WARRENTON, Ore.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Oregon LNG announced this week that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has issued its draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for Oregon LNG’s Warrenton, Oregon, bi-directional terminal. The DEIS also covers the Oregon Pipeline connector project and the upgrade of a portion of the Williams Company pipeline in Washington State.
All interested parties – including local, state and federal agencies — will have the opportunity to review the document and submit comments to FERC. The comment period closes on October 6, 2015. In its previously released scheduling notice, FERC set February 12, 2016 as the date of issuance of the Final Environmental Impact Statement, and May 12, 2016 as the 90-day Federal Authorization Decision Deadline. These dates represent final steps in the FERC approval process.
Project Overview
Oregon LNG’s terminal in Oregon would be a $7 billion construction project that would provide 3,000 jobs during construction, and 150 permanent family-wage jobs when operational. In addition, the project would create approximately 1,400 permanent, indirect and induced jobs in Oregon. Oregon LNG has committed to using unionized labor for construction, while preserving a certain percentage of contracts for local and minority-owned businesses.
Once in service, the facility and associated pipelines will pay over $90 million a year in property taxes in Oregon and Washington, making it the largest single property taxpayer in the State of Oregon. According to a recent analysis conducted by ECONorthwest– based on forecast appraisal rates and 2014-15 levy rates — the City of Warrenton would receive $24.9 million annually, Clatsop County would receive $11.7 million, Clatsop County Community College an additional $6.2 million, and the Warrenton-Hammond School District 30 would receive $37.7 million (without taking into account state equalization). Annually, Astoria School District #1 would receive over $892,000 and the Port of Astoria would get $924,000.
Oregon LNG’s terminal site is adjacent to the federally-maintained Columbia River shipping channel, on an existing man-made peninsula that has long been reserved for use by heavy, marine-dependent industries. With electric power supplied mostly from hydroelectric and wind resources, it will also have one of the lowest carbon footprints of any proposed LNG project in North America. Oregon LNG is fully committed to meeting all applicable safety and environmental standards. The DEIS concludes that the limited environmental impacts associated with the project would be reduced or mitigated so that they would not be significant.
About Oregon LNG
Oregon LNG is committed to the safe, efficient and environmentally responsible importation and exportation of natural gas in the form of liquefied natural gas. For more information about Oregon LNG, please visit www.oregonlng.com.
About Oregon Pipeline
Oregon Pipeline Company, LLC is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Leucadia National Corporation and is an affiliate of Oregon LNG. Oregon Pipeline, LLC is proposing the construction and operation of an 86.8-mile long pipeline, connecting the Oregon LNG terminal with the Northwest Pipeline in Woodland, Washington. For more information about Oregon Pipeline, please visit www.oregonpipelinecompany.com.
About Leucadia National Corporation
Leucadia National Corporation is a diversified holding company engaged through its consolidated subsidiaries in a variety of businesses, including investment banking and capital markets, beef processing, manufacturing, oil and gas exploration and production and asset management. The Company also owns equity interests in businesses that are accounted for under the equity method of accounting, including a diversified holding company, real estate, commercial mortgage banking and servicing, telecommunication services in Italy, automobile dealerships and development of a gold and silver mining project.
Please Click Here for a link to FERC’s draft Environmental Impact Statement: http://www.oregonlng.com/draft-environmental-impact-statement/