In a conciliatory gesture to the states of Washington and Oregon, NorthernStar Energy LLC and Bradwood Landing LLC have asked FERC to hold rehearing of the order approving the proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal and associated pipeline “in abeyance” to give the states more time to mull over the project and requests for state permits.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) “should delay issuance of its rehearing order until the states have had an additional reasonable period of time in which to fully consider the project and the applications for the state [water and air] permits, and the biological opinion for the project has been issued,” NorthernStar and Bradwood Landing said in a motion filed Thursday [CP06-365, CP06-366].

“Holding the action on rehearing in abeyance will prevent premature and unnecessary litigation that may occur if the Commission issues a final order and the parties seek judicial review before the state permits are issued,” they noted.

In seeking rehearing, both Washington and Oregon have argued that the federal regulators should have waited until all state and local permits were granted before making a determination on the LNG project and related pipeline facilities (see Daily GPI, Oct. 27). The deadline for FERC to respond to the rehearing requests is Nov. 17, but the agency can always extend the deadline with a tolling order.

In mid-September, the Commission issued a certificate for Bradwood Landing’s LNG terminal on the Columbia River in Clatsop County, OR, and NorthernStar Energy’s proposed 36-mile, 30- and 36-inch diameter pipeline (see Daily GPI, Sept. 22). The agency took the action despite considerable opposition from local and state officials to the project, which had been pending at FERC for 42 months. FERC attached 109 safety conditions and mitigation measures to the certificate order to allay the concerns of opponents.

The proposed terminal would be located on a 40-acre site at the former townsite of Bradwood in Clatsop County, which is about 38 miles up the Columbia River — the main economic artery for the Pacific Northwest. The project would provide up to 1.3 Bcf of natural gas to the region.

The Bradwood Landing project calls for the construction of a single ship berth capable of receiving and unloading LNG tankers with capacities ranging from 100,000 to 200,000 cubic meters; two 160,000 cubic meter storage tanks; a 36.3-mile, high-pressure pipeline in Clatsop and Columbia counties, OR, and Cowlitz County, WA; and associated pipeline support facilities.

The sendout pipe would extend from the terminal to an interconnect with Williams’ Northwest Pipeline system north of Kelso, WA. Between the terminal project and the terminus of the Northwest system, the sendout pipeline would deliver regasified LNG to Northwest Natural Gas Co.’s pipeline system, Georgia Pacific’s Wauna paper mill and Portland General Electric’s Beaver Power Plant.

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