in May, although allowing the company to reapply should it address the concerns raised. In particu- lar, the agency said there was “insu cient infor- mation to demonstrate compliance with water quality standards, and because the available information shows that some standards are more likely than not to be violated”. Speci c instances singled out by DEQ included the impact of con- struction and operation of pipelines on streams and wetlands, in addition to concerns about drilling materials being released into the Coos Bay estuary.
Oregon’s wildlife department, meanwhile, expressed concerns about the impact on sh- eries. Furthermore, Oregon has also called on FERC to consider the full carbon cycle of the plant. Rather than just the local impact, the com- mission should also consider the burning of the fuel in Asia, it said.
A nal decision from FERC is expected in 2020 on Jordan Cove LNG, the project’s owner, Pembina, said in May, with rst LNG targeted for 2025, delayed by a year. Production would be 7.8mn tpy from ve trains.
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w w w . N E W S B A S E . c o m Week 27 11•July•2019
