Economy / Need

Faced with declining natural gas exports from Canada and increased competition from other markets, the Pacific Northwest clearly needs an alternative energy source. Bradwood Landing represents just such a clean, reliable, affordable energy source for the Pacific Northwest. Once operational, the terminal will be capable of increasing the natural gas supply available regionally by one-third, resulting in lower energy prices and increased GDP. This in turn will create new jobs and help protect and preserve existing jobs for businesses that depend on access to low-cost energy.

Bradwood Landing and its associated maritime jobs (i.e., tugboat crews) will employ 65 people at an average salary of $60,000 a year with benefits. Using skilled union labor, the construction of Bradwood Landing will create 2 million man-hours of work for three years, peaking at more than 450 jobs. (The company is also partnering with Clatsop Community College, Lower Columbia Community College, and organized labor to train local workers to fill skill gaps with programs like “Workers in Welding.”)

In contrast, the average salary in Clatsop County is $28,000 a year. According to the Oregon Employment Department, the average tourism industry job pays $14,000 per year and is often part-time or seasonal.

According to a study conducted by University of Oregon economics professor Dr. Phillip Romero, an LNG facility located in the Northwest will help increase regional employment by between 5,100 and 20,300 jobs and increase household income by between $51 and $215 per family of four. During construction, Bradwood will seek to maximize opportunities to purchase locally. In all, Bradwood Landing will infuse approximately $112 million into the local economy, and approximately $18 million per year once operational.

With a stable supply of natural gas, Northwest industries that rely primarily on this energy – pulp and paper mills, food processors, aerospace firms and other manufacturers – will have a secure energy future, enabling them to compete and grow. Additionally, these industries typically pay wages well above the regional average, further stimulating the economy.

The project will also provide millions of dollars annually in local investment and taxes. Bradwood Landing will pay nearly $8 million each year in property taxes, making it by far the county’s largest taxpayer by a factor of three (in addition, the company is not asking to be included in an enterprise zone to lower this amount).