SALEM - It's quickly becoming the hot-potato energy issue in Oregon.
Developers have plans for three liquefied natural gas terminals in the state, one of them at North Bend.

Project opponents converged on Salem today (Feb. 6) to make their voices heard.

"It doesn't make any sense. We want clean jobs."
Carol Fischer of Bandon and 200 others like her arrived on the capitol steps--all united against LNG. They're fired up against 3 proposed terminals in Oregon.

One would be in Coos Bay-North Bend and two others in the Columbia Gorge. The terminals would take imports of supercooled natural gas, reheat the liquid into gas and send it down pipelines.

Past published reports indicate Governor Ted Kulongoski has expressed cautious support for the south coast facility, and that had people at the rally upset. Carol Fischer told KVAL, "The governor of Washington says no-don't put it in our front yard, and what happened to Kulongoski? He's just waiting to see what happens?"

Supporters of the LNG terminals say the gas imports are vital for Oregon's energy resources, but all the folks here at the rally completely disagree.

High school junior Matt Hundley from Gales Creek made the trip. He says the gas pipeline would run right through the family's 5 acre farm.
"It's all we have out there. They're unconstitutionally seizing land with eminent domain," explains Hundley.

Adds M.A. Hanson of Myrtle Creek, "You're talking eminent domain; using eminent domain on my neighbors, and everybody in Oregon is my neighbor. This is my state."

Top democrats lent their support to the rally and accepted about 4,000 signatures of people against the projects.

Jody McCaffree heads the committee Citizens Against LNG and says, "If they would have done an environmental impact statement as required by N-E-P-A, we would probably not be here today, because these terminals are not needed."

Opponents hope a federal energy review process will shed a more critical eye on the projects. Rally member Mary Margaret Muenchrath points out, "Here we're bringing in this kind of LNG energy from Indonesia and other places. We don't need it; we don't want it."

Governor Kulongoski has called for more analysis of potential environmental impacts.