December 18, 2008NorthernStar Natural Gas | December 18, 2008
PORTLAND, Ore. – Although not reported widely in the media, last week’s Oregon Business Plan summit recognized the role liquefied natural gas can play in supporting the development of renewable energy and ensuring affordable, reliable natural gas while creating needed jobs.
The annual meeting attended by nearly a thousand of Oregon’s business and political leaders is designed to develop and present recommendations to the Governor and Legislature to enhance the state’s economic health.
The Business Plan calls for the upgrading of “electricity and natural gas transmission systems,
including LNG” and identifies the “immediate job creation” of LNG terminal construction and the building of “infrastructure critical for implementing renewable energy and providing affordable natural gas” as benefits for Oregon. In addition, the Business Plan included:
• A call to: “Diversify Oregon’s natural gas supply sources by encouraging access to additional
supplies through the development of additional pipeline capacity and LNG importation
facilities.”
• Recognition of the natural gas challenge facing Oregon: “Natural gas is the cleanest fossil
fuel. As a result, natural gas can help Oregon to shift away from more carbon intensive fuels
used for industrial, commercial, residential and transportation sectors. However, to be able to
allow natural gas to bridge from where Oregon is to where we want to be with a significantly
reduced level of carbon emissions, the natural gas supply and transportation infrastructure
will need to be enhanced. This will require investing in improving Oregon’s natural gas
supply sources and the development of increased natural gas storage capability to buffer
future price and supply risks.
To diversify Oregon’s supply sources of natural gas the stateneeds to encourage the development of LNG importation facilities.”
“Liquefied natural gas can help diversify the Northwest’s supply of natural gas, putting downward pressure on wholesale gas prices and helping ensure reliability by backing up renewable energy sources,” said NorthernStar Natural Gas Senior Vice President for External Affairs Joe Desmond. “Oregon’s business and labor community understand these truths and have taken steps to support LNG.”
The Bradwood Landing’s coalition of supporters includes the Oregon AFL-CIO, the Columbia Pacific Building Trades Council, the Washington State Building and Construction Trades Council, the Oregon Machinists Council, the Washington Machinists Council, Carpenters Local 1707 and the International Longshore Workers’ Union (Columbia River Oregon Area), and the Steamship Operators Association.
The Bradwood Landing LNG terminal and its associated 36.3 mile pipeline will provide a new
source of natural gas directly into the Oregon and Washington natural gas market. It will create more than 450 jobs over three years of construction and 65 permanent jobs and contribute more than $7.8 million annually in taxes to Clatsop County. As the only FERC-approved U.S. West Coast LNG terminal, Bradwood Landing will begin construction in 2009 and be operational by 2012.
The Oregon Business Plan can be accessed at: http://www.oregonbusinessplan.org/
<< Back to News
Download PDF (55 KB pdf file)
