The proposed Jordan Cove liquefied natural gas terminal and its 230-mile feeder pipeline in southern Oregon would have some adverse and significant impacts on both Coos Bay and on 18 threatened and endangered species, according to staff at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
The agency’s staff issued their final environmental analysis of the controversial natural gas export project Friday, concluding it would result in “temporary, long-term and permanent impacts on the environment.” Many of those impacts would not be significant or could be reduced to less than significant levels with mitigation measures, the analysis said, but staff concluded that some would be adverse and significant.
The staff analysis is neither an approval nor denial of the project; that’s up to a vote of the agency’s presidentially appointed commissioners after the analysis goes through a public comment period and incorporates any subsequent revisions. A final order is expected from commissioners on February 13. Even if Calgary-based Pembina Pipeline Corp., wins FERC’s approval, construction of the project would be contingent on the project obtaining a host of other state, federal and local approvals.
Among the impacts noted in the analysis:
Construction and operation of the liquefied natural gas terminal and shipping berths would permanently impact about 200 acres of land, and construction would temporarily increase turbidity and sedimentation in the Coos Bay estuary. Coupled with noise and light, wildlife in the vicinity would experience increased rates of stress and injury, and would likely relocate, the analysis said.
The U.S. Coast Guard determined that the shipping channel is suitable for LNG tankers, but said those ships would cause delays for other recreational and commercial marine traffic in the waterway. Likewise, the terminal and tankers would also exceed federal obstruction standards for the regional airport and could significantly impact airport operations.
Workers needed to build the terminal would put major demands on the local housing market, and the analysis found, the project also would permanently impact the visual character of Coos Bay.
Building the Pacific Connector pipeline would require the temporary use of more than 4,900 acres of land and permanently impact 1,400 acres of land. It would traverse steep terrain through the Cascade range, though there are plans in place to minimize landslides and erosion, the analysis said.
The pipeline would also cross over 300 waterbodies including the Coos, Rogue and Klamath Rivers and impact more than 2,000 acres of forest, including more than 750 acres of late stage old-growth forest that provides habitat for the marbled murrelet, the northern spotted owl, and other federally-listed threatened and endangered species. The analysis said several federally-listed threatened the and endangered species are likely to be adversely affected. Following construction, the analysis said the primary impact of the pipe would be the easement’s visual impact, with effects similar to other utilities and roadways.
Jordan Cove spokesman Paul Vogel pointed to the jobs and tax benefits the project would deliver and said backers had committed to undertake extensive mitigation to preserve old growth forests, wetlands and riparian habitat.
He said the staff analysis represented a significant step necessary before regulators can approve the project. That approval, he said, would be proof that the project is environmentally compliant and in the public interest.
At the same time, he said uncertainty remained regarding timing and ultimate approval of state permits.
“State permits remain a critical component of the regulatory process for this project and will enable critical investment in Oregon through this project to move forward," Vogel said.
Opponents emphasized in a news release that the project was previously rejected by FERC in 2016 because backers couldn’t demonstrate a public need for the project that outweighed its impacts on landowners affected by the proposed pipeline stretching across much of Southern Oregon.
They also pointed to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s decision to deny the project’s water quality permit because it did not have “assurance that the construction and authorization of the project will comply with applicable Oregon water quality standards.” That rejection was somewhat procedural, as the agency faced a deadline to make a decision and did not want to waive its regulatory authority. It did leave the door open for Jordan Cove to reapply for the certification, however.
Opponents are hoping the agency and the state will stick to their guns.
“FERC continues to gloss over Oregon’s findings that this project will harm the streams and rivers that our communities rely upon for drinking water and fishing. This project can’t proceed without approval from the state,” said Stacey Detwiler of Rogue Riverkeeper. “Oregon must stay strong to its values of protecting clean water and a stable climate so Jordan Cove LNG never sees the light of day.”