An editorial on a blog in LNG town

The issue is not who supports or rejects the proposed LNG terminal, but why.

Don't let yourself get distracted with personalities, humans have been known to say one thing and do another.

I am against it. I used to live in Astoria for about 10 years and I value the what natural environment is left. If the LNG terminal experiences a major accident, more than jobs will be lost.

As long as oil has significant monetary value, we will be dependant on oil because those decisions are not made by you or I. They are made by others (House of Fahd, House of Bush, etc.).

Have a nice day.

A View on The Warrenton Situation From Someone Who Hasn't Read the BLOG.

Well, I don't have a whole lot to say about the comparison with Georgia. I've spent a little time in the Southern backwoods, and I think it's quite different from Warrenton. People make all kinds of mistakes in how they talk about issues, and I'm not going to say that some mistakes haven't been made in one way or another (I haven't read the blog, and most people coming to the event this weekend probably won't have, either).

But the folks opposing LNG in Astoria are, in my experience, decent people who don't like the idea of having major energy companies and the Dept. of Homeland Security running their town and their port. It's too bad if anyone has been off-putting, but this LNG opposition seems to be pretty broad-based in the Astoria area. I guess I would say that, if there are harsh perspectives, it's because this development came out of nowhere and was plunked down on top of these little towns, and they've been left to fend off these huge energy companies. I think we could all do them a favor by being realistic about who would benefit from the LNG, and who is going to be taking the risks. Portland (and the rest of Oregon) should be on alert because they are the supposed "market" for some of this LNG, although I suspect it's actually intended for power plants and electricity for California.

There are a thousand reasons to think LNG is a bad idea. Personally, I think Oregon needs to chart a more sustainable and equitable path in terms of its energy consumption. LNG is unsustainable for obvious reasons--the natural gas will grow more expensive, more vulnerable, and more scarce. The dredging necessary to maintain the shipping channels could be a mess, depending on what gets stirred up and what fish habitat gets trashed.

Additionally, it's not equitable because folks living near the terminals bear an enormous risk and impact (the security measures needed to keep these things safe are a major impact, in their own right), while people in the urban centers use the gas.

It's my perspective, for what it's worth, that LNG is also inequitable because it comes from places and people who even less of a say than folks in Warrenton. There are gas pipelines running through the territory of uncontacted tribes in the Peruvian Amazon, gas developments destroying fisheries for indigenous peoples in Russia, and riots in Bolivia because the LNG developments are an obvious scam that won't benefit the people.

There is a problem, of course. Does stopping the LNG on the Columbia and the Coast (there are 5 proposals in Oregon) just mean the development goes somewhere else? This is a real, and disturbing, possibility.

This is why some people in Warrenton, Coos Bay, and all around Oregon are talking about how to limit our demand of fuels whose source is the suffering of poor people in another place. Supply will create demand, in Oregon. If the LNG comes, the natural gas electricity plants will come soon thereafter. Even if it goes to homes in Portland, these folks will be benefiting from impacts stretched out on supply lines thousands of miles long--from Aceh, Algeria, Russia, or Peru.

If we allow the energy companies to run our cities, our counties and our state, we are increasing our participation in the destruction. If we allow our jobs, our energy, to be based on LNG that endangers people on the Coast or elsewhere, we are worsening the problem that already exists (jobs based on oil, hydropower that ruins native fisheries). We need to be working on real solutions, not more Calpine LNG scams.

So, I'll be in Warrenton. And a lot of other people will be there, as well, who are from Warrenton and elsewhere.

Some highlights among the Speakers:

Mike Buettner - from Humboldt bay, where local fishermen banded together to reject Calpine LNG development because it would severely disrupt their fishery

Julian Darley- author of High Noon For Natural Gas

several others...
columbiarivervision.org

As for the $25, a lot of folks will come without paying at all. (me, for instance)

"The struggle of (wo)man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting." -Milan Kundera

www.bridgecity.homestead.com

Enough with the Hillbilly putdowns, Georgia. It's often an effective strategy for provocation and division, but it's a new day out, and it's not going to work on this one. I was rather disheartened by the venomous post of a week or so, deriding the NIMBY white people of the Lower Columbia for daring to throw themselves up against the military/industrial Leviathan and having the temerity to even suggest that anti-democratic backdoor decision-making and ritual receptivity by our elected officials is unacceptable behavior. And then you throw it out about hilbillies and the really benighted yokels in Warrenton/Astoria, and the same canard about the Clatsops being used again. Hill People in Georgia, Kentucky, W. Virginia seethe at being portrayed in this way--and I can tell you from experience that the people of Eastern Kentucky are among the coolest anywhere(don't get your informatin from Hollywood Films, Georgia). Your comments are very off-base, and suggest that you may be using your outrage at the white people's misusing of the Clatsop Indians for rhetorical purposes.

One thing that the LNG incursion has done for Warrenton/Astoria has been to help us citizens realize that we can work together on protecting the place we live even though we don't agree on everything. I don't agree with the moderator of the ourastoria blog on many things, and that doesn't matter. I also believe that the Democrats are more resposnsible than the Repubs for what's happening to our country(not that the Republs aren't responsible as well). And that doesn't matter. What matters is that there is a growing group of people who are really talking about what the future of our place might be, and they're talking about the challenge of reclaiming democracy, and localization, and corporatization, and militarizaation, and the problems associated with murdering Indonesians for their oil and gas, and about Nigeraia and the killing of labor union leaders, and about despoiling Sakhalin Island, and displacing indigeonous people, And many of us have never thought about these things before. And this is a very positive development. And YOU know it.

So lay off the Hillbilly smear, and come to the Forum if you want.

I actually do think it matters who the people are. Just as the anti-LNG-ers make a big production out of the personalities of the people who want the LNGs (calling them pirates and money hungry proviteers, etc...) I think it is important to have an understanding of who the anti-LNG-ers are as well.

Part of their stance, actually at the core of their stance, is that these LNG "pirates" have little or no care for the people and the lives they are impacting.

What difference does that make when the anti-LNG-ers have no regard for those lives either? They SAY they want to save a community but that isn't true, they want to save and capitalize on their money, just like the pirates want to on theirs. There is no difference, just the scale. Is the community worth saving? Hell no! Misogynists, high rate per capita of substance abuse and all of the hell that goes along with it: child molestation, neglect, abuse; Spousal abuse; Rape. Lackadaisical political leadership, unresponsive school administration. If there were any place in the world worthy of taking a LNG storage facility this would be it.

But there isn't any place in the world worthy of taking a LNG storage facility. The thing worth saving is the planet. That reason is the reason to stop the LNG industry. I see little reason to go to Warrenton's rally for that. Preaching to the choir has rarely made anything happen.

Reading that forum really pissed me off. Why does the opportunity to do good come to such assholes?

 http://www.bridgecity.homestead.com

G:
"But there isn't any place in the world worthy of taking a LNG storage facility. The thing worth saving is the planet. That reason is the reason to stop the LNG industry."
Absolutely. We agree, then, on the basic issue. I think you make a good point, also, in saying that the way we spread the message is crucial. If we demonize our opponents, we have to be prepared for a race to the bottom in terms of personal insults and disagreements, in which we will all surely lose.
I guess I would disagree in the value of the Warrenton event, as there will be folks from well outside Warrenton there. If people want to pull together and learn about the issue, this isn't a horrible place to start, whether or not the Forum you speak of is worthwhile. Buettner did an impressive thing in Humboldt Bay, and the author of High Noon For Natural Gas probably has some practical things to say about why this issue in terms of why the supply/demand picture for LNG is unstable.
The LNG issue does not belong to Warrenton, though they are on the chopping block. Nor does it belong to Astoria, Bradwood, Coos Bay, or anywhere else. It is, as you say, a matter of saving the world. One way, or part of the way, to do it is to establish sustainable, equitable energy sources and local economy where we are.
So, if you're going to be in or near Warrenton, I think there is an opportunity to learn and organize. Otherwise, there are tons of other sources of info.

End of Suburbia film showing attracted over 100 people on a Wednesday night. Not just the Choir either. or rather, perhaps the choir is growing.

and if you're not, then what's your deal? what kind of trouble are you trying to stire up, poking around in the affairs of Cascadia? i believe you need to butt out, buddy.

Jesus, talk about not getting it. Shut up! Shut-up! SHUT UP!!! We want people to come to Warrenton, we want help, so just shut UP!

You freaking idiot, you can't accuse someone of doing something and then in the same sentence do the same thing yourself. You said, " It's often an effective strategy for provocation and division" to accuse someone of being a hillbilly then you go on to denigrade the person, linking them with a previous post that obviously pissed you off: "the same canard* about the Clatsops being used again" and "suggest that you may be using your outrage at the white people's misusing of the Clatsop Indians for rhetorical purposes" (whatever the hell that means) and you whine about the horrible prejudices you and "your people" have had to endure for the last ... few moments (in your own mind).

Nobody derided anyone for "daring to throw themselves up against the military/industrial Leviathan and having the temerity to even suggest that anti-democratic backdoor decision-making and ritual receptivity by our elected officials is unacceptable behavior" (blah, blah, blah MELODRAMA and what the hell is "ritual receptivity"?).

Someone wrote that when anyone uses the Indians plight to get something without even bothering to ask them directly for help that it was derogatory and stank of exactly the same disregard that the asshole pirates have for the people of the Lower Columbia communities. Your post just shows you still have that same disregard and you couldn't give a shit what anyone thinks about your disregard. GET A CLUE. YOUR THE SAME person as any pro-LNGer, any and every Calpine corpo that comes in. You don't give a flying f- what anyone thinks, who you offend or what it takes to get what you want and its obvious ALL you want is to retain your way of life and your property values and if you have to use Indians to do it or piss off womyn or crap on kids you'll do it.

Thank GOD that people care more about the planet and more about the Columbia then they care about what you say. Keep the website up, its hysterical. Its funny to think about you squeeeaaallllliiingggg whenever you make one of your invariable misogynistic remarks.


*canard - false or misleading story (like the one written about the Indians). Yeah, everyone uses that word. Not just old reprobate house "designers" with free diddling time.

Where's "here"?

Thanks Indymedia for calling attention to this matter.

Liquid Natural Gas represents many different things to different people, but most dramatically, it is very tangible evidence that the administration and the fossil fuel industry is well aware of the fact that hydrocarbon resources are rapidly being depleted on the entire planet. This is the last gasp of the cheap hydrocarbon-based economy.

As such, it is not just an issue for us folks along the river-- it is a critical issue in urban areas everywhere. What, really, are we going to do when the tap runs dry?

Of course, the planet will not run out of oil-- we are merely running out of *cheap* oil. Production costs are accelerating rapidly now, and soon $50/bbl oil will look like a bargain.

So LNG technology -- which really hasn't changed much since it was introduced in the 1940's has suddenly become financially thinkable. This New Gold Rush only proves that the smart money knows that oil is ending -- and natural gas is not far behind.

Time to get behind rational development of "renewable" energy. We either use our brains to come up with sensible solutions-- or we forcibly return to the 14th century. We might be able to choose--

As The owner of "The Site" I invite all of you to visit "The Site" and judge it for yuorself. You will easily be able to find the musings of the author of this editorial and my response. You can easily see why she would be a bit miffed and deservedly so in my view. Setting all this woman's junk aside, the issue at-hand here, The "LNG Raiders" on the Lower Columbia have got us under a full assault and we need all the help we can get down here and I ask you to hear our plea. We do not want LNG development on the Lower Columbia Visit The Astoria Citizens Journal

I can't tell if "native spawn" is a Native (American, Astorian, Warrentonian, Georgian, Manhattanite, etc.....) but (s)he sure has the "they" word and the hate radio "shutups" down just right.

I have lived in Astoria for 16 years. Native to where? -- well Florida for my first three weeks during WWII and lived all over the place since then.

For a population of 30,000 (including the Washington county to the north and all of Clatsop county) this is a remarkably diverse area. Largely because of a very colorful past-- in which White traders and raiders took over from the Clatsops and the Chinooks -- who were themselves traders and raiders. Our forbears cut down the forests, scooped out the fish, and made fortunes for themselves. Now we are left with the spoils of depletion-- and the money and the capital has all gone East to New York and London.

One thing is for sure-- Native Spawn and I will both soon be food for worms, and in 50 years those LNG tanks will either be here or they won't. In 50 years the individual personalities of the various pirates on the river will be irrelevant.

Get behind a renewable resource economy, Native. Forget the outrages of the past-- they need to be acknowleged, but in truth, nearly everyone has been violated in some way, so obsessing about that produces only the "hate" speech and "hate" thoughts that are so destructive of real progress.

Thanks for not answering any of my questions buddy.

Using putdowns for "shock" value, I love it!

We are sorry that we are "wannabe activists", but honestly, this shit has been thrown in our laps and we are being forced to fend off 4 different LNG companies all at once. These companies don't care one bit about anyone in Oregon, all they want is to make money. We are up against billion dollar corporations they will run over whoever they please, and you want to rip us for having a information seminar that includes lunch for a $25 "suggested donation". What an ass!


Reasons why LNG is bad for Oregon:


The gas is off limits to Oregonians!
ALL of the LNG that would come into the Columbia is first going to be stored in giant storage tanks. (they say 2 tanks, but they have enough land for 10) Next, the gas is going to be pumped through a 36in pipeline (still needs to be built) to Longview. Once the gas gets here, through US pipeline grid, it can go to anywhere in the country. If you were a LNG company where would you want it to go? To whoever can pay the most, right? California and Arizona.
Once it gets to the Southwestern US it will be sent to gas-powered electricity plants, that Calpine has already built, the building of these plants has caused Calpine to go 19 billion (yep 9 zero's) in debt.

The gas powered electricity plants will compete with BPA

Oregon's electricity rates are currently lower than the rest of the country because BPA sells its power from the dams to California. Once the power plants get up and running, BPA won't be able to charge as much for their power because LNG will hold down California's electricity costs.
Gotta love those future electricity bills!

Watch those travel plans

Anyone who comes down to visit the beautiful Oregon Coast (and it's Hillbilly's) will be affected. Sports fishermen, who come down by the 1000's will have to flee if a ship approaches. Spot searches will be likely (would you want any old John Doe near a ship with all that explosive gas?) and the last 6 miles of the Columbia will be under security watch at all times.

Port of Portland

IN the future, energy will be in short supply, Oregon has lots of it, and exports will rise dramatically in the coming years. Lng will severely affect the coming and going ships.
Remember it's better to export energy than import it!



I challenge everyone who is the slight bit interested in the future for Oregon to do some research on this subject.
After looking into it, I guarantee you will be against Columbia River LNG.



Also:
Come on down to the coast this weekend!
We also have the Crab festival going on this weekend, come down and go to the Rivervision Meeting and stop by and have some Wine and Crab at one of our most famous events.

Will be a fun time!!!

You sure are good at typing alot of words and not saying anything Native.
All blogs are the same, with the same assholes.
Just because you are not interested in Oregon LNG, doesn't mean you can degrade the people who are against it. As far as I'm concerned, your posts shit on more people then anyone on the Astoria Blog.

To all those visiting the "bridgecity" forum, I invite you to search back in the archives and see that it is not just an anti-Calpine platform, but is also an avenue to expose the machinations of a port commission out of control. The Calpine fiasco is but the last enormous straw to be stuffed down the throats of Clatsop County taxpayers. Please pardon my mixed metaphors but at least we now have some community focus on the actions of this port commission; and I would encourage any with the time and inclination to join us in shining a light on the egregious actions of a few, which are proving to be so damaging to the many.

Now that the host has let hisself be known -that's truly amazing! If you just drop in on his site you won't be able to go back too far cause its only archived about a week back. You won't be able to read how cruelly this guy urges his readers to make sure that they let PETA know they are eating meat, or whines how the liberals are trying to take away his guns, or does his democrat/republican analysis and why republicans are gods editorials.

Another interesting thing you won't be reading about: His retalitory weekly Red, White and Blue flag waving -Give War a Chance- rallies. He did this to piss off the the world flag wavers holding a weekly -Give Peace a Chance- rally on the lawn of the post office by holding his at the same time right across the street. The oddest thing, now, is that it is the -Give Peace a Chance- organizers, who first organized the LNG opposition. One has to wonder what makes a republican fanatic (because make no doubt this guy is a third marriage, Lars Larson lovin, Rush Limbaugh admirin f-g republican) climb into bed with people he wouldn't share a street corner with a few months back. Finding out he is behind the web board site and is helping out against LNG seems against his nature.

Wanna bet someone says lets not worry about what "he" did in the past and just focus on what we are all doing together now. Or how about the alltime favorite you dont "sound" like your from around here butt out myob. Almost like he doesn't want us thinking about his motives. Just think about the pirates, not the republicans (same-same)?

I notice many of you complain but you choose to stay away from posting your comments on LNG at the site.

What do you know about it?

Would you want it in your neighborhood?

If LNG was imposed on your community would you rather be asked first or would you prefer to just have it shoved down your throat.

Would you have the courage to come to  http://bridgecity.homestead.com and post your real name on an issue and stand-up and fight to defend it or are you just more comfortable here basking in your anonymity.

We do have a "Totally Anonymous" Forum as well for those too afraid to put their asses on the line in fear of some sort of retribution.

Anyway, take a look at the photo below and see what the citizens are faced with at the moment...Two LNG Speculators competing with each other in an effort to install an LNG Transfer/Storage Terminal literally in some citizens back yards.

Of course, I forget that many of you live in the Portland area and would not have too much sympathy at all for this issue.

That's understandable.

White supremacists are not peple I want to help

to patrick mcgee

If LNG was to be installed in our town you wouldn't lift a finger to stop it. You care nothing about anybody else except your own backyard.

..we know that Patrick Mcgee played a part

in getting Bergin elected sheriff. He can

turn over anything you post to "anonymous"

so don't post anything you don't want the man

to know about you.

He's a spy for the man.

Who knew about Calpine, and when?

By KATE RAMSAYER

The Daily Astorian

 kramsayer@dailyastorian.com



Port files reveal few written records about decision-making or research

The Port of Astoria's executive director maintains that the port did its homework and followed appropriate due diligence procedures before signing a lease that allows Calpine Corp. to go forward with its proposed liquefied natural gas receiving terminal in Warrenton.



"All we really did is to allow the process to begin," Peter Gearin said.



The Daily Astorian filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the port for access to documents and communications relating to the meetings and information-gathering leading up to the lease agreement. However, Gearin said that most communications with Calpine and others were oral - and that he didn't take notes.



The FOIA request resulted in the port offering photocopies of calendars and lists of meetings scheduled with local officials. In several cases, Gearin said he met with officials but did not note the dates; many officials themselves said they didn't remember what day they learned about the project last fall.



There appears to be little written record of the port's decision-making or research efforts involving its large decision to agree to a property lease with Calpine. But it has emerged that all three of the region's elected state officials, three county commissioners, all five Warrenton city commissioners, two senior county staff, and representatives of the North Coast's entire congressional delegation all knew about Calpine's proposal prior to the lease being signed.



The proposal itself - and the way the port handled it - has led at least two opponents, Peter Huhtala and Rose Priven, to file for port commission positions in the May 17 election. Both have said secretiveness was not in the public interest.





Surprised

Although the port has no notes from the meetings, both Gearin and Clatsop County Commissioner Helen Westbrook, who attended one of the meetings, said that Calpine representative Peter Hansen gave a broad overview of the project, the need for increased LNG imports, and why the company was interested in siting an LNG facility in Warrenton.



The meetings weren't public, and didn't include a quorum of city or county elected officials. However, Westbrook said that she was surprised when the port and Calpine signed a lease for the property shortly after the project was announced. At the meeting it appeared the participants recognized the need for an extensive public education and discussion process, she said.



The process has drawn loud criticism and prompted the questions: who knew - and when?



The port and its commissioners have been strongly criticized for the timing of the lease agreement, which was signed without what opponents consider ample opportunity for them to voice objections.



But Gearin said that the job of the port is to promote economic development, and that a project the size of Calpine's proposed $500 million receiving terminal was something that deserved a chance to proceed.



"From an economic development standpoint, that LNG terminal is so significant that we could not do our job to our constituents (by rejecting the proposal); we couldn't say no," he said. "If we were to say no because it's going to be a little harder or take a little longer, because it was easier to go with the golf course, then quite frankly they need another director." The port had been working to develop a golf course along the Skipanon, and still hopes to continue with that project.



The port's expertise and mission is to bring economic development to the area, Gearin said; concerns about zoning or safety or security are more appropriately handled by other agencies that specialize in those areas.



"Those concerns are addressed by those agencies that are empowered to deal with it, whether it's homeland security or the safety officials," Gearin said.





Checking the bottom line

What port staff did address before the commission signed the lease, however, is the financial stability of the company and its ability and commitment to complete the project, as well as some of the general concerns surrounding LNG facilities. Gearin said he is satisfied with the research and due diligence conducted by the port: "There is nothing I would have done differently."



Gearin had seen a presentation in the spring of 2004 about potential LNG facilities along the Columbia River at sites like Bradwood, Wauna and Port Westward, but was first contacted by Hansen, Calpine's vice president for development, in August.



The energy company had been looking at different sites, and felt that the tip of the Skipanon Peninsula was the best place to build an LNG receiving terminal. The facility would consist of a dock for the tankers, two 150-foot storage towers, machinery to convert the LNG into gas and put it into a pipeline, and the pipeline itself.



Gearin said that his immediate concern was that the company would come in with a proposal, take up a lot of the port's time and energy, then leave when the project hit the first snag. But Gearin talked with Hansen, and arranged to travel to Calpine's headquarters in San Jose, Calif., at port expense, to talk with the chairman, president, and chief operating officer of the company to make sure they were serious about the project.



"When you look at Calpine as a company, their future depends on an adequate supply of reasonably priced natural gas," he said. "I see a very large, significant company, with a strong incentive to make sure this happens."





Financial checks

The financial status of the company also factored into the port's background research, Gearin said. He looked at the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and said that although the company is in debt, it has significant amounts of assets and a plan for dealing with the debt.





Helen Westbrook

The port also talked with an investment brokerage - details are not known about which - to find out more about the company; Gearin said the broker verbally reported back to him that Calpine was well-run and creates top quality construction projects.



"They're a substantive, well-managed company," Gearin said of Calpine. He added that it was an environmentally clean operation, and that he had talked to people in Hermiston, where Calpine built a power plant, who reported that the company was a good community neighbor.



Gearin said he saw the anti-LNG Web sites, and was aware of the opposition Calpine faced in Humboldt Bay, Calif. But the fact that LNG had been shipped around the world safely for decades, and that there are LNG storage (but not import) facilities in Portland and Newport, assured him of the technology's safety.



Gearin also talked with public safety officials, such as Tualatin Valley Fire Chief Jeffrey Johnson. Gearin said Johnson said that his colleagues in Newport and Portland didn't have any problems with the LNG facilities there.



"The fact remains, they're there, they're safe, and the fire safety people don't have any concern with them," Gearin said.



There are valid concerns, like ensuring that fishing fleets aren't impacted, but Gearin said those issues would be addressed during the permitting process after Calpine secured the lease.





Kept port commission updated

Throughout the information-gathering process, Gearin said he talked about the project with the port commissioners, as he does constantly with other proposals.



In addition, representatives from the port and from Calpine met with local government officials to brief them on the project. The officials met with Gearin, Hansen, Calpine community liaison Susan Trabucco and two port commissioners.





Peter Gearin

"It was just a heads up, a courtesy to let them know of a lease (the port) was considering," Gearin said.



The county's Westbrook said that Trabucco contacted her to set up a meeting to discuss proprietary information on a potential development at the port. Westbrook said Trabucco told her the meeting wouldn't involve issues that might come before the county commission.



Such meetings are not unusual, Westbrook said, and this one included a general presentation on why the port was considering the project and why Calpine wanted to build an LNG facility in the area. Those present did discuss how important the public process is, Westbrook said.



"I personally was stunned when one day the public was really made aware of the potential project in The Daily Astorian, and the very next day, the port commission held a special meeting and unanimously approved" the lease, Westbrook said. "I thought that there was a clear understanding that the public would need a lot of information and that there would be an exceptional opportunity for exchange of information."



Westbrook also emphasized that although the commissioners attended meetings, that does not mean they approved or disapproved of the project, but instead only that they received information. The county commission has not taken a stand one way or another. She added that, although it's easy to "Monday morning quarterback" situations, she believes the county commission would have handled the situation differently.



"I sincerely believe that it would have been apparent to the county commission that this was going to be a contentious project on which there were going to be strong views," Westbrook said. "Of course it's speculation, but I believe we would have wanted people to be educated on the project prior to signing off on a more than 60-year lease, and allow people to be heard."





Company declines to give dates

The meetings between government officials and Calpine and port representatives took place predominantly during the second half of October. Gearin didn't have any notes from these meetings, however, and there are no records at the port of when some of the officials met with Calpine; Gearin just recalls meeting with them.



Calpine executive Kent Robertson declined to fill in the gaps of the dates.



Eventually, Hansen, Robertson, Gearin and Trabucco talked with a Daily Astorian reporter about the facility and as the story was being prepared for publication, the port announced a special commission meeting for Nov. 5.



At that Friday afternoon session, port commissioners unanimously approved the lease after eight people made public comments.

Just thought it may be worth mentioning the campesino/indigenous resistance in Bolivia against the US supported puppet government exporting the natural gas to America. The Bolivian campesinos came out 40,000+ strong against the Bolivian government's LNG export policy that left the indigenous Bolivians with a polluted environment and no improvements. The roads of Bolivia were shut down for days during the non-violent protest and the Bolivian military retaliated by murdering over 80 campesinos after police provoked riots..

LNG corporations like Calpine (start-up funding from Enron) are only concerned with short term profit, similar to their financiers in the petroleum business. Both the residents of coastal Oregon and the altiplanos of Bolivia are united in their opposition to LNG corporations. Nothing like a multinational corporation to bring together people of different ethnic backgrounds in common cause..

Maybe something positive could come out of global corporatism after all??

Global revolution against imperialism, solidarity across ethnic bridges!!

Georgia may be Pro-lng but s/he knows

how to go about separating the "wheat"

from the carpetbagging chaff.

Some say LNG is not explosive.

At -260 degrees, in its liquid form, in a tanker, in a storage tank, an easy assumption.

However, just in that form and if you could hypothetically walk over to the spigot and drain out about five gallons into a, careful now, plastic bucket.

Now, quickly run with it over to your car real quick and just dump it all on the front hood and then watch you car shatter like glass at any point touched by that stuff.

If you'll notice too, when it came out of the spigot and hit the air it was boiling because at -260 degrees everything else around it is hotter than Hades.

So now it's hit the air at -260 degrees and boiling, meaning because its boiling it's evaporating/regasifying, turning into a vapor.

Now that it is vaporizing it is mixing with the surrounding oxygen and as soon as it hits a 4% to 15% gas/oxygen mix you don't want to be lighting a match. Maybe a match won't have enough heat to light it up but, in any case don't cause a spark because contrary to your belief, that stuff will immediately send some people to "Politicians Hell".

Notice I didn't say explode?

They try to tell you these things are extremely safe in shipping LNG but the truth is that while in shipment, the LNG is constantly cooking-off.

So much so that the cooked-off gas is used to power the tankers.

They say they are double hulled with exotic metals and water hull buffers.

Maybe all this is true but, the real issue is that a third tanker operator does not comply to the same security standards as we do in the US when crewing these vessels.

When the timing is right you will see one of these vessels effectively used to make, yet, another statement.

It is well known that Al Qaeida has redirected its training strategiesd to "Water Borne" assaults.

In the movie "Deliverance" the thing that made the small group of isolationists decidedly out of whack was that they were narrow minded and focused on satisfying their own needs. Which is, if you looked at this person's blog, what this group's total focus is about, without regard to those they may be hurting in the process, thereby becoming the monsters they supposedly are fighting against.

The movie was filmed in Georgia.

Nowhere is there a putdown of southern people in my post(s), no mention of "hillbilly's" but, per the emotional hysteria that this group of people try to generate to make their point, this is an example of the type of "truth" as they portray it. It is why many, many local residents refuse to involve themselves with them. They exaggerate to make their point.

It is a substantiated theory* that when you have two people lieing to you and you HAVE to chose one you will go with the one that is making life seem less threatening, or you will ignore the issue completely. LNG companies are promising the moon to the locals and promising to do it in a safe manner. Anti-LNG faction cannot afford to be caught in a lie, no matter how minor they feel it is.

If lars larson were running a blog and suddenly offered to "help" against LNGs wouldn't many Cascadians gasp and refuse it, or at the very least be extremely skeptical of any proferred help? For many Clatsop County locals, this is the same reaction they feel is most appropriate when the man who organised the "Give War A Chance" rallies suddenly crosses the street to say, "Hey, I'm not going to go to anything and you won't see me carrying a sign for it but I'm willing to stir the s-t pot and call the radio station every morning with my viewpoint about the politicians involved if you all will get out there and put your lives on the line against these big industries and industrialists. And if you don't, and if you won't write on my website about it -which is the only real place discussing the 'real truth' & issues- then you are a coward."

Note above, one of the young activists -TH- already has said that in over five months of working "together" against the LNGs he still hasn't even met the blog owner.

For many locals, the issue isn't as simple as "do you want an LNG," it IS about who is telling you what and who do you trust.

If Lars is telling you one thing and LNG corpo pirates telling you another your best bet is to research yourself, not write anyone, anywhere and then ... what???? Hope to hell one side or the other gets rid of the someone that you don't trust!




Some non-academic articles regarding lieing research can be found at
 http://cms.psychologytoday.com/search/search.cgi?q=liars

Come to the Walk About at Bradwood tomorrow, May 14, any time from 10 to 4. Northern Star Natural Gas peddlars from Houston, Texas, will be on hand for an Open House, and they say they are bringing lunch.

Bring signs and energy and help rout these corpos out!

Our local lars is turning on the very people he was buddying up with a few months ago. One again he is not attending any meetings, encouraging others to do all of the work and post their findings on his blog board and now he has posted this picture, with the obviously false caption, on his web blog for the past three days even though people have asked him to remove it. It's his web blog forum, why should he? EXACTLY why this weblog shouldn't be used to UNITE anti-LNG factions. People that are wavering on the LNG issue see this photo and find out its caption is a hoax and wonder if the rest of this guy's anti-LNG photos are hoaxes as well. Is this guy really against LNGs? Or is this sour grapes against a community that wouldn't vote for his wife and now he tires of that game is back to baiting those he deems "liberals and that ilk"? The below post is made to a woman with whom he was willing to let bygones be bygones and stand hand in hand as they combatted LNG companies a few short months ago:

Date Posted: Thursday, July 14, 07:15:04pm
Author: Patrick McGee
Subject: A Party Game Offends You?
In reply to: message, "photo offensive" on Thursday, July 14, 06:17:34pm

>I'm aware it's your blog, but if you don't take this
>abusive pic off, i won't be visiting. thanks
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
It's an adult party/picnic game Sue

you have every right to decide for yourself what you should or should not do.




Well, thank-you very much, Mr. McGee! Absolute power demonstrated in this small, fetid blog-pond.

note, caption is a hoax, pat knew it and didn't care, did he?

Speaking of alleged hypocrites, why don't we have Ms. Sue Skinner, "Super Liberal" and "Anti-Corporatist", regale us with her position and philosophy on preserving and protecting those "White", "Middle Class", "American Family Values" she has so eloqeuntly spoken about so often.

Was it the photo that was so offensive or the caption..."DNC sponsored sex-ed seminar in vermont"

"Plunger in the toilet paper" is a favorite picnic/party game.

Seems to me someone pretending to be a Liberal but espousing bigotry is much more offensive than, at best, bad humor.

actually it was the caption and the fact that pat blacked out the area so people couldn't tell what was happening, then invited people to his peep show, like he always does when he has a new picture and wants them to add comment to his website. whenever he hasn't had new people lured to writing on his site in awhile he tries to anagonize them into it with shocking pictures, language or gossip.

whats your problem with sue skinner. or are you really pat and still trying to piss across the street at sue?

actually it was the caption and the fact that pat blacked out the area so people couldn't tell what was happening, then invited people to his peep show, like he always does when he has a new picture and wants them to add comment to his website. whenever he hasn't had new people lured to writing on his site in awhile he tries to anagonize them into it with shocking pictures, language or gossip.

whats your problem with sue skinner. or are you really pat and still trying to piss across the street at sue?
You're a sad little creature.
How miserable a life you live I wonder?
Skinner?
Don't know her, just her words.