Today’s San Francisco Chronicle has done a good write up on the proposed LNG plant in Coos Bay and the Pacific Connector pipeline

Resident Jody McCaffree sees it as a place of sand dunes and shore birds, where the slumping local economy hasn’t destroyed a high quality of life. But a group of energy companies, including PG&E Corp., sees Coos Bay as a potential source of fossil fuel.

The companies plan to build on the bay’s northern shore a terminal for importing liquefied natural gas, deeply chilled fuel that, when warmed up, can run power plants, furnaces and stoves.

A proposed pipeline from the terminal would cut through 234 miles of rural land, mostly forest, before stopping at the town of Malin on the California border. There, an existing pipeline would move the gas north to the Pacific Northwest and south to California.

Suspicions the pipeline claimed to be for importation of natural gas will ultimately be used for export raises the specter that Pacific Gas & Electric is trying to take advantage of eminent domain rules.

…McCaffree and other Jordan Cove opponents wonder if it isn’t an export terminal in disguise.

The Pacific Connector pipeline, they note, could easily link to another proposed pipeline, called Ruby, that would enter Oregon from the east, supplying the West Coast with natural gas from the Rocky Mountains. If Jordan Cove is really designed for export, then any private property condemned to build the Pacific Connector pipeline would be condemned solely for corporate profit…

Project manager Bob Braddock says “…turning Jordan Cove into an export terminal would require completely redesigning the project and reapplying for government permits…”

Read the article here

It is really hard to maintain any optimism or hope that Coos County might participate in a knowledge economy when the largest newspaper writes an editorial designed to keep the populous dumb and angry.

Entitled ‘Politics is all about persuasion’ the editor proceeds to persuade the reader a recent decision on the part of the City of San Francisco City to denounce Coos Bay’s proposed LNG terminal and pipeline is not based on factual data and well researched decision making. Rather that SF is populated by liberal busy bodies intruding upon other people’s business.

Opponents of a North Spit LNG terminal have failed to enlist hometown councils and boards in their cause. Oregon requires neutrality on land-use planning issues, and besides, local electees don’t need a fracas.

Thwarted at home, the LNG foes found willing ears in San Francisco. And such ears! The San Fran has a notorious fondness for crusades both large and small. It has battled the National Rifle Association over banning handguns, lectured China about human rights, and cleansed the city of non-biodegradable grocery bags.

Now, I could easily argue that each of the ‘crusades’ listed above have significant economic impact on the well being of San Francisco citizens but The World isn’t interested in facts or they would not belittle Jody McCaffree, a life long resident of Coos County, without citing some facts to support backup their own unconditional support for foreign LNG. The editor, still devoid of facts then resorts to name calling labeling board member, Chris Daly a “firebrand di tutti firebrand”. How classy, Clark, you should be really proud of your pithy, earthy and studiously ignorant redneck prose.

One final comment, the editorial begins by referring to old time journalists as if the writer had some insight into real journalism. Old time journalists, real journalists considered it a requirement to inform their readers, not blow smoke up their asses. How stupid do you think everyone is?

This theme began at the IBO Luncheon recall debate when Kevin made this statement (again I take no responsibility for syntax errors)

So why the recall now versus later? Its very obvious to everybody who’s been following this that the recall now is because the comment about decisions around businesses is very correct because of if I am successfully recalled then you have every group that is anti-development, anti-progress, anti-LNG, anti-anything that goes on in Coos County that has used this group to see this recall through and we’re going to have substantial impacts on business’ futures if this recall is successful because it has nothing to do with the layoff of employees[emphasis mine]. It has nothing to do with a flawed process because we have already demonstrated that the process was not flawed. There was no illegal meetings it has to do with the fact that anti people want to change the prosperity for you as taxpayers futures.

While Stufflebean is correct, the recall is not about layoffs at the road department, evidently, there is a movement to push the meme that concerns for public safety and public process translate as ‘anti-business’. Evidently a local radio talk show host and publisher of an ‘alternative’ news rag spent most of his show slamming Jody McCaffree and myself. Since I didn’t hear it I won’t comment on specifics but I will share that Kevin did alienate a large contingent of the business community when he lumped everyone opposed to LNG into an ‘anti’ category. He should get to know his constituents better.

Meanwhile we are waiting for him to really demonstrate that the reorganization of the road department was done openly. If it was, how many in the county residents knew about it before reading it in the paper or hearing it on radio shows like the one discussed above? Why was it such a surprise to ev eryone?

Many thanks to Pat Reid, for sharing this article written for The Sentinel this week, so I can offer it here. Pat has written very eloquently and professionally for our community before talking about ethanol and this week he turns his analytical skills to LNG.

On the energy front, this nation is at a crossroads. Do we continue to throw money at the fossil fuel industry (represented in large part by the API – American Petroleum Institute) or do we finally awaken to stand up against this fossil fuel lobby and the interests that they represent and just say NO. No to greater dependence on foreign sourced fossil fuels which only enrich the oil/gas corporations, undermines our national security and provides funding to our enemies. We the people need to start saying YES to renewable, domestically produced, and sustainable sources of energy that increase the wealth and stability of this country – allowing for an overall national way of life that models sound energy policy for the rest of the world to emulate. In my view, we must come to grips with the reality that there is only a relatively modest amount of fossil fuels left here on our own shores and begin in earnest to invest in & develop our own sources of RENEWABLE energy. Wind, solar and biofuels are viable right now and will only enhance the health of the economy, environment, and national security. The use of fossil fuels, especially supertanker shipped LNG, increasingly makes us less secure as we are forced to rely on countries that are ruled, in large part, by unfriendly dictators who despise countries with democratic forms of government. These dictatorships have and will continue to use a certain percentage of these petroleum/gas dollars to pose a threat to our national security.
LNG is 100% foreign sourced from many of the same volatile countries that provide much of the oil to satisfy our current addiction. We are setting ourselves up for an unhealthy dependence to yet another fossil fuel that undermines our overall security, adds to the global climate change problem, and does nothing to help wean us off our oil habit. LNG coming into Coos Bay, or any other U.S. port, is just a bad idea if looked at with any kind of long term perspective.
Our federal, state & local dollars would be much better spent by developing and establishing industries that harness the renewable power of the wind, the sun, biomass derived fuels (ethanol & biodiesel) and even the tremendous potential energy of wave/tidal action just off the coast. These energy sources would provide many good paying jobs that enable us to use our existing electrical grids and power our cars with very little modification needed. Every state in the union has the potential to harness at least two of these renewable sources of energy and do it reliably within 5 to 10 years. We must commit to stop throwing our money at fossil based fuels (especially those 100% foreign sourced) and demand an Apollo type program be launched that breaks this country free of our crippling dependence on dwindling supplies of fossil fuel and moves us toward renewable energy independence and greater national security.
Ten years from now, I am one who would like to see the goal of having at least 50% of our energy coming from wind, solar, advanced biofuels, and other sources of renewable energy. Tell your elected officials that you want this kind of future and urge them to work toward this goal. Remind them to say no to things like LNG that ultimately undermine our overall prosperity & security.

Developing new technology is often like working your way through a minefield, belly down, creeping inch-by-inch, poking tentatively at every possible dent or protuberance and hoping you aren’t blown up in the process. Each forward inch extracts pints of sweat yet when you raise your head to get your bearings you find there is still a long way to go and multiple paths to choose from.
Even now, as the V-LIM turbine has solved one problem after another, where to get 8 conductor slip rings, NASA grade bearings, 50 amp 4 contact rectifiers, 45 mega Gauss magnets, what insulator to use, how to minimize cogging and resistance, the biggest hurdle lies ahead. Breaking through traditional mindsets and established paradigms that trap our society within a centralized power model is not going to be easy.
Language in the Draft EIS report prepared for FERC regarding the proposed LNG terminal illustrates the ‘stuck in the box’ thinking that has helped lead America into its current energy crisis. The report, ironically, cites all the inherent problems of centralized power production, be it renewable or LNG, namely transmission congestion as a barrier to renewable energy.
The report further cites, correctly I might add, that tying intermittent energy sources into the grid at the higher voltage transmission line levels is highly problematic. Load matching and maintaining a consistent 60 Hz output is a costly and time consuming job, the failure of which can cause massive blackouts like the one in the Northeast in 2003.
The Draft EIS report concludes that lack of transmission capacity and difficulties in load matching at the transmission level negates renewable energy as a viable alternative to LNG in meeting projected loads in the years to come. Not once does the report discuss the merits of de-centralized power production.
Widely and successfully practiced in Europe, the concept of producing power at the point of consumption instead of in remote rural outlands is hardly untried technology. The failure of the report to acknowledge advances in small wind technology, solar and geothermal power production, micro-grids and combined heat and power, not seeing the forest for the trees, puts millions of acres of private property at risk of seizure by eminent domain.
Imagine how frustrating it is for my small venture to know that I may close deals with European contacts before I finalize domestic projects, simply because the foreign mindset is open to decentralized alternatives. America must think out of the box if small business has any chance of providing long term, living, family wage jobs in Coos County.
Please allow me to take this opportunity to introduce and thank those people who participated, at my request, in the duel with Amanda Davidson. I want to especially thank my good friend, Ed Pool, who is a little under the weather right now and wrote in support of ending combat operations in Afghanistan. Ed served in the United States Navy as a radar technician and patrolled the Saigon River in 1965 and 1966. He then went on to spend 35 years with the Federal Aviation Administration. Please join me in wishing Ed a speedy recovery.
Dr Robert Fischer handled the oil-drilling topic. Bob is a Marine Corp veteran and went on to earn his PHD from Michigan State University. He taught at California State University, Fresno in the Social Sciences department for 30 years.
Pat Reid took on the ethanol topic. Pat earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Applied Physics from Pacific Lutheran University where he also played all four years for the university’s baseball team. He served 8.5 years in the US Army with 7 of those years as a helicopter pilot including 2.5 as an instructor pilot. Pat made a direct transfer to the USCG 3.5 years ago and is currently flying as an aircraft commander out of North Bend.
Pat lives right here in Coquille with his “beautiful wife” of nearly 11 years and two children, ages seven and three.
Thank you all so much for contributing to the community.

Belize, a Central American country with a population of 314,000 has been in an ongoing power struggle with the country’s Canadian owned power company, Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) over a rate increase.

Fortis is the majority owner of Belize Electricity Limited which can only raise electricity rates after applying for and being awarded a rate increase by Belize’s Public Utilities Commission (PUC). It applied for an increase earlier this year but was turned down.

According to CEO Marshall, rising oil prices and the regulator’s decision not to allow a 25 percent rate increase are to blame for putting his company in “financial crisis.”

But PUC chairman, John Avery, in an interview with Belize’s Channel 5 News, said the Commission cannot take BEL’s claims about a cash flow crisis seriously and will not allow BEL to pass unreasonable costs onto customers.

BEL is threatening to shut down power production if demands are not met, in effect holding the country hostage. Let there be no doubt, should the US continue its dependence on foreign oil or continue to allow LNG terminals and rely upon that fuel for energy production, we too will be held hostage for ever increasing rates.

This is a cautionary tale and one that has been repeated around the globe many times. Number one, essential services must never be privatized, holding profits ahead of the people. Number two, we have to stop importing foreign resources and price gouging at the pump are no different than BEL holding their hand on the switch in Belize.

Previously, it was US companies that held other countries hostage, a US owned company once did the same thing to Canada, but as we have outsourced our manufacturing and depleted our own reserves we are now in the same position as Belize. We have no national security anymore, we are weak and dependent nation.

Below follow some of the questions recently sent to Jeffrey Bishop, Executive Director of the Port of Coos Bay by Citizens for no LNG.

3) Thirty three LNG import terminals have been approved already in North America. Some of these terminals that have been built have been unable to get supply contracts. If Jordan Cove was to be approved by FERC and built but they were forced to shut down or never operate due to market conditions (i.e. they filed bankruptcy, dissolved, etc), who then would pay the payments on the tugs, the slip dock, the dredging of the access channel, the property, etc, since these are to be owned and/or controlled by the Port? (Emphasis mine)

4) I understood that even though APM terminal is not coming for a least 5 years and possibly not at all, we are still going to pursue the bay dredging project. This is at the request of APM? Do we have a signed agreement with APM terminals? Can I get a copy of this agreement? Who is paying for the proposed dredging?

5) I thought I heard you say that the dredging would also benefit Jordan Cove in that you could work harbor disruptions so that they would not be so impacting to other bay users. Correct?

6) I am still rather confused as to how the dredging project can go forward without the agreements in place that are required of the legislature before bonds are to be sold? I am also still rather confused as why the Port approved over a million dollars in September to begin working on the bay dredging project without these agreements in place first? Doesn’t this put our Port at an extreme liability?

It should be noted that of the 33 LNG terminals approved by FERC much of the land was acquired by eminent domain for both the terminal and the supporting pipeline from property owners. Eminent domain was used to secure property even in the terminals that have been moth balled… those people lost their property for nothing.