Governor Kulongoski's March 25, 2010 Letter To FERC Over Appropriate Jurisdiction And Lack Of Accurate Pipeline Information For Bradwood Landing

(Excerpt) "The NMFS fails to acknowledge, however, that the Coast Guard has specifically advised FERC and NMFS that it has exclusive jurisdiction over the screening issue and that, at present, it would not allow the use of the screening required by the FERC order or proposed by the applicant. See attached letter from J.G. Lance, US Coast Guard to Kimberly D. Bose, FERC, dated May 1, 2009.

If the Biological Opinion is to be useful, consistent with NMFS's assessment of the relative roles of the FERC and the Coast Guard, and comply with the Endangered Species Act, NMFS's Biological Opinion must consider the impact on the Columbia River fisheries of unscreened ballast and cooling water withdrawals on LNG tankers. The Draft Description should be revised accordingly.

The State of Oregon also notes that the project description does not clearly identify the final pipeline route. The Bradwood Landing EIS and FERC's order approving the project generally identify the route of the pipeline, but appear to also leave room for alternations to the route due to facts on the ground. The project description should identify the final pipeline route with sufficient detail to identify the locations that pipeline construction and maintenance will impact specific waterbodies."

Read Letter and Attachment