All Posts Tagged With: "LNG"
Former editor takes The World to task over the Colby recall matter
Kathy Erickson, former editor at The World, takes the paper to task for encouraging the recall effort to oust Coos County Assessor, Adam Colby. Erickson goes on to support Colby but regardless of which side of the fence you walk on the recall issue, she makes some good points about the conduct of the local paper.
The World has demonstrated a disregard for fairness that should greatly concern readers of the newspaper and residents of Coos County…It is disappointing, indeed, that the newspaper persists in printing such personal attacks against Colby, who is prohibited by law from responding to them…
I think the community would be better-served by The World if it provided, instead of its attacks on Colby and its unethical calls for his removal from office, some information on those who are pushing the recall effort. Surely in the interest of fair and balanced reporting, the newspaper will want to examine the credentials and credibility of those folks, too.
The paper would do well to follow Erickson’s advice about balanced reporting on many issues, including the more divisive ones like LNG and strip mining. As to the latter, The World will soon be caught with some egg on its face for not having done some homework and looked into the history and the so called ‘best management practices’ used by an earlier incarnation of ORC.
It is hard to see the paper demonstrating genuine concerns about the county at all.
Coos County Commission look at Pacific Connector Pipeline tomorrow
For property owners facing the threat of eminent domain encroachments on their property, tomorrow’s meeting is likely to be very emotional. Will the two ‘development-friendly’ commissioners move to rubber stamp the pipeline or will they take some time to consider the impacts? The May 20th hearing was jam packed with property owners opposed to the project and only one person, Gino Landrum, spoke in favor of the pipeline in a hearing that went on til almost midnight.
There is another factor to consider with respect to setting a precedent allowing the energy choices of Californians to supersede the property rights of Oregonians. Most transmission corridors are multi-modal. Gas transmission, electric
transmission, etc… run along the same corridor and there is some logic behind doing this. Nevertheless, at a conference this spring in Portland, OPT, the wave energy group stated they planned to transmit the power generated from the proposed project off the coast of Coos Bay via a new line corresponding with the Pacific Connector pipeline. When the hearings officer was here in May, I asked the Williams group if the easement they are hoping to obtain included room for an accompanying overhead electric transmission line. They said no. They were only taking land via eminent domain for their pipeline.
Assuming both are correct, what I fear is that if the wave park is built and they WILL need new transmission lines to sell the power, again to power hungry California, they will piggy back on the precedent already set. Using the ‘for the public good’ argument established by the first line, more land will be taken from the abutting land owners to accommodate the transmission towers. The Coalition for Fair Transmission Policy suggests FERC be prudent in burdening others unfairly who stand not to gain from their actions…
…Commission is examining how to allocate the costs of new transmission projects in a way that ensures that electric customers do not pay for projects from which they receive no benefits. “It is critically important that the ultimate beneficiaries of this Commission’s regulatory effort be consumers, especially in this difficult economic climate,” said Sue Sheridan, Coalition President and Chief Counsel. “Consumers can’t be asked to bear the burden of additional costs if they receive little or no economic or reliability benefits.”
It is interesting to note that even Governor Arnold Schwarznegger is a member of the coalition. Effectively, allowing the rights of property owners to be trod upon is socializing the life style choice of people hundreds of miles away, people who choose to use LNG rather than renewable energy sources.
Tuesday, August 3rd: 1:30 p.m. – The Coos County Board of Commissioners will Deliberate on the Hearings Officer’s recommendation of the Pacific Connector Land Use Application. The Board of Commissioners will not take additional evidence or testimony beyond what was presented to the Hearings Officer. Event will take place in the Planning Department Conference Room (Owen Building) of the Coos County Courthouse Annex, 201 N. Adams, Coquille, OR (This is the same meeting room where the May 20th Hearing took place.)
Meeting notice on-line here
World editorial spins false view and labels prudence as ‘anti-development’
Another reckless, careless and ill thought editorial in Wednesday’s print edition calls for a rush to action by incumbent commissioners. Obviously fearing that, so called development-friendly commissioners, Whitty and Stufflebean, will not be around much longer, the paper urges a quick vote on mineral leases and LNG pipelines. In the process they make some amazing unsubstantiated claims about the challengers while at the same time asking their readers to leave their fate in the hands of expected losers and sort of throwing those losers under the bus. (Remember John Griffith’s parting act in office).
Sometime soon, opponents of LNG and Chromite mining probably will argue for delaying both decisions until 2011, when November’s winners are sworn in. The ploy is clever politics because Jackson and fellow challenger Larry Van Elsberg are perceived as less development-friendly than Stufflebean and Whitty. Opponents of the projects will hope one or both will form an anti-development alliance with the third commissioner, Bob Main.
The World, of course, has no evidence whatsoever that anyone is anti-development. Worse, look at Whitty’s miserable ‘development-friendly’ track record. A $50M 12″ pipeline that was touted as bringing in 2900 jobs to Coos County, providing infrastructure for new business, a nice tax base to fund schools, libraries, public safety, yada, yada, yada,… instead has cost the county millions and unemployment has risen. Even Kevin Stufflebean called the pipeline a ‘fiasco’. To this day the ‘fiasco’ continues to cost the county thousands of dollars every month and every mile was ‘development-friendly’ Whitty’s precious baby.
Is it any wonder that reasonable observers of that $50M boondoggle, development scheme would exercise prudence? Hell no! Thank goodness their are cooler heads who know better than to fall ‘hook, line and sinker’ for every scheme promising jobs and prosperity that comes along. The World editorial staff are not among them, they would have us throw caution to the winds and leave everything up to ‘losers’ before winners can take office.
It is a sort of ‘hurry up before the electorate throw you out, do your dirty deeds before your previous bad judgment catches up with you’, argument. Very odd. What is in it for The World, I wonder?
Paying rich people’s taxes for them
So it seems that pipeline companies have found a way to get you and I to pay the taxes of their owners. Master Limited Partnerships that own rate regulated pipelines can force you and me to pay their taxes through
You would never know from looking at your utility bills and gas station receipts that the federal government has let one type of big business drill a hole in your pocket to collect income taxes, just as when looking across the surface of the planet, you cannot see the rich deposits of oil and natural gas buried under miles of water, soil, and rock. The cost is embedded in the sums your local utility or gas station pays for the natural gas and petroleum delivered via pipeline.
Is the Williams Pipeline an MLP? If so they not only can take land via eminent domain but we may be paying their income taxes as well.
LNG hearing today in Coquille at the Owen Bldg
Be there or be square -
PLEASE ATTEND!!
We need you there!***Pacific Connector Hearing in Coos County – May 20th 2010***
4:00 p.m.
Rally Outside from 3 – 4 p.m.The Hearing will take place in the Planning Department Conference Room of the Coos County Courthouse Annex, 201 N. Adams, Coquille, Oregon.
PLEASE MAKE PLANS TO ATTEND!
Testimony will be accepted up until the close of the hearing……
Come even if you have to be late……
———————————————————-We need people to come and let the Hearings Officer know about what kinds of impacts this pipeline will have to our area. This is one of the FINAL opportunities to let your voices be known!
We need to state the issues and the impacts of this Pipeline:
* Impacts to rural neighboring residences,
* Impacts to nearby farming operations
* Impacts to forestry operations and neighboring forestry operations
* Impacts to public lands (Most if not all of the BLM lands the pipeline goes through are Coos Bay Wagon Road Grant Lands whose timber sales go into the County Coffers)
* Impacts to the estuary and watershed
* Impacts to fishing interests, oyster harvesting, etc.
* Impacts to natural habitats, marine and wildlife
* Impacts to Cultural Resources and Archeological Sites
* Landslide issues and impacts
* Stormwater runoff issues and impacts
* Additional Fire Hazard Impacts – Including increased risk of fire, cost for fire suppression and increased risk to firefighting personnel
* Construction Impacts due to the short-term (“temporary”) loss of the whole 95 feet, as well as the long-term loss of the 50-foot Right of Way, and also the other construction impacts (i.e., trucks blocking the roads used for farm operations for x number of days, weeks, or months, while pipeline is installed, etc.).
* Monitoring Impacts and costs……We need people documenting ALL the impacts of the pipeline. (See a Critera list below that this application must meet)
If you turn in written testimony you will need to turn in 7 copies (Your original and 6 copies for a total of 7 copies altogether) If the Planning Dept has to make copies for you they will charge you .50 per copy.
Additional Information on this application is available at: http://www.co.coos.or.us/Planning/public_info/PCGP.html
A copy of today’s Agenda is below …………
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***A Rundown on the Pacific Connector Pipeline***
The Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline (PCGP) is an approximately 234 mile, 36-inch high-pressure gas pipeline operating at 1,440 PSI (pounds per square inch). PCGP is proposed to transport 1 billion cubic feet a day of gas from the Coos Bay LNG site to a connect at Malin, Oregon in an effort to supply California ( Pacific Gas and Electric ) rate payers with costly foreign energy. The Hazard zone for this pipeline is approximately a 900 ft circumference from the center of the pipe[1] (1,800 feet across) which impacts many landowners who may not even be aware they are living or have property in a pipeline hazard zone.
The Coos County conditional use application includes 49.7 miles of the Pacific Connector gas pipeline and will connect the Jordan Cove liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal on the north spit of Coos Bay with the Douglas County portion of the pipeline.
Pacific Connector Pipeline Project Areas within Coos County Zoning Designations:
Forest (F) – 39.47 miles
Exclusive Farm Use (EFU) – 3.72 miles
Rural Residential-5 – 0.37 miles
Rural Residential-2 – 0.10 miles
Industrial – 0.07 miles
Coos Bay Estuary Management Plan (all zones) – 5.99 miles
Total 49.72 miles1 mile = 5,280 feet / 39.47 miles Forest Lands X 5,280 feet = 208,401.6 feet
208,401.6 feet X 50-foot wide permanent right of way = 10,420,080 square feet of timber land taken out of production in Coos County alone.
Pacific Connector Overall Waterbody Impacts:
NOTE: The Final EIS page 4.5-84 stated impacts to waterbodies that were different from Pacific Connector’s Clean Water Permit Application that was submitted to Army Corps in May 2009.
Final EIS Page 4.5-84 Stated the following:
“The Pacific Connector’s pipeline would cross or affect 249 waterbodies (excluding ditches): 111 perennial streams, 131 intermittent streams, 4 stock ponds, 1 excavated pond, 1 industrial pond, 1 natural pond, and Coos Bay (1 crossing). Available data indicate that about 123 of these waterbodies are known (59) or assumed (64) to be inhabited by fish.” (Final EIS Page 4.5-84)
(Note: Draft EIS had stated 379 waterbodies would be impacted)
Pacific Connector Clean Water Permit Application
Appendix F – Affected Water Resources – Page 4 stated:“The PCGP Project will affect 383 waterbodies in 18 of the 19 Fifth Field Watersheds. Of the 383 waterbodies affected, 104 are perennial, 128 are intermittent, 143 are ditches, 7 are stock ponds, and 1 estuary (Haynes Inlet in the Coos Bay Estuary).
In Coos County, the PCGP Project will affect 59 perennial and 28 intermittent waterbodies, 14 ditches, 1 stock pond, and 1 estuary….” (Emphasis added)Pacific Connector Clean Water Permit Application
Appendix I – Wetland Mitigation PCGP – Page 1 stated:“The project will cross 383 waterbodies, of which 104 are perennial, 128 are intermittent, 143 are ditches, 7 are stock ponds and 1 estuary (Haynes Inlet in the Coos Bay Estuary) as indicated in Table 2A-2 in Appendix A. Available data indicates 64 of the waterbodies (including the Coos Bay Estuary) are known to support fish (fish-bearing) and 62 more are presumed to be inhabited, based on annual flow regimes and connectivity to documented fish-bearing streams, 90 are unknown and 23 are not fish bearing.” (Emphasis added)
The freshwater streams crossed by proposed pipeline route include 6 major subbasins of rivers in southern Oregon, the Coos, Coquille, South Umpqua, Upper Rogue, Upper Klamath and Lost River subasins. Most of the major streams, and many of the minor streams crossed contain salmon and steelhead, some of which are federally listed as threatened fish species.
Construction of the Pacific Connector pipeline would affect about 3,035 acres of forest and woodland, 623 acres of agricultural lands, 488 acres of grasslands-shrubland, and 131 acres of non- riparian vegetation. (Final EIS page 5-9). ( I am not sure if these statistics also include the temporary roads and staging areas that will be needed by the Pipeline company)
Approximately 151 miles, or 66 percent, of the proposed pipeline route would cross private property, which could be taken by eminent domain. The remaining 79 miles (34 percent) of pipeline route would cross public lands administered by the BLM (18 percent), USFS (12 percent), BOR (0.14 percent), (Final EIS page 4.8-25)
The Pacific Connector is slated to directly impact Clausen Oyster Company’s best oyster beds. Clausen Oyster Co, the former Kentuck Golf Course, and Coos County Sheep Farm are just a few businesses in the Coos Bay area that will be negatively impacted by the pipeline.
The Pacific Connector proposes to use a 95-foot-wide standard construction right-of-way for the pipeline. (Final EIS Page 2-61) On federally managed lands, Pacific Connector proposes to acquire a 53-foot-wide permanent easement, centered over the pipe. On private timberlands, Pacific Connector proposes to acquire a 60-foot-wide permanent easement. On all other private lands, Pacific Connector proposes to acquire a 75-foot-wide permanent easement (Final EIS Page 2-64 –2-65). The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is not allowing the use of eminent domain on an easement that will exceed 50 feet (Final EIS Page 2-66). Landowners could be given less money for use of land due to smaller easements and there is no compensation listed for hazard zone property value devaluation. Vegetation at above ground facilities would be periodically maintained using mowing, cutting, trimming and the selective use of herbicides (Final EIS Page 2-110). Herbicides could affect native plant species, thereby affecting wildlife habitat and potentially the animals themselves (Final EIS Page 4.5-32).
[1] GRI-00/0189 / C-FER Report 99068, “ A Model for Sizing High Consequence Areas Associated with Natural Gas Pipelines” Topical Report prepared by Mark J Stephens, C-FER Technologies, for Gas Research Institute, Contract No 8174, Oct 2000
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NOTE: The Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline states in their Coos County Application that they will only obtain a 50-foot wide permanent right of way.
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The hearings officer will be explaining all procedures including any time limit that he may have. This agenda below is just a general outline.
http://www.co.coos.or.us/Planning/2010_NoticesAgendas/05-20-10_Planning_Agenda_for_Pipeline.pdf
Coos County Planning Department 201 N. Adams, Coquille, Oregon
Agenda
May 20, 2010
For Coos County File # HBCU-10-01
Welcome to the Coos County Land Use Hearing
This is a hearing request for a conditional use approval to allow a 49.7-mile natural gas pipeline connecting the Jordan Cove liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal on the north spit of Coos Bay with the Douglas County portion of the pipeline. The pipeline will be below ground, but will require a 50-foot permanent right of way and four above-ground block valves. The pipeline will cross through the Rural Residential (RR-5 & RR-2), Exclusive Farm Use (EFU), Forest (F) and Industrial (IND) zones, as well as 15 separate Coos Bay Estuary Management Plan (CBEMP) zoning districts. The applicant is Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline Company
I. Call Meeting to order at 4:00 p.m.
II. Procedural Matters
III. Staff Presentation of Item
IV. Arguments
a. Applicant’s Presentation
b. Proponents
c. Opponents
d. Neutral Parties
e. Applicant’s Rebuttal
V. Final instruction from the Hearing’s Officer
There will be breaks approximately every two hours for fifteen minutes at a time. If required by time constraints the hearing may be continued to a date and time certain by the Hearings Officer.
This hearing is governed by Coos County Zoning and Land Development Ordinance (LDO) §5.7.300. This is a quasi-judicial land use hearing. Thus, failure to raise an issue in person or in writing, or failure to provide statements or evidence sufficient to afford the decision maker an opportunity to respond to the issue precludes appeal to the Land Use Board of Appeals based on that issue.
Please see attached for the list of the applicable criteria that should be addressed in your testimony. You can find the criteria by visiting the Coos County Planning Department in person at 225 N. Adams Street, Coquille OR 97423 or visiting our website at http://www.co.coos.or.us/Planning/CCZLDO/toc.htm .
If you are presenting oral testimony, please complete a “Request to Speak” form and give it to the staff prior to the hearing. At the time of your oral presentation, you will need to state your name and mailing address for the record. Testimony must be specifically related to the applicable criteria. Any testimony outside the scope of the hearing will not be considered. The Hearing Officer will not receive redundant testimony. You should endorse, rather than repeat prior testimony of others which you agree with.
CRITERIA
The application must meet criteria set forth in the Coos County Zoning and Land Development Ordinance
(CCZLDO) as follows:
Section 2.1.200 Specific Definitions
Section 3.1.150 Building Permit Issuance
Section 3.1.200 Verification Letter Required for Building Permit
Section 3.2.200 Uses Listed as Permitted
Section 3.2.250 Administrative Conditional Use
Section 3.2.300 Hearings Body Conditional Use
Section 3.2.500 Right of Way Enhancement
Section 3.2.700 Process for Tribe(s) Review of Development Within Archaeological Sites
Section 3.3.100 Lot Standards
Section 4.1.100 Establishment of Zoning Districts
Section 4.2.100 Use Matrices
Section 4.2.400 Rural Residential Zoning Districts
Section 4.2.600 Commercial-Industrial Zoning Districts
Section 4.2.900 Review Standards and Special Development Conditions
Section 4.4.400 General Standards for Rural Residential Zoning Districts
Section 4.4.600 General Standards for Commercial-Industrial Zoning Districts
Section 4.5.100 CBEMP Zoning Districts – Purpose and Standards
Section 4.5.150 How to Use This Article
Section 4.5.175 Site-Specific Zoning Districts
Section 4.5.180 Riparian Protection Standards in the CBEMP
Section 4.5.275 Management Objective for District 6-WD
Section 4.5.276 Uses, Activities and Special Conditions for District 6-WD
Section 4.5.285 Management Objective for District 7-D
Section 4.5.286 Uses, Activities and Special Conditions for District 7-D
Section 4.5.370 Management Objective for District 8-D
Section 4.5.371 Uses, Activities and Special Conditions for District 8-D
Section 4.5.375 Management Objective for District 8-CA
Section 4.5.376 Uses, Activities and Special Conditions for District 8-CA
Section 4.5.405 Management Objective for District 11-NA
Section 4.5.406 Uses, Activities and Special Conditions for District 11-NA
Section 4.5.400 Management Objective for District 11-RS
Section 4.5.401 Uses, Activities and Special Conditions for District 11-RS
Section 4.5.425 Management Objective for District 13A-NA
Section 4.5.426 Uses, Activities and Special Conditions for District 13A-NA
Section 4.5.480 Management Objective for District 18-RS
Section 4.5.481 Uses, Activities and Special Conditions for District 18-RS
Section 4.5.535 Management Objective for District 19-D
Section 4.5.536 Uses, Activities and Special Conditions for District 19-D
Section 4.5.540 Management Objective for District 19B-DA
Section 4.5.541 Uses, Activities and Special Conditions for District 19B-DA
Section 4.5.550 Management Objective for District 20-CA
Section 4.5.551 Uses, Activities and Special Conditions for District 20-CA
Section 4.5.545 Management Objective for District 20-RS
Section 4.5.546 Uses, Activities and Special Conditions for District 20-RS
Section 4.5.595 Management Objective for District 21-RS
Section 4.5.596 Uses, Activities and Special Conditions for District 21-RS
Section 4.5.600 Management Objective for District 21-CA
Section 4.5.601 Uses, Activities and Special Conditions for District 21-CA
Section 4.5.690 Management Objective for District 36-UW
Section 4.5.691 Uses, Activities and Special Conditions for District 36-UW
Section 4.6.205 Designation of Flood Areas
Section 4.6.220 Identification of Flood Hazard Areas on Verification Letter
Section 4.6.230 Procedural Requirements for Development in Flood Hazard Areas
Section 4.6.235 Sites Within Special Flood Hazard Areas
Section 4.7.105 Special Considerations – Prescribed Regulations
Section 4.8.300 Administrative Conditional Uses
Section 4.8.400 Review Criteria for Conditional Uses in Section 4.8.300
Section 4.8.600 Mandatory Siting Standards for Dwellings and Structures in the Forest Zone
Section 4.8.700 Fire Siting and Safety Standards
Section 4.8.750 Development Standards
Section 4.9.450 Additional Hearings Body Conditional Uses and Review Criteria
Section 4.9.600 Siting Standards for Dwellings and Structures in the EFU Zone
Section 4.9.700 Development Standards
Article 5.0 Administration and Application Review Provisions
Article 5.2 Conditional Uses
Article 5.7 Notice and Public Hearings
Appendix 3, Volume II – CBEMP Policies 14, 16, 17, 18, 20, 22, 23, 27, 28, 30, 34, 49, 50, 51
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Kevin Stufflebean does his best impression of Tina Fey doing Sarah Palin UPDATED
This is too good not post if only to expose the mindless jabber that emanates from Stufflebean’s mouth. The fact that he supports LNG and Oregon Resources without benefit of an economic impact analysis and doesn’t have a clue what he’s talking about with respect to the actual ‘benefits’ to the County is just gravy.
This would actually be worthy of a transcription because I think when seen in writing Kevin’s speech patterns are the most illuminating. The camera pans the crowd and not many of them (except for Steve Pickering in sections not pictured here) seem impressed.
Here is a list of links to sites that give some relevant statistical data about Coos County. Did you know that we have one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the nation? Did you know the illiteracy rate is 10% (no, not just our elected officials)?
Did you know one in every 642 homes in Coos County is in foreclosure and there are over 200 foreclosures going on right now?
UPDATE Okay, this is definitely not the best use of my time but I transcribed the video and ran it through word cloud software and this is what Kevin’s speech looks like to a computer. The larger the word the more often he uses it. Notice the size of GOING (hopefully he will be going soon)
Here is the quick transcription. Later I will annotate as several people have sent me very funny comments that deserve mention in the appropriate sections.
Transcription
Um. We’ve got candidates who are running who are very actively engaged with the process of not supporting jobs in Coos County. We have the LNG facility we have the Oregon Resource corporation a company that wants a place here those are jobs that are going to come to this county and employ individuals and you know, your business is going to be impacted severely by LNG if it wasn’t to come here.
When we were asked a question down at the mill casino the other day about what was going to be the benefits to Coos County if LNG was to locate here. This is not a campaign where you have people who are going to ride the fence and say ‘oh I really have to look at it and see if I really support it or don’t support it. You need people who are running for office who’s going to tell you the facts and is going to give you the real issues.
MG – Not to put to fine a point on it, how does one actively not support jobs?
When you look at LNG, if they do locate here, the benefits to Coos County is they are going to fund twenty plus full time sheriffs in our department. That means you as taxpayers do not have to pay for those the business is going to support those. How is that not a benefit to you as taxpayers in Coos County? And when we were asked the question the candidate Andy Jackson couldn’t really tell us what the benefits to that was. But yet, he is very willing to tell you he is willing to raise your property taxes for you to support something that he is not being accountable to you already on.
MG – Kevin fails to mention the enterprise zone tax exemptions both the Canadian LNG firm and the Australian strip miners will plan to take advantage of.
When you look at the aspects of Oregon Resources Corporation we have a lot of truckers right now in the business in Coos County and when you have individuals who run for office to represent you as taxpayers and we are going to stand in your way to allow you to do business in your county that is the wrong reason to be electing people to office in Coos County.
MG – First, Kevin, your job is to properly manage and protect publicly held resources, not to privatize the community treasure to benefit a few at the expense of the many. There is a public process for a reason… even if you don’t agree with it.
We are there to uphold the constitution and the laws of this country and our county and our state and we are here to promote free enterprise not stand in the way of businesses to do what they do. And businesses are the ones that are creating the jobs it is not government we need to step back and insure that were factoring in all the issues that were responsible for, protecting and safety aspects of every business that comes here but it is not our job to be standing in the way for people who come and do business here.
MG – He is speaking to American’s for Prosperity here so he had to throw in the constitution…(even though he probably hasn’t read it)
It is not our job to say ‘oh we are going to put that up to vote to see whether or not people want that business in this county or not. The minute we let people decide that we can vote on whether a job comes into this county or this city then we have done an injustice to these companies because they have the right to locate here as American citizens and do business as they desire. That’s one of the best things about Americans they have the ability to be able to do that. And you do not want people standing in your elected positions that are going to continue to stand in the way to be obstructionists with that.
MG- Nice sentiment but both of the companies in question are foreign.
Because those individuals are going to be paying more property taxes, ensuring that we support our county government, our city government ad our state government so its just been appalling to me and that’s why I like the fact that we have, ah, seven candidates running for the position because it really demonstrates the lack of understanding of how county government operates,. It demonstrates their inability to understand how we interface with city government, and even with the state government.
MG – Again, no mention of the enterprise zone property tax exemption. Then we have the ‘six degrees to Kevin Bacon’ argument… he is glad there are seven candidates running because it proves their lack of understanding of government and inability to understand????? How is that, exactly?
I have felt very fortunate being actively involved, as most of you have noticed I have been very involved with House Bill 2001 with the gas tax increase and was very actively involved with trying to oppose that because what it was doing was adding more burden on you folks in an economic time like we are in now when people are losing their jobs over and over and over but yet they were increasing your taxes and that’s one of the things we said ‘you just cannot continue to do that with things like that when were in the situation we are in with our economy’.
MG – Playing to the ‘keep the government out of my medicare’ crowd so he throws in some anti-tax talk.
People in Coos County deserve again the services we are responsible to provide to the citizens. We cannot provide, we cannot help all the issues for individuals in Coos County, so that’s why your county government is responsible for doing the specific services that we offer to do.
MG – Typical Stufflebean speak – nonsensical gibberish but looks good in a word cloud.
State Rep Roblan finally admits he is pro-LNG
In a truly democratic society, especially one as large and diverse as America, towing the national party ‘one size fits all’ line at the local level is just plain undemocratic. Every small community or region has its own unique flavor and needs and dynamics and local party leaders should, in fact, embrace this diversity and build upon it and adapt to it rather than pushing a lousy candidate just because the lousy candidate is registered with the party.
In my personal view, both of the major parties in Coos County continue to back very mediocre incumbents at the State Legislature. Why don’t the dems show some guts, fortitude and concern for the area and encourage the aged Senator Verger to step aside for a true progressive candidate?
Today, State Rep Arne Roblan, also a dem, demonstrated just what a mediocre candidate he is by grandstanding on a non-issue and questioning whether FERC was influenced by anti-LNG lobbyists. (One can’t help but wonder how many ‘lobbyists’ have influenced Arne) So, as reported at The World, Roblan has filed a FOIA with FERC to see if any inappropriate meetings took place.
Roblan said he requested a response from FERC within 20 business days.
‘Whether you support or oppose the construction of this terminal, it’s important that we all feel like we were treated fairly and we all had our say in what appears today to be a secret meeting that led to a decision delaying the building of this terminal and the hundreds of jobs it brings to our community,” he said in his press release. [emphasis mine]
At least now, after dancing around the subject and artfully dodging every attempt to get him to state his position on LNG one way or the other he finally, in-artfully, showed his hand. “…hundreds of jobs it brings to our community”… who’s been lobbying you Arne? Just who do you represent? Not the thousands on the no LNG list, obviously.
This may be a bit of grandstanding, just a way to get his name in the paper before the primary, but this publicity stunt reveals just how narrow Roblan’s thinking skills really are AND he will have some real egg on his face when he waits twenty days for something he could have just made a phone call to the people he is accusing to find out why FERC delayed the decision.
Thank goodness I am unaffiliated.
More and more questions for Coos County leaders
Thank goodness citizens are taking notice of the sorry public money investment practices that seem to pervade Coos County. Someone is making money but it isn’t the taxpayer.
I have two questions, but first some background on why I have these questions.
The history of America is such that when people wanted to start a business they gathered the money and/or supporters, got the necessary permits and started their business.
Not so here in Coos County.
When Northwest Natural wanted to start their business here and lay their 12″ pipeline, the state legislature provided $4 million of our tax dollars ( 2 years before we knew of the project ). Then 2 years later our Commissioners convinced a majority of voters to place a $50+ Million bond against property owners for 20 years for the N.W. Natural project. Furthur the state legislators , under HB 3046, in 2007 forgave them their property taxes. The land owners whose property they took got no such consideration. To date I do not believe the tax payers have received any compensation and only minimal jobs.
When The Jordon Cove people wanted to start their LNG project our tax dollars, throuogh the Port of Coos Bay Commission, were used to obtain a contract with Weyerhaeuser. When they needed to exchange the wetlands on the site for another wetlands the Port of Coos Bay Commission, and the county Commissioners again came into play with legislation, and tax dollars.. They re-zoned Kentuck golf course.. Additionally, being in an enterprise zone they will be forgiven property taxes for 3 years.
Now Oregon Resources Corp., another foreign company, wants to do business with Weyerhaeuser in strip mining for chromite. Again our tax dollars are being used to make it possible. Our Commissioners plan on spending $1 Million+ of our tax dollars over 2+ years to re-do W. Beaver Hill Road so ORC can run their trucks 24/7 for 20+ years on a route presently called ‘scenic’. In 2009 the State and the county Commissioners forgave them their Corporate taxes for 10 years. They are also in an enterprise zone.
This seems to be only the tip of the iceberg.
My questions are: 1. How much money has the Northwest Natural 12″ pipeline netted to the citizens of Coos County & Oregon to date? 2. Are the county Commissioners going to again raise the citizens’ property taxes to the full extent under law or are they going to be considerate of our hard times and hold the line where it is??
Jaye Bell
Time to start hammering the questions but more importantly, demanding the answers. Some of our county commissioners, Kevin Stufflebean in particular, are not good at answering questions.
Coos County historically sells public resources on the cheap and is famous to boot
The recent submission to the AIA Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT) spearheaded by South Coast Development Council (SCDC) rightly list the many features of the Coos Bay Area that set it apart from other coastal Oregon cities. The Int’l Port of Coos Bay is the closest deep water port to Asia and the only deep water port between Seattle and San Francisco. The Southwest Oregon Regional Airport is the only commercial airport on the Oregon Coast.
The Bay Area Hospital is a major medical facility and serves much of the coast. The award winning Bandon Dunes Golf Courses draw people into the area increasing the number of executive jet flights from 2 to over 5000 per year (I threw that last part in). Both employ hundreds of people.
The strategic benefits and the natural beauty and world famous golf course and the hunting and fishing and the farms and ranches are not what makes Coos County and the Coos Bay Area famous, unfortunately. Coos County is famous for being a plunderers playground and a text book example of what can go wrong when short term gains as promoted by groups like SCDC overshadow long term benefits. Al Sandine, in his book ‘Plundertown USA: Coos Bay Enters the Global Economy’ likens SCDC to the mill owners and job bosses holding sway over the dependent work force of the early 1900s. Sandine points out that to be a voting member of SCDC costs $10,000 eliminating the common worker as a participant in local development schemes.
David Cay Johnston devotes two full chapters to Coos County in his book ‘Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense (and Stick You With the Bill)’. SCDC receives taxpayer money from the local municipalities and the County but maintains a quasi-governmental/private status apparently enabling it to conduct closed meetings, if it wants to, further excluding the commoners from being ‘in the know’. SCDC, Friends of New and Sustainable Industry (FONSI) and most of the elected leaders in Coos County have presided over and continue to support the plunder of pubic resources and there is probably no more glaring present example than the $30M+ airport and as Johnston notes, a federal subsidy for corporate jet use…
Keiser (owner of Bandon Dunes) is not unique in benefiting from this subsidy…What makes Bandon Dunes distinctive is there is no other beneficiary for the use of the airport at Coos Bay. Commercial passenger traffic has been steady for years at about 100 passengers a day. And those corporate jets, except for maybe three per year, are drawn by the golf links Keiser owns…
Each time an executive takes the company jet to play at Bandon Dunes you pay part of the cost. And the airport improvements, done solely to benefit Bandon Dunes, are also paid for when you buy a commercial airplane ticket or an Oregon lottery ticket.
The total subsidies received just by Bandon Dunes exceed the value of the jobs produced. Given the tens of millions of dollars that have flowed in and through Coos County since I moved here in 2003, why is there nothing to show for it? Why are we hovering at 15% unemployment?
The SDAT intends to send
…multidisciplinary teams of professionals from across the country to provide a road map for communities seeking to improve their sustainability—as defined by a community’s ability to meet the needs of today without reducing the ability of future generations to meet their needs.[emphasis mine]
Coos County has a long and dirty history of enriching the few at the expense of future generations. The old growth timber was cut at rate greater than it could recover from leaving future generations no jobs and little to look forward to beyond pulp mills.
The same mindset that allowed Coos Bay to become dependent on one or two big corporate players for a resource extraction economy is still at work today. SCDC, FONSI, at least two of the three county commissioners and probably most of the professional board members at the local chambers of commerce, urban renewal groups and the Rotary clubs, etc… are maneuvering and lobbying to sell the farm, or in the case of ORC, mineral rights, and sell it on the cheap and the electorate have no one to blame but themselves. These same people presided over the gas pipeline fiasco and the late Ron Opitz, former director of SCDC came from NW Natural, now leasing the pipeline.
So why, with a thirty year record of dismal economic indicators and a 15% unemployment rate, do local leaders continue to make the same decisions? Why do they try and repeat the same failed business model, over and over again? Why do our local leaders allow Coos County to act as a funnel threw which taxpayer money flows straight into foreign corporate bank accounts?
If you read the leaked RNC power point mocking their own donors, prestige, power and fear are primary motivators for donating to the GOP (not that all members of the groups above are Republican). Maybe shucking and jiving with ORC and Jordan Cove and hobnobbing with Bandon Dunes offer some perceived prestige and power in the minds of these people. Enough they would throw caution to the wind and sacrifice the public trust?
Perhaps as Joe Bageant points out in his amazing book ‘Deer Hunting With Jesus’ we have elected people that are little more than functional illiterates and are just plain incapable of the type of critical thinking necessary to be wise stewards of public assets. The SDAT application clearly wasn’t written by a wide swath of the citizenry and reflects a very worm’s eye view of the reasons for Coos County’s ills.
Whatever the reason, Coos County has some elections coming up and needs to make some hard decisions or the continued depression of these last 30 years will likely only get worse.
Coos Bay proposed LNG terminal in the news
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
More on The World and the McCaffree editorial
Yesterday, I spoke with Jody McCaffree to get her reaction to the name calling editorial in The World. McCaffree was just as appalled as I was the editor sank to ‘kindergarten’ behavior and hastened to point out that she went to
…San Francisco to attend the Inter Solar North America Exhibition and Conference – July 14 -16th at the Moscone Center in San Francisco (www.intersolar.us). While there I also connected with contacts I have in the San Francisco area who set up several meetings that I was able to attend and also several events that I was scheduled to speak at while I was there. I had e-mailed Katherine Hoppe, the local Director of Promotions and Conventions in Coos Bay before I had left to see if she might have any photos or info I could take with me as I was wanting to promote our area while I was there. I did not receive a response from her but took local photos that I had and made a promotional slide on my own of our area which I used in my presentation. I also took some brochures of our area that were given to me by the lady who we purchased our business insurance through. I was told after the meeting by several attendees that I should get paid for promoting our area because every single person in the room was ready to come to our town and have an adventure when I was done.
What has Clark Walworth done to promote Coos County lately? For that matter what has SCDC done? Or the Chamber? Jody McCaffree doesn’t get paid to promote Coos County, McCaffree doesn’t get paid for any of the work she does, she just cares about her lifelong home. Further, after the original article regarding a resolution in San Francisco not to accept LNG from Coos County, the reporter called her back asking how she had traveled to SF! The reporter said his editor wanted to know!
Finally, McCaffree calls into question the claim in the editorial of ‘factual errors’
I would like to know what about the Resolution the World considers “Factual Flaws” ? I would be happy to point to the documentation that supports every statement made. I find it rather odd that the World used the FERC FEIS to try and discredit the document but obviously have never read the FEIS document. Perhaps the factual flaws are theirs alone. One does have to read you know.
Properly written editorials do cite supporting data when making claims that are not opinion. The World violates this tenet again and again. Real journalists take pride in informing their readers not deceiving them. Shame on The World!
Come on Coos County, start demanding excellence from our media, stop accepting the drivel they deliver.
Another ‘persuasive’ red neck editorial at The World
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?
SF says no to Coos Bay LNG
Hats off to Jody McCafree and the informed citizens of San Francisco for taking a stand to protect Coos County from the Jordan Cove LNG terminal and Pacific Connector Pipeline partnership with Pacific Gas & Electric.
Supervisor Chris Daly sponsored the city’s resolution after his legislative aide, Tom Jackson, met on July 16 with anti-LNG activist Jody McCaffree of North Bend and other opponents. McCaffree flew to San Francisco to talk to the city officials and to attend a solar energy fair.
McCaffree, who has led local anti-LNG efforts for several years, said the California officials picked right up on her concerns about reliance on foreign energy at the expense of renewable resources. She hadn’t expected them to move so quickly on a resolution.
“I was shocked,” she said. “They just understand it.”
Regrettably, most of our civic leaders have not done any real research so it is always refreshing to visit other communities where elected officials take their jobs seriously and do read and research issues before voting on them. The comment from PG&E is pretty funny when talking about liquefied natural gas.
Developing natural gas supply routes is part of the push for renewal energy, said Jonathan Marshall, a PG&E spokesman. Solar and wind energy can’t produce electricity constantly. Natural gas generators can fill the gaps.
“It’s an essential partner to renewable energy,” he said. “It actually enables the use of renewable energy.”
Honestly, the same can be said for ‘natural’ coal or natural’ plutonium or ‘natural’ … oh just read the list off the periodic table of the elements.
Right on, Jody, don’t let the ill informed comments get you down.
Stufflebean blames recall on ‘anti’ people
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?
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