National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has appropriately recommended that the US Army Corps of Engineers deny Northern Star's application. NMFS describes likely adverse impacts on page four which include "extensive dredging, filling of off-channelaquatic habitat and the 100-year floodplain, modification and chronicdisturbance of nearshore habitat, and alteration of riparian and estuarine habitat."
NMFS provides numerous reasons for the Corps to deny the permits needed to construct the terminal and pipelines. For example, on page seven the fisheries service notes that "recent consultations have been founded on improvement of estuary habitat and stated that remaining salmonid habitat should be protected and enhanced. This includes the very habitat proposed for loss or modification by the subject project."
These findings support the testimony that I gave to the Clatsop County Board of Commissioners on behalf of Pacific MarineConservation Council, as well as statements by others including ColumbiaRiverkeeper and the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. This isyet another example of the myopic manner in which four of the commissionersdisregarded significant public testimony, how they failed to dig deeper intothe harm that this project would bring to the salmon of the Columbia River andthe businesses that depend upon these fish.
NMFS connects the interdependent actions such as the pipelines(including Palomar) and moorage of tugs. NMFS also understates the fact that "The need for this volume of natural gas to service the Pacific Northwest has not been convincingly demonstrated."
This is a good read and a useful document(see link below). Perhaps in the end it will be a federal agency thatacts to protect the environment and sustainable economic development of theestuary. Four of five Clatsop County Commissioners sure showed noinclination to serve their constituents. Instead they exhibited recklessdisregard for our safety, our jobs and the quality of our life.
Bravo NMFS!
Peter Huhtala
Subject: Government Agency Submittal submitted in FERC CP06-365-000,et al.by NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE
On1/18/2008, the following Filing was submitted to the Federal Energy RegulatoryCommission (FERC), Washington D.C.:
Filer: NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE
Docket(s): CP06-365-000
CP06-366-000
Filing Type: Government Agency Submittal
Comment on Filing
Description: National Marine Fisheries Service comments on the public noticedated 10/18/07 re an application by Bradwood Landing LLC to constsruct aliquefied natural gas import terminal etc under CP06-365 et al.
To view the document for this Filing, click here
http://elibrary.FERC.gov/idmws/file_list.asp?accession_num=20080118-0297
No comments:
Post a Comment