The union-backed Jordan Cove Energy Project announced Jan. 24 that it was withdrawing its application for a key permit for the natural gas project. Pembina—the Canadian company behind the $10 billion project—wants to build a 229-mile-long pipeline to a new liquefied natural gas export terminal in Coos Bay, on Oregon’s south coast. The company needs the removal-fill permit for dredging in Coos Bay. Pembina announced the withdrawal of its removal-fill permit one day after the Oregon Department of State Lands denied the company’s request for an extension and indicated the permit would likely be denied.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is expected to make a final determination on the project next month. With a favorable FERC ruling, the company could argue that federal laws override state laws.
Prior to Pembina’s pulling its permit application, on Jan. 7, labor unions turned out in force for a Coos Bay City Council meeting, where councilors were voting on a land-use application for dredging in the channel of Coos Bay. The City Council had hired the Lane Council of Governments (LCOG) to provide an analysis of the application and a recommendation on action. LCOG proposed denying the application. Despite that, the council voted 4-3 to approve the application.
