Oregon — raising similar procedural arguments as the state of Washington — has asked FERC to rehear its approval of NorthernStar Natural Gas’ Bradwood Landing liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal along the Columbia River in Oregon. Two other parties also joined the chorus asking for reconsideration of the Sept. 18 conditioned federal approval.

Bradwood Landing backers indicated Tuesday that the project would continue moving forward seeking needed state and local permits in both Oregon and Washington (see Daily GPI, Oct. 21). The two state filings to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) argue that the federal regulators should have waited until all the state and local permits were granted before making a determination on the LNG project. A Native American tribe and a river conservancy group filed their requests, raising waterway issues among others.

“The requests are part of the process to ensure that FERC addresses all appropriate aspects of the Bradwood Landing project,” said Joe Desmond, NorthernStar senior vice president for external affairs. “We expect that FERC will carefully consider and respond to all relevant issues raised in the filings.”

Desmond said Bradwood expects that FERC will not only review the rehearing requests, but also issue a biological assessment of the project that comprehensively gauges the environmental impacts, in consultation with the regional office of the National Marine Fisheries Service, as required by the federal Endangered Species Act.

Bradwood’s backers have committed to not proceed with the project until it has satisfied “all applicable state permitting requirements,” Desmond said, along with meeting the conditions placed on its by FERC and Clatsop County, OR.

“We believe the review of our project has been thorough and transparent and that it will continue as such throughout the remaining federal, state and local processes,” said Desmond, adding that he thinks it would be “premature for anyone to draw conclusions about the adequacy of the process until all state and federal agencies complete their reviews.”

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