Friday, March 21, 2008
LNG Tanker Trivia: 55 Hiroshima Bombs
55 Hiroshima A-Bombs - According to a study called Brittle Power, Energy Strategy for National Security, should the unthinkable happen, the energy content of ONE standard liquid natural gas tanker, at 22 billion gallons of expanded gas, is equivalent to .7 megatons of TNT ( that's 1.4 billion pounds of dynamite). To put it another way, the explosive force on one LNG tanker is equal, roughly, to 55 Hiroshima bombs!
Columbia RiverVision: Laurie Caplan Reports BOCC Meeting Yesterday - March 20, 2008 - "The Good News Is That It Is Not Over Yet!!!"
The good news is that it's not over yet.
More good news is at the end of this message.
Highlights of today's County Commissioner's meeting:
It was quite a spectacle to see our county commissioners tumbling all over themselves to help NorthernStar's LNG proposal overcome any obstacle that law or common sense presented.
It was acrobatic government at its worst.
It was the un-civics lesson you wouldn't want your kids to see.
It was appalling and disgusting.
Hard to believe we voted these oafs into office....Thanks to the many NO LNGers who filled the Boyington Bldg. meeting room today - it was a high energy, well-informed crowd - who had to restrain themselves from laughing at the absurdities and groaning at the sell-out of our county by the commissioners.
At the meeting Ann Samuelson suggested that our county's fire, safety, and law enforcement districts really don't need the safety and emergency resources and equipment they're asking for to respond to an LNG emergency; she suggested they're are just being greedy.
She said the districts' desire to have NorthernStar pay some of the costs is just taking advantage of the company, like winning the lottery.
Samuelson, Roberts, Hazen, and Lee loved the idea of making our districts negotiate w/ NorthernStar to get more "reasonable" amounts - they certainly did NOT want the county to make any demands on NorthernStar.
So are they worried about our safety or NorthernStar's balance sheet???
At the end of the meeting, Samuelson talked about the need for forgiveness and reconciliation.
That was so absurd coming from her that easily half the people at the meeting left, rather than listen to her babble on.
Samuelson has been such a dedicated advocate for NorthernStar and Bradwood - perhaps she can get them to hire her on....Richard Lee stormed over to the county attorney to demand that the county eject Columbia Riverkeeper attorney Brett VandenHeuvel after he raised a point of order that the chair, Patricia Roberts, refused to recognize.
He also brought up the District Attorney's stipend - perhaps in his mind this is connected to LNG???
And although county road standards require a 500-foot turning radius on curves, the commissioners are on their way to approving much lower standards on Clifton Road for NorthernStar - 275 feet on one curve and 350 feet at another.
Final vote about Clifton Road is April 9. I'm enraged that they are willing to endanger all the residents and others who drive on Clifton Road.
Would any of the commissioners drive on a below-standard Clifton Road at night in a storm with an 18-wheeler coming at them???
More good news: After the meeting, Don West announced that the Columbia River Business Alliance, the Northwest Property Rights Coalition, and Columbia Riverkeeper are initiating a referendum so the public can finally get a say about LNG!
Clatsop County voters will vote on this referendum in September. More information in Friday's Daily Astorian and from me as soon as I have the details/Onward! NO LNG IN OREGON!
More good news is at the end of this message.
Highlights of today's County Commissioner's meeting:
It was quite a spectacle to see our county commissioners tumbling all over themselves to help NorthernStar's LNG proposal overcome any obstacle that law or common sense presented.
It was acrobatic government at its worst.
It was the un-civics lesson you wouldn't want your kids to see.
It was appalling and disgusting.
Hard to believe we voted these oafs into office....Thanks to the many NO LNGers who filled the Boyington Bldg. meeting room today - it was a high energy, well-informed crowd - who had to restrain themselves from laughing at the absurdities and groaning at the sell-out of our county by the commissioners.
At the meeting Ann Samuelson suggested that our county's fire, safety, and law enforcement districts really don't need the safety and emergency resources and equipment they're asking for to respond to an LNG emergency; she suggested they're are just being greedy.
She said the districts' desire to have NorthernStar pay some of the costs is just taking advantage of the company, like winning the lottery.
Samuelson, Roberts, Hazen, and Lee loved the idea of making our districts negotiate w/ NorthernStar to get more "reasonable" amounts - they certainly did NOT want the county to make any demands on NorthernStar.
So are they worried about our safety or NorthernStar's balance sheet???
At the end of the meeting, Samuelson talked about the need for forgiveness and reconciliation.
That was so absurd coming from her that easily half the people at the meeting left, rather than listen to her babble on.
Samuelson has been such a dedicated advocate for NorthernStar and Bradwood - perhaps she can get them to hire her on....Richard Lee stormed over to the county attorney to demand that the county eject Columbia Riverkeeper attorney Brett VandenHeuvel after he raised a point of order that the chair, Patricia Roberts, refused to recognize.
He also brought up the District Attorney's stipend - perhaps in his mind this is connected to LNG???
And although county road standards require a 500-foot turning radius on curves, the commissioners are on their way to approving much lower standards on Clifton Road for NorthernStar - 275 feet on one curve and 350 feet at another.
Final vote about Clifton Road is April 9. I'm enraged that they are willing to endanger all the residents and others who drive on Clifton Road.
Would any of the commissioners drive on a below-standard Clifton Road at night in a storm with an 18-wheeler coming at them???
More good news: After the meeting, Don West announced that the Columbia River Business Alliance, the Northwest Property Rights Coalition, and Columbia Riverkeeper are initiating a referendum so the public can finally get a say about LNG!
Clatsop County voters will vote on this referendum in September. More information in Friday's Daily Astorian and from me as soon as I have the details/Onward! NO LNG IN OREGON!
Clatsop Commissioner Jeff Hazen: Simple Frustration Perhaps Or Threat Of Reprisal?
Unpolitically Correct - From "Jeff Hazen Is Commish" Blog
"Being politically correct is a tough job.
In today's society, people seem restricted from truly voicing their opinions in public for fear of reprisal.
Fortunately, with the growth of internet blogs, those that previously felt restricted now feel that they are able to project their opinions anonymously without fear of reprisal.
Elected officials often constrain their words in order to not offend anyone. It is a tough task to accomplish, holding back the words that you know in your heart are true.
At some point, however, the time will come and those words will flow without concern of the backlash that will ensue.
When you are constantly beaten down by a newspaper who's one agenda is to tear down consensus building, it is only a matter of time before the straw breaks the camel's back.
It takes great patience to sit and read or hear people attack your character.
Fortunately, truly good elected officials seem to grow thick skin and are able to repel these attacks. They are actually able to laugh inside at the attempts to discredit or take them down.
But even the thickest of skins can't hold up forever and the time comes to fire back and expose the reality of where these attacks are rooted from.
I thought of this recently upon the discovery of the two cannons from the USS Shark on our beach.
These cannons have been long buried on our coast and it was just a matter of time before they were uncovered from a series of storms.
Political storms also have a way of uncovering things and it is matter of time before the camel's back is broken and the salvo will begin from many different directions."
I asked Mr. Hazen if he wished to clarify his thoughts in more detail and he declined.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
To Help You In Your Last Minute Decision Making:The Entire Contents Of Richard Lee's Facts Site
(This was Richard Lee's First Statement On The News Release Of The Recall Effort To Unseat Him)Richard Lee's statement to NCO and KAST -“As a lifelong resident of Clatsop County I truly believe I represent the silent majority of constituents who want and deserve economic growth, affordable housing, and family wage jobs, along with a fiscally responsible government in a livable and friendly community that your children, my children and our grand-children can continue to live in and enjoy. I am committed to this philosophy.”
Below is the content of his current site:
Click Here to read about the Motive Behind the Recall, an article by Tom Freel?
Richard Lee is being wrongfully accused. If you look at the accusations put forward by the group attempting to re-call Richard Lee, there is not a single factual assertion that can be substantiated.
Here are the Facts:
Accusation: Richard Lee has harmed the future of Clatsop County and its residents through the following actions—
Accusation #1: Squandering public funds by choosing to hire planning and management consultants and expensive attorneys but disregarding their professional advice and findings.
FACT: The County Commissioner’s hired manager is responsible for hiring consultants and attorneys, not the County Commission. The Board of Commissioners is presented findings from professionals on both sides of an issue, and then the Board makes a determination on the facts presented to them.
Accusation #2: Undermining common values, adopted plans, established policies, and regulations of the County.
FACT: These are tied to the responsibilities of the County Manager along with the entire Board, not an individual County Commissioner. There is no substance here and there are no specifics.
Accusation #3: Failing to be open and transparent in decision-making and development of policy, violating the spirit of the public meetings law.
FACT: An outright lie. These accusations are rooted in past political dealings with the DA and a group who seem to be working in collusion to oust Lee.
Accusation #4: Ignoring and failing to respond to the advice and concerns of paid staff, volunteer committees, and the public.
FACT: The accusers are not willing to be specific and are using these kinds of issues to paint a picture that is not true. Of course, Richard Lee is not in agreement with everyone he comes into contact with, but he has always been honest and forthright.
Accusation #5: Manipulating the membership of the Planning Commission in order to control the Planning Commission’s decisions and actions.
FACT: Making leadership decisions about Planning Committee members goes with the turf. There is no truth that any decisions related to replacing any Planning Commission member was done for any other reason than for the good of the County. Volunteer members for advisory committees are appointed by the full board of Commissioners, not a single Commissioner.
Accusation #6: Endangering the public and disregarding public safety by failing to require funding guarantees for emergency services and personnel from major industrial proposals.
FACT: This falls outside the scope of work of a Commissioner and is an outrageous claim that is simply not true. First of all, no single County Commissioner could ever be personally responsible for such actions since it takes a majority of the commission to ratify any policy. In addition, the management of county policies and administrative duties is the responsibility of the County Manager. Period.
Accusation #7: Creating a divisive environment that is acrimonious and counter-productive in doing the public’s business.
FACT: These views are from a small group of extremists and have been put forward maliciously and without merit for political gain. The accusers have no facts or substantiation or fact to back their claim.
Richard Lee is being Unfairly Attacked and Accused.Don’t Let Extreme Activists Get Away With it.
Below is the content of his current site:
Click Here to read about the Motive Behind the Recall, an article by Tom Freel?
Richard Lee is being wrongfully accused. If you look at the accusations put forward by the group attempting to re-call Richard Lee, there is not a single factual assertion that can be substantiated.
Here are the Facts:
Accusation: Richard Lee has harmed the future of Clatsop County and its residents through the following actions—
Accusation #1: Squandering public funds by choosing to hire planning and management consultants and expensive attorneys but disregarding their professional advice and findings.
FACT: The County Commissioner’s hired manager is responsible for hiring consultants and attorneys, not the County Commission. The Board of Commissioners is presented findings from professionals on both sides of an issue, and then the Board makes a determination on the facts presented to them.
Accusation #2: Undermining common values, adopted plans, established policies, and regulations of the County.
FACT: These are tied to the responsibilities of the County Manager along with the entire Board, not an individual County Commissioner. There is no substance here and there are no specifics.
Accusation #3: Failing to be open and transparent in decision-making and development of policy, violating the spirit of the public meetings law.
FACT: An outright lie. These accusations are rooted in past political dealings with the DA and a group who seem to be working in collusion to oust Lee.
Accusation #4: Ignoring and failing to respond to the advice and concerns of paid staff, volunteer committees, and the public.
FACT: The accusers are not willing to be specific and are using these kinds of issues to paint a picture that is not true. Of course, Richard Lee is not in agreement with everyone he comes into contact with, but he has always been honest and forthright.
Accusation #5: Manipulating the membership of the Planning Commission in order to control the Planning Commission’s decisions and actions.
FACT: Making leadership decisions about Planning Committee members goes with the turf. There is no truth that any decisions related to replacing any Planning Commission member was done for any other reason than for the good of the County. Volunteer members for advisory committees are appointed by the full board of Commissioners, not a single Commissioner.
Accusation #6: Endangering the public and disregarding public safety by failing to require funding guarantees for emergency services and personnel from major industrial proposals.
FACT: This falls outside the scope of work of a Commissioner and is an outrageous claim that is simply not true. First of all, no single County Commissioner could ever be personally responsible for such actions since it takes a majority of the commission to ratify any policy. In addition, the management of county policies and administrative duties is the responsibility of the County Manager. Period.
Accusation #7: Creating a divisive environment that is acrimonious and counter-productive in doing the public’s business.
FACT: These views are from a small group of extremists and have been put forward maliciously and without merit for political gain. The accusers have no facts or substantiation or fact to back their claim.
Richard Lee is being Unfairly Attacked and Accused.Don’t Let Extreme Activists Get Away With it.
District 3 Resident And District Attorney Josh Marquis On The Richard Lee Recall
First is that despite repeated claims by Mr. Lee and his supporters, neither my wife, Cindy Price who narrowly lost the race to Mr. Lee by one half a percent of the votes in 2006, nor I have been involved in the Citizens for Open Government. They haven't sought my advice I haven't attended their meetings. As far as I can tell from reading their website they are a diverse group of people with many reasons to recall Mr. Lee.
That said I'm a resident of District 3 and have been for the 14 years I've been District Attorney.
I'm hopeful that Mr. Lee will be recalled. His conduct while a County Commissioner has been grossly inappropriate. I've attended many county commission meetings and in the three years he was chair there was little public discussion and it was obvious that private discussions had already decided many decisions.
There is no question now, based on statements Mr. Lee made to the Daily Astorian, that he was behind the ambush move last May to reduce my pay 15%. He helped appoint and nominated as chair of the budget committee Joe Baakensen. a man who has been trying to get my pay reduced since 1997.
As chair he had to authorize the hiring of a Portland law firm to try and keep almost 3000 voters from even being allowed to sign a petition trying to find a way to right the wrong he voted in favor of. A
His extended family funded most of the opposition to Measure 4-123 and not content with that Mr. Lee took the step of buying large display ads in the Daily Astorian making statements about 4-123 that were simply false. I felt so strongly that I purchased ads to respond although I am not a wealthy man as is Mr. Lee.
While Mr. Lee was chair I made repeated requests to meet with him and the commission and never got the courtesy of an response. When I appeared before the commission and asked a simple question; what do you want from me Lee refused to respond and when one county commissioner tried to ask the county manager questions, Lee gaveled him into silence. Mr. Lee authorized the expenditure of more thousands of taxpayer dollars to hire an attorney the main purpose of which was to prevent me from speaking to county management or the Board while Measure 4-123 was on the ballot.
Recall is not meant merely for felons, but also for conduct which holds the citizens in contempt. Mr. Lee says he represents the voters of District 3 yet voters in that district (as well as those in Commissioner Roberts' district) voted in FAVOR of Measure 4-123.
I’ve heard from a number of people, including you Tom, who said they didn’t vote for changing the charter but they thought taking away my pay was wrong.
Mr. Lee has been asked several community leaders to start trying to heal the divisions and he has refused. His conduct involving me and my office is just one of many valid reasons people have to recall Mr. Lee.
He deserves to be recalled.
Thank you
That said I'm a resident of District 3 and have been for the 14 years I've been District Attorney.
I'm hopeful that Mr. Lee will be recalled. His conduct while a County Commissioner has been grossly inappropriate. I've attended many county commission meetings and in the three years he was chair there was little public discussion and it was obvious that private discussions had already decided many decisions.
There is no question now, based on statements Mr. Lee made to the Daily Astorian, that he was behind the ambush move last May to reduce my pay 15%. He helped appoint and nominated as chair of the budget committee Joe Baakensen. a man who has been trying to get my pay reduced since 1997.
As chair he had to authorize the hiring of a Portland law firm to try and keep almost 3000 voters from even being allowed to sign a petition trying to find a way to right the wrong he voted in favor of. A
His extended family funded most of the opposition to Measure 4-123 and not content with that Mr. Lee took the step of buying large display ads in the Daily Astorian making statements about 4-123 that were simply false. I felt so strongly that I purchased ads to respond although I am not a wealthy man as is Mr. Lee.
While Mr. Lee was chair I made repeated requests to meet with him and the commission and never got the courtesy of an response. When I appeared before the commission and asked a simple question; what do you want from me Lee refused to respond and when one county commissioner tried to ask the county manager questions, Lee gaveled him into silence. Mr. Lee authorized the expenditure of more thousands of taxpayer dollars to hire an attorney the main purpose of which was to prevent me from speaking to county management or the Board while Measure 4-123 was on the ballot.
Recall is not meant merely for felons, but also for conduct which holds the citizens in contempt. Mr. Lee says he represents the voters of District 3 yet voters in that district (as well as those in Commissioner Roberts' district) voted in FAVOR of Measure 4-123.
I’ve heard from a number of people, including you Tom, who said they didn’t vote for changing the charter but they thought taking away my pay was wrong.
Mr. Lee has been asked several community leaders to start trying to heal the divisions and he has refused. His conduct involving me and my office is just one of many valid reasons people have to recall Mr. Lee.
He deserves to be recalled.
Thank you
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Clatsop County District Attorney Performance Measures Only Get A Couple Suggested Tweaks By County Manager For 2007/2008 Budget
This Performance Measures document has been presented to Clatsop County Manager Scott Derickson by Clatsop County District Attorney's Office for presentation to Clatsop County Board of Commissioners.Click on each page to read its contents
Bradwood LNG: A Billon Cubic Feet Per Day!!
A Billion Cubic Feet of Regasified LNG, ready to be pumped into the pipeline, is what Bradwood Landing LNG Transfer/Storage Terminal is rated at per day.
A reasonable, projected cost and this may vary one way or the other, to get this LNG from the well to the terminal tank in Bradwood will be about $3.10 per One Thousand Cubic feet.
A reasonable, projected Gross Margin(Bradwoods Mark-Up Profit/Operating Costs) could be about $3.30 per One Thousand Cubic Feet.
(Note, these numbers are guesses on my part and are not qualified but I believe are very close with a few statistics following. As of Monday, quotes were AECO-C at $8.95MCF. To get gas from Alberta to Malin, OR, which is the only info I have, costs an additional $.35MCF. It's costing Canadian gas producers about $6MCF at the well head (some of the worst escalation in energy project cost worldwide is in that province; nat gas producers are having to pay costs influenced by the oil sands development. That means an LNG operator, right now, is looking at a gross margin of $3.30 at most. To be competitive, they have to make their project work within that amount.)
Ok, so lets dump the cost and deal with Gross Margin.
I billion(1,000,000,000) cubic fer per day divided by 1000 cubic feet equals 1,000,000 x $3.30MCF = $3,300,000.00 per pumping day.
Now, let's just say the we(Clatsop County) decided that, since our community is going to be subject to the mass impact on our infrastructure, life quality, and genreal public safety, we decide to negotiate a 2 cent ($0.02) per thousand cubic foot residual(This in addition to the projected property tax), taking 2 pennies out of their Gross Margin per 1000 cubic feet and equal $20,000 per pumping day x say, 260 pumping days a year, added to a county fund to "OUR", the citizens of Clatsop County's benefit.
Well, that would be an additional $5,200,000 a year revenue just for the privilege of using us and our assets to their benefit.
Add to this another $0.01 per 1000MCf ($0.01/2 for the property owner, $0.01/2 for the county the land is in) 24 hours a day for those property owners whose land those pipeline traverses. Can you imagine this number but, why not allow that pipeline the privilege as well for a little residual?
Now, when Oregon LNG/Pipeline raises its ugly head, they can play to the same deal so, double it all.
Now we have one sitting, and incredibly controversial County Commissioner who touts his private business acumen and four others, presumbaly with some leadership ability that continues to ignore this option as well as a bumbling Port Commission comfortable with a $39,000 a year lease for 65 years on a 90 acre piece of "OUR" land blind to it as well?
These people want to tamper with our lives and future, this is the least deal we should accept....The Least.
Would it make LNG a little easier to swallow
I invite these Energy Speculators to respond to this....Please!
A reasonable, projected cost and this may vary one way or the other, to get this LNG from the well to the terminal tank in Bradwood will be about $3.10 per One Thousand Cubic feet.
A reasonable, projected Gross Margin(Bradwoods Mark-Up Profit/Operating Costs) could be about $3.30 per One Thousand Cubic Feet.
(Note, these numbers are guesses on my part and are not qualified but I believe are very close with a few statistics following. As of Monday, quotes were AECO-C at $8.95MCF. To get gas from Alberta to Malin, OR, which is the only info I have, costs an additional $.35MCF. It's costing Canadian gas producers about $6MCF at the well head (some of the worst escalation in energy project cost worldwide is in that province; nat gas producers are having to pay costs influenced by the oil sands development. That means an LNG operator, right now, is looking at a gross margin of $3.30 at most. To be competitive, they have to make their project work within that amount.)
Ok, so lets dump the cost and deal with Gross Margin.
I billion(1,000,000,000) cubic fer per day divided by 1000 cubic feet equals 1,000,000 x $3.30MCF = $3,300,000.00 per pumping day.
Now, let's just say the we(Clatsop County) decided that, since our community is going to be subject to the mass impact on our infrastructure, life quality, and genreal public safety, we decide to negotiate a 2 cent ($0.02) per thousand cubic foot residual(This in addition to the projected property tax), taking 2 pennies out of their Gross Margin per 1000 cubic feet and equal $20,000 per pumping day x say, 260 pumping days a year, added to a county fund to "OUR", the citizens of Clatsop County's benefit.
Well, that would be an additional $5,200,000 a year revenue just for the privilege of using us and our assets to their benefit.
Add to this another $0.01 per 1000MCf ($0.01/2 for the property owner, $0.01/2 for the county the land is in) 24 hours a day for those property owners whose land those pipeline traverses. Can you imagine this number but, why not allow that pipeline the privilege as well for a little residual?
Now, when Oregon LNG/Pipeline raises its ugly head, they can play to the same deal so, double it all.
Now we have one sitting, and incredibly controversial County Commissioner who touts his private business acumen and four others, presumbaly with some leadership ability that continues to ignore this option as well as a bumbling Port Commission comfortable with a $39,000 a year lease for 65 years on a 90 acre piece of "OUR" land blind to it as well?
These people want to tamper with our lives and future, this is the least deal we should accept....The Least.
Would it make LNG a little easier to swallow
I invite these Energy Speculators to respond to this....Please!
Monday, March 17, 2008
Richard Lee - Has He Followed This Philosophy?
Richard Lee's statement to NCO and KAST -“As a lifelong resident of Clatsop County I truly believe I represent the silent majority of constituents who want and deserve economic growth, affordable housing, and family wage jobs, along with a fiscally responsible government in a livable and friendly community that your children, my children and our grand-children can continue to live in and enjoy. I am committed to this philosophy.”
If you believe Richard Lee has truly prospered and followed this philosophy, then your vote for his recall should be self-eveident.
Economic Growth?
Affordable Housing?
Family Wage Jobs?
Fiscally Responsible Government?
A Livable And Friendly Community?
Has he, in his part, fulfilled this philosophy?
If you believe Richard Lee has truly prospered and followed this philosophy, then your vote for his recall should be self-eveident.
Economic Growth?
Affordable Housing?
Family Wage Jobs?
Fiscally Responsible Government?
A Livable And Friendly Community?
Has he, in his part, fulfilled this philosophy?
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Kelly Stearns To Run Against Roberts For Clatsop Board - District 2
Daily Astorian - March 12, 2008
Kelly Stearns, a Warrenton resident, got her paperwork in at the last minute to run for commissioner of Clatsop County District 2.
She said she wants to begin a discussion about issues like affordable health care and housing.
Stearns said she opposes the placement of a liquefied natural gas plant in the county.
"I'm interested in following the county's master plan, as opposed to approving things with variances," she said.
She will run against District 2 Commissioner Patricia Roberts, and another newcomer, Jim Scheller.
Clatsop County Sheriff Tom Bergin and Circuit Court Judge Paula Brownhill are unopposed for re-election this year.
Brownhill is an 18th District judge just completing a six-year term, and Bergin has served one four-year term as sheriff.
There will be one other race for the county Board of Commissioners.
District 4 will have no incumbent because Sam Patrick is stepping down.
Running for the seat will be Cary Johnson and Dirk Rohne.
Kelly Stearns, a Warrenton resident, got her paperwork in at the last minute to run for commissioner of Clatsop County District 2.
She said she wants to begin a discussion about issues like affordable health care and housing.
Stearns said she opposes the placement of a liquefied natural gas plant in the county.
"I'm interested in following the county's master plan, as opposed to approving things with variances," she said.
She will run against District 2 Commissioner Patricia Roberts, and another newcomer, Jim Scheller.
Clatsop County Sheriff Tom Bergin and Circuit Court Judge Paula Brownhill are unopposed for re-election this year.
Brownhill is an 18th District judge just completing a six-year term, and Bergin has served one four-year term as sheriff.
There will be one other race for the county Board of Commissioners.
District 4 will have no incumbent because Sam Patrick is stepping down.
Running for the seat will be Cary Johnson and Dirk Rohne.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
From The Oregonian: State Puts Online Charter Schools On Heavy Restrictions
Education - The board restricts the size of online charters and requires them to get districts' permission
Friday, March 14, 2008
BETSY HAMMOND - The Oregonian
Online charter schools can operate in Oregon only under severe restrictions, including limits on enrollment and securing permission from each local school district before enrolling students, the state Board of Education decided Thursday.
Two national companies -- Insight Schools, based in Portland, and K-12, based in Virginia -- want to open large online schools that would enroll students from across the state and teach them using lessons delivered via computer to the students' homes.
They would collect roughly the same $6,000 per-student of state money that bricks-and-mortar schools do.
The state school board, which had the power to kill the idea or open the door wide, was lobbied heavily by both backers and opponents of statewide cyber-schools.
After more than six months of deliberation, it offered a compromise Thursday, allowing the schools to open but keeping them small and forcing them to jump through hurdles.
One of the proposed schools will open for sure, its backers said. Under the sponsorship of the North Bend school district, K-12 will open a kindergarten through eighth-grade school called the Oregon Virtual Academy for 900 students this fall.
But backers of the Insight School plan weren't sure Thursday whether they would proceed, given the new restrictions. State board members said they would limit Insight School of Oregon, which offers grades nine through 12, to 500 students.
The school, which is sponsored by the Lincoln County School District, opened in January with about 200 students -- most of whom do not have permission from their home school districts to attend, because that was not required.
Many school districts in Oregon restrict their students from attending other school districts -- usually because the home district doesn't want to lose the per-student funding, to help its own schools remain robust.
Oregon's first and largest for-profit cyber-school, Connections Academy, is exempt from the new restrictions for two more years. Connections opened in fall 2005, before state law was changed to add restrictions, and it is allowed to operate outside of the new rule until its contract expires in 2010.
Sponsored by the Scio school district, that K-12 cyber-school has 1,800 students.
Organizers of the Oregon Virtual Academy said they were unsure how difficult it would be for them to get permission from local school districts for students to enroll in their charter. They said they plan to work hard to convince districts that the online school will be an effective learning option for some of their students.
The fact that the state board will allow cyber-schools to open at all "is a very positive outcome for us," said Dianne Phillips, a Eugene parent who is on the school's founding board. "Their intent is to do what's right for kids."
Mark Horning, a Gresham parent on the school's board, said the state board's decision to limit enrollment to 100 students per grade was not one the school wanted, but it will abide by the decision. "It's hard to tell families that you have a great program but you have to turn students away. . . . We're taken some pretty hard restrictions, and we've smiled and said we will make this work for students."
Betsy Hammond: 503-294-7623 or betsyhammond@ news.oregonian.com
©2008 The Oregonian
Friday, March 14, 2008
BETSY HAMMOND - The Oregonian
Online charter schools can operate in Oregon only under severe restrictions, including limits on enrollment and securing permission from each local school district before enrolling students, the state Board of Education decided Thursday.
Two national companies -- Insight Schools, based in Portland, and K-12, based in Virginia -- want to open large online schools that would enroll students from across the state and teach them using lessons delivered via computer to the students' homes.
They would collect roughly the same $6,000 per-student of state money that bricks-and-mortar schools do.
The state school board, which had the power to kill the idea or open the door wide, was lobbied heavily by both backers and opponents of statewide cyber-schools.
After more than six months of deliberation, it offered a compromise Thursday, allowing the schools to open but keeping them small and forcing them to jump through hurdles.
One of the proposed schools will open for sure, its backers said. Under the sponsorship of the North Bend school district, K-12 will open a kindergarten through eighth-grade school called the Oregon Virtual Academy for 900 students this fall.
But backers of the Insight School plan weren't sure Thursday whether they would proceed, given the new restrictions. State board members said they would limit Insight School of Oregon, which offers grades nine through 12, to 500 students.
The school, which is sponsored by the Lincoln County School District, opened in January with about 200 students -- most of whom do not have permission from their home school districts to attend, because that was not required.
Many school districts in Oregon restrict their students from attending other school districts -- usually because the home district doesn't want to lose the per-student funding, to help its own schools remain robust.
Oregon's first and largest for-profit cyber-school, Connections Academy, is exempt from the new restrictions for two more years. Connections opened in fall 2005, before state law was changed to add restrictions, and it is allowed to operate outside of the new rule until its contract expires in 2010.
Sponsored by the Scio school district, that K-12 cyber-school has 1,800 students.
Organizers of the Oregon Virtual Academy said they were unsure how difficult it would be for them to get permission from local school districts for students to enroll in their charter. They said they plan to work hard to convince districts that the online school will be an effective learning option for some of their students.
The fact that the state board will allow cyber-schools to open at all "is a very positive outcome for us," said Dianne Phillips, a Eugene parent who is on the school's founding board. "Their intent is to do what's right for kids."
Mark Horning, a Gresham parent on the school's board, said the state board's decision to limit enrollment to 100 students per grade was not one the school wanted, but it will abide by the decision. "It's hard to tell families that you have a great program but you have to turn students away. . . . We're taken some pretty hard restrictions, and we've smiled and said we will make this work for students."
Betsy Hammond: 503-294-7623 or betsyhammond@ news.oregonian.com
©2008 The Oregonian
Can A Write-In Candidate Win?
You're darned right they can and the climate is right in this community for that to happen.
There are no filing forms or fees required to run as a write-in candidate.
A defeated primary candidate may not actively offer or campaign as a write-in candidate for the ensuing election.
The use of posters or stickers on the ballot is not permitted.
A voter must cast his write-in ballot in his or her own handwriting or that of a duly authorized assistant or as authorized on his ballot.
Write-in votes are not allowed in primary elections or the election of President or Vice-president. Write-in votes are allowed for all other elections.
In 1954, Strom Thurmond was a successful write-in candidate for the office of United States Senator.
There are no filing forms or fees required to run as a write-in candidate.
A defeated primary candidate may not actively offer or campaign as a write-in candidate for the ensuing election.
The use of posters or stickers on the ballot is not permitted.
A voter must cast his write-in ballot in his or her own handwriting or that of a duly authorized assistant or as authorized on his ballot.
Write-in votes are not allowed in primary elections or the election of President or Vice-president. Write-in votes are allowed for all other elections.
In 1954, Strom Thurmond was a successful write-in candidate for the office of United States Senator.
Friday, March 14, 2008
From: World Net Daily - Eminent Domain Abuse
Report: Eminent-domain abuse widespreadFirm cites thousands of cases of government seizing land for private uses
Posted: April 22, 20031:00 am Eastern
By Jon Dougherty© 2008 WorldNetDaily.com
If you believe your home is your castle or that the government can only take it for public use, you should be warned otherwise, says a public-interest law firm that documented thousands of cases nationwide where governments have abused eminent domain.
The report, titled "Public Power, Private Gain," is the first of its kind nationwide to document how often government confiscates private property and hands it over to private developers, says the Institute For Justice, a libertarian-oriented firm based in Washington, D.C.
"This report is a wake-up call to all citizens," says Dana Berliner, a senior attorney at the institute and author of the report. "Your property can be taken away by the unholy alliance of government and business interests. It is happening all over the country, and it can happen to you."
In the report, Berliner discusses more than 10,000 cases where homes, businesses, churches and private land were seized or threatened with seizure over the past five years ? not to be used for public use, but instead for private for-profit development.
The concept of eminent domain is defined as the right of government to take private property for public use "by virtue of the superior dominion of the sovereign power over all lands within its jurisdiction," according to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary. The Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits the federal government from taking private property for public use without "just compensation" to the owner.
Among the examples cited by the report include the condemnation of a family's home so that the manager of a planned golf course could live in it; the eviction of four elderly siblings from their home of six decades for a private industrial park; and the removal of a woman in her 80s from her home of 55 years, allegedly to expand a sewer plant but in actuality to give her home to an automobile dealership.
The report said that since 1998 there have been 10,282-plus filed or threatened condemnations for private parties with reports of actual or threatened condemnation for private parties coming from 41 states.
John Kramer, vice president for communications, said the institute would release its findings to the public today at the National Press Club in Washington.
Besides the federal Constitution, the firm says every state's constitution also imposes similar eminent domain restrictions on government.
"In America, private property can only be taken for a public use, not for a private use," the institute said, in a statement.
But, as the report denotes, "state and local governments believe they can condemn anything for any purpose, no matter how blatantly private," the statement continued.
States with the worst record of private-use condemnations, the firm said, are California, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan and Ohio. Runners-up include Pennsylvania, Florida and New Jersey.
Cities with the worst record are Detroit, Riviera Beach, Fla., San Jose, Calif., and Philadelphia.
"From a legal standpoint," the institute said, the worst states in which to live for property owners seeking to avoid condemnation are New York, Missouri and Kansas.
But the institute's report also contained some good news for property owners: "The best states [to avoid condemnation of property] are Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, South Dakota and Wyoming, none of which had any reported eminent domain for private use."
In its February 2003 issue, Reason Magazine published a story chronicling eminent domain abuses. It said some property owners are getting legal satisfaction, but that those cases could be the exception.
"Despite recent victories, the courts are unlikely to be much help in reining in abuses of eminent domain," the magazine reported. "In fact, many of the recent victories against eminent-domain abuse have resulted from nonjudicial remedies."
Not everyone agrees eminent domain is being abused.
"The fact is that in the average community in the typical state, the system is working well," claims the American Planning Association, a nonprofit public interest and research organization, Reason magazine reported. "Property-rights advocates are waging a guerrilla war of sound bites, misleading 'spin doctoring' and power politics which characterizes government at every level as evil empires of bad intent."
Critics argue that sometimes eminent domain is needed so local governments and private real estate partners can move quickly on development projects.
"Eminent domain is critical for local redevelopment efforts," says John Bowers, executive director of the Arizona Association for Economic Development. "Without it, it would be virtually impossible for a city to assemble a multi-parcel piece of property for redevelopment."
In August, the Phoenix-based Goldwater Institute addressed eminent-domain abuse in Arizona.
"Despite strong protections for private property in the Arizona Constitution, municipalities increasingly have been taking private property from landowners for use by other private citizens and by corporations," the institute said, in a statement. "These abuses of eminent-domain power have been enabled in recent years by the 1997 redevelopment statute."
Berliner says the most common excuse for abusing eminent domain is for governments and developers to cite "community" betterment, a concept he says doesn't exist.
"Communities have no rights (to execute private-use condemnation) ? not under natural law, not under common law and not under the Constitution," he says, even if most local people favor a particular development project. "It was to prevent just such abuses, the tyranny of majority over minority, that the Founders wrote our Constitution."
Jon E. Dougherty is a Missouri-based writer
Posted: April 22, 20031:00 am Eastern
By Jon Dougherty© 2008 WorldNetDaily.com
If you believe your home is your castle or that the government can only take it for public use, you should be warned otherwise, says a public-interest law firm that documented thousands of cases nationwide where governments have abused eminent domain.
The report, titled "Public Power, Private Gain," is the first of its kind nationwide to document how often government confiscates private property and hands it over to private developers, says the Institute For Justice, a libertarian-oriented firm based in Washington, D.C.
"This report is a wake-up call to all citizens," says Dana Berliner, a senior attorney at the institute and author of the report. "Your property can be taken away by the unholy alliance of government and business interests. It is happening all over the country, and it can happen to you."
In the report, Berliner discusses more than 10,000 cases where homes, businesses, churches and private land were seized or threatened with seizure over the past five years ? not to be used for public use, but instead for private for-profit development.
The concept of eminent domain is defined as the right of government to take private property for public use "by virtue of the superior dominion of the sovereign power over all lands within its jurisdiction," according to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary. The Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits the federal government from taking private property for public use without "just compensation" to the owner.
Among the examples cited by the report include the condemnation of a family's home so that the manager of a planned golf course could live in it; the eviction of four elderly siblings from their home of six decades for a private industrial park; and the removal of a woman in her 80s from her home of 55 years, allegedly to expand a sewer plant but in actuality to give her home to an automobile dealership.
The report said that since 1998 there have been 10,282-plus filed or threatened condemnations for private parties with reports of actual or threatened condemnation for private parties coming from 41 states.
John Kramer, vice president for communications, said the institute would release its findings to the public today at the National Press Club in Washington.
Besides the federal Constitution, the firm says every state's constitution also imposes similar eminent domain restrictions on government.
"In America, private property can only be taken for a public use, not for a private use," the institute said, in a statement.
But, as the report denotes, "state and local governments believe they can condemn anything for any purpose, no matter how blatantly private," the statement continued.
States with the worst record of private-use condemnations, the firm said, are California, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan and Ohio. Runners-up include Pennsylvania, Florida and New Jersey.
Cities with the worst record are Detroit, Riviera Beach, Fla., San Jose, Calif., and Philadelphia.
"From a legal standpoint," the institute said, the worst states in which to live for property owners seeking to avoid condemnation are New York, Missouri and Kansas.
But the institute's report also contained some good news for property owners: "The best states [to avoid condemnation of property] are Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, South Dakota and Wyoming, none of which had any reported eminent domain for private use."
In its February 2003 issue, Reason Magazine published a story chronicling eminent domain abuses. It said some property owners are getting legal satisfaction, but that those cases could be the exception.
"Despite recent victories, the courts are unlikely to be much help in reining in abuses of eminent domain," the magazine reported. "In fact, many of the recent victories against eminent-domain abuse have resulted from nonjudicial remedies."
Not everyone agrees eminent domain is being abused.
"The fact is that in the average community in the typical state, the system is working well," claims the American Planning Association, a nonprofit public interest and research organization, Reason magazine reported. "Property-rights advocates are waging a guerrilla war of sound bites, misleading 'spin doctoring' and power politics which characterizes government at every level as evil empires of bad intent."
Critics argue that sometimes eminent domain is needed so local governments and private real estate partners can move quickly on development projects.
"Eminent domain is critical for local redevelopment efforts," says John Bowers, executive director of the Arizona Association for Economic Development. "Without it, it would be virtually impossible for a city to assemble a multi-parcel piece of property for redevelopment."
In August, the Phoenix-based Goldwater Institute addressed eminent-domain abuse in Arizona.
"Despite strong protections for private property in the Arizona Constitution, municipalities increasingly have been taking private property from landowners for use by other private citizens and by corporations," the institute said, in a statement. "These abuses of eminent-domain power have been enabled in recent years by the 1997 redevelopment statute."
Berliner says the most common excuse for abusing eminent domain is for governments and developers to cite "community" betterment, a concept he says doesn't exist.
"Communities have no rights (to execute private-use condemnation) ? not under natural law, not under common law and not under the Constitution," he says, even if most local people favor a particular development project. "It was to prevent just such abuses, the tyranny of majority over minority, that the Founders wrote our Constitution."
Jon E. Dougherty is a Missouri-based writer
The Lee "Inquiry"
Oregon Department of Justice's "Media Rep" confirmed today that there was, indeed, an "Inquiry", upon request, into certain actions in Richard Lee's past conduct as confirmed by Sheriff Tom Bergin and reported by the Daily Astorian.
They, D.O.J., determined, in their inquiry, there was not enough evidence to warrant a full investigation at the time.
They, D.O.J., determined, in their inquiry, there was not enough evidence to warrant a full investigation at the time.
The Port:Dump Conner? - Mitchum? - No Way In Hell!
About the only the thing the Port of Astoria has going right these days is the "Cruise Ship Business" and spin it any way you want, it is the "Brain Child" of Bruce Conner with Mitch Mitchum's help in coordinating the ground operations.
Conflict of Interest?
No way, as Bruce and Mitch are technically, in my view, acting as contractors, in the business of "Tourism" and should, indeed, profit from their services as opposed to adding a full-time staff burden to the port at the moment.
In the meantime and until a new Port Manger is selected and put to work, leave this procuctive facet of Port Operations alone.
Port wants to do something productive, take that Taggart "Albatross, turn it into a functional port administrative facility along with a Cruise Ship Terminal/Welcome Center and get rid of all that chain link fence crap out there and make it look like something other than some kind of "Marine Impound Yard"
Your don't think some of these Cruise Lines would consider some investment into "Our Port" to enhance their convenience while here?
Scrap that "Fish Porcessing Interpretive Center" (How many millions of dollars?) and put the money where it counts.
Conflict of Interest?
No way, as Bruce and Mitch are technically, in my view, acting as contractors, in the business of "Tourism" and should, indeed, profit from their services as opposed to adding a full-time staff burden to the port at the moment.
In the meantime and until a new Port Manger is selected and put to work, leave this procuctive facet of Port Operations alone.
Port wants to do something productive, take that Taggart "Albatross, turn it into a functional port administrative facility along with a Cruise Ship Terminal/Welcome Center and get rid of all that chain link fence crap out there and make it look like something other than some kind of "Marine Impound Yard"
Your don't think some of these Cruise Lines would consider some investment into "Our Port" to enhance their convenience while here?
Scrap that "Fish Porcessing Interpretive Center" (How many millions of dollars?) and put the money where it counts.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
District 4's Rohne And Johnson: Where are you On LNG Siting/NG Pipeline Development?
Also, define "Private Property Rights In Land."
Both of you and whomever may come late will be asked to address both these issues many times and some general statement on either will not suffice so, address them both now, in detail.
Both of you and whomever may come late will be asked to address both these issues many times and some general statement on either will not suffice so, address them both now, in detail.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Clatsop Commissioner Hazen Breaks No Law By Contributing To Anti-4-123 Element
On the queries regarding Hazen's contributions to "Citizens for Clatsop County Charter Integrity"
Oregon's Election Division states:
There is nothing in Oregon election law that prohibits a seated county commissioner, or any other elected official, from contributing to any political committee.
The only requirement is that any contributor's name, address, occupation and employer's name and address shall be disclosed when the aggregate amount of money is over $100 for a calendar year.
The committee receiving the contribution must make this disclosure.
In this case, both contributions that were cited, the $250 in cash and the $1152 in-kind, were reported by the committee "Citizens for Clatsop County Charter Integrity" on the Elections Division web-based Orestar reporting system.
The committee has met its requirement and JeffHazen has not violated any Oregon election law.
Oregon's Election Division states:
There is nothing in Oregon election law that prohibits a seated county commissioner, or any other elected official, from contributing to any political committee.
The only requirement is that any contributor's name, address, occupation and employer's name and address shall be disclosed when the aggregate amount of money is over $100 for a calendar year.
The committee receiving the contribution must make this disclosure.
In this case, both contributions that were cited, the $250 in cash and the $1152 in-kind, were reported by the committee "Citizens for Clatsop County Charter Integrity" on the Elections Division web-based Orestar reporting system.
The committee has met its requirement and JeffHazen has not violated any Oregon election law.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Politicians With Cajones: Forest Grove Council Opposes LNG Project
Councilors Say Liquified Natural Gas Terminal And Pipelines Threaten City's Water Supply And Increase Region's Reliance On Fossil Fuels
By John Schrag
The Forest Grove News-Times, Mar 11, 2008
Saying that proposed natural gas pipelines threaten the the city’s water supply and increase the nation’s reliance on fossil fuels, the Forest Grove City Council on Monday unanimously went on record opposing a proposed liquefied natural gas terminal on the Columbia River near Astoria.
Pipeline critics say the council is the first local government to go on record opposing the project, which would require 211 miles of pipeline to be laid, much of it between the Coast Range and Highway 47 in western Washington County. A section of the project path would cross the city’s watershed and as the pipes that carry drinking water for Forest Grove and several other Washington County cities.
The council action came just hours after the four Democratic members of Oregon’s congressional delegation sent a letter to Joseph Kelliher, the chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, expressing their concern about the licensing process used by the federal agency.
Forest Grove’s resolution, crafted by Councilor Pete Truax, is just 12 paragraphs long, but captures most of the criticisms of the project, noting a litany of concerns over the environment, public safety, private property rights and a dependence on fossil fuels.
“I worked for 20 years on clean air and clean water,” said Councilor Victoria Lowe, “and this [project] fails both miserably.”
Lowe and others on the council noted that the proposed pipeline path runs through hillside property that has been identified as susceptible to landslides.
“To mix high-pressure gas-line anywhere near that is absolutely ludicrous,” she said. “I will be voting for this and working to block it.”
By John Schrag
The Forest Grove News-Times, Mar 11, 2008
Saying that proposed natural gas pipelines threaten the the city’s water supply and increase the nation’s reliance on fossil fuels, the Forest Grove City Council on Monday unanimously went on record opposing a proposed liquefied natural gas terminal on the Columbia River near Astoria.
Pipeline critics say the council is the first local government to go on record opposing the project, which would require 211 miles of pipeline to be laid, much of it between the Coast Range and Highway 47 in western Washington County. A section of the project path would cross the city’s watershed and as the pipes that carry drinking water for Forest Grove and several other Washington County cities.
The council action came just hours after the four Democratic members of Oregon’s congressional delegation sent a letter to Joseph Kelliher, the chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, expressing their concern about the licensing process used by the federal agency.
Forest Grove’s resolution, crafted by Councilor Pete Truax, is just 12 paragraphs long, but captures most of the criticisms of the project, noting a litany of concerns over the environment, public safety, private property rights and a dependence on fossil fuels.
“I worked for 20 years on clean air and clean water,” said Councilor Victoria Lowe, “and this [project] fails both miserably.”
Lowe and others on the council noted that the proposed pipeline path runs through hillside property that has been identified as susceptible to landslides.
“To mix high-pressure gas-line anywhere near that is absolutely ludicrous,” she said. “I will be voting for this and working to block it.”
Rising Gas Demand Pinching LNG Shipments
Business
Rising gas demand abroad pinching LNG shipments
Bloomberg News
Russia is forcing Exxon Mobil to abandon plans to export natural gas to China. Nigeria is requiring explorers to share output with its citizens. Indonesia will cut sales to Japan.
Countries holding almost half the world's gas are curbing shipments to meet growing domestic use, hurting importers from the U.S. to Japan. Prices for the heating fuel may rise 50 percent within five years on the New York Mercantile Exchange as a result, said Chris Jarvis, president of Caprock Risk Management in Hampton Falls, N.H. He anticipated the rally in gas prices during the past month.
While raising energy costs, the policies will limit opportunities for Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch Shell Plc, who are struggling to reverse a five-year production decline of 23 percent in the U.K. North Sea and 42 percent in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. Natural-gas use is rising 2.5 percent a year, three times the rate for oil, according to BP Plc statistics.
"All the gas is concentrated in places where you don't have access," said Frank Harris, co-head of the natural gas practice at the Edinburgh-based Wood Mackenzie Consultants Ltd., an adviser to 24 of the world's 25 biggest oil and gas companies. It's "a major concern for oil majors," he said.
In Russia, the energy ministry told Exxon Mobil in August that gas from the $17 billion Sakhalin-1 project off the nation's eastern coast should be sold into the domestic market, not exported. Russian President Vladimir Putin wants the gas to feed an economy that's growing 7.6 percent annually. Putin two days ago said his successor, Dmitry Medvedev, will also be a "nationalist."
Exxon planned to build a pipeline to China, where the 10 billion cubic meters a year of Sakhalin gas could meet 18 percent of China's needs, based on 2006 consumption.
Changing export policies in Nigeria and Egypt threaten projects that would ship 45 million metric tons of liquefied natural gas to the world market annually, equal to about 33 percent current supply, Wood Mackenzie's Harris estimates. The 45 million tons are almost fourfold larger than the U.S.'s LNG imports in 2006, according to the Energy Department.
Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua said last month that a new state-run company would start requiring explorers to sell a portion of output locally. Nigeria, Africa's most-populous nation, holds the continent's largest gas reserves, yet only about 40 percent of its population of about 140 million citizens have access to electricity, according to the World Bank.
Total SA, Chevron Corp., Shell and ConocoPhillips have put on hold two LNG projects, at Brass and Olokola, until the government sets its policy on supplies to the domestic market. The gas would have been more than enough to meet India's annual consumption, based on BP's statistics.
Caprock Risk's Jarvis said restrictions on liquefied natural gas exports will tighten global energy markets.
Demand for LNG, or gas chilled for shipment in tankers, is the industry's fastest-growing business, with growth of about 10 percent a year, Shell and Total estimate.
Compared with fuel oil, natural gas costs 18 percent less, based on the amount of energy in each fuel. Crude prices have tripled since 2002, pushing governments to seek more of the industry's record profits and limit access to regions that typically harbor natural gas too.
"The correlations between gas and crude oil will become tighter as the LNG market becomes more important on a global scale," Jarvis said in an interview. Natural gas in New York may rise to $15 per million British thermal units by 2013, he said.
"When you are in a supply-constrained situation, prices will rise," said Darren Jones, president of global gas for Houston-based ConocoPhillips, the third-largest U.S. oil company.
Wood Mackenzie's Harris said he expects oil and natural gas prices will converge. If that happens, a $10 million investment in natural gas on the Nymex would return 22 percent, or $2.2 million.
Indonesia lost its top ranking as an LNG exporter to Qatar in 2006 as Southeast Asia's most populous nation diverted exports to meet soaring domestic needs. The economy grew 6.2 percent in the three months ended Dec. 31, near the fastest pace in 10 years. State oil company PT Pertamina will lower supplies to a Japanese buying group by 75 percent after the current contract expires in 2010, Vice President Iin Arifin Takhyan said in October.
"By 2011 we see a very tight global natural gas market," said Stacy Nieuwoudt, an analyst at energy investment bank Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. Securities Inc. in Houston.
Chevron, which is seeking to expand an LNG venture in Angola, respects governments' desires to direct supplies to domestic markets, said John Gass, president of Chevron's global gas business.
"At the same time host countries also see the value of exporting their gas on world markets," Gass told reporters today in Bangkok. "The companies that are going to be successful in the future are the ones that are going to be able to balance I would say those complementary priorities that resource holders have."
Natural gas provides 22 percent of the world's energy, behind coal's 23 percent and oil's 40 percent, according to BP. The world's known gas reserves may last about 63 years, compared with 41 for oil, the BP statistics show.
Increasing demand and a lack of supplies meant that Japan and South Korea this winter paid more than double the U.S. benchmark gas price to attain cargoes from as far away as Trinidad, the biggest LNG supplier to the U.S.
U.S. natural gas futures for delivery at the Henry Hub in Louisiana have risen 29 percent so far this year on the New York Mercantile Exchange, outpacing a 9 percent gain in benchmark U.S. crude prices. Nymex gas for April delivery was trading at $9.682 per million British thermal units at 9:59 a.m. London time today.
"We have seen this year a situation where there was strong appetite for LNG, forcing buyers to pay oil prices or even a premium," said Philippe Sauquet, senior vice-president of Total Gas & Power Ltd., a unit of Paris-based Total.
www.bloomberg.com
Rising gas demand abroad pinching LNG shipments
Bloomberg News
Russia is forcing Exxon Mobil to abandon plans to export natural gas to China. Nigeria is requiring explorers to share output with its citizens. Indonesia will cut sales to Japan.
Countries holding almost half the world's gas are curbing shipments to meet growing domestic use, hurting importers from the U.S. to Japan. Prices for the heating fuel may rise 50 percent within five years on the New York Mercantile Exchange as a result, said Chris Jarvis, president of Caprock Risk Management in Hampton Falls, N.H. He anticipated the rally in gas prices during the past month.
While raising energy costs, the policies will limit opportunities for Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch Shell Plc, who are struggling to reverse a five-year production decline of 23 percent in the U.K. North Sea and 42 percent in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. Natural-gas use is rising 2.5 percent a year, three times the rate for oil, according to BP Plc statistics.
"All the gas is concentrated in places where you don't have access," said Frank Harris, co-head of the natural gas practice at the Edinburgh-based Wood Mackenzie Consultants Ltd., an adviser to 24 of the world's 25 biggest oil and gas companies. It's "a major concern for oil majors," he said.
In Russia, the energy ministry told Exxon Mobil in August that gas from the $17 billion Sakhalin-1 project off the nation's eastern coast should be sold into the domestic market, not exported. Russian President Vladimir Putin wants the gas to feed an economy that's growing 7.6 percent annually. Putin two days ago said his successor, Dmitry Medvedev, will also be a "nationalist."
Exxon planned to build a pipeline to China, where the 10 billion cubic meters a year of Sakhalin gas could meet 18 percent of China's needs, based on 2006 consumption.
Changing export policies in Nigeria and Egypt threaten projects that would ship 45 million metric tons of liquefied natural gas to the world market annually, equal to about 33 percent current supply, Wood Mackenzie's Harris estimates. The 45 million tons are almost fourfold larger than the U.S.'s LNG imports in 2006, according to the Energy Department.
Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua said last month that a new state-run company would start requiring explorers to sell a portion of output locally. Nigeria, Africa's most-populous nation, holds the continent's largest gas reserves, yet only about 40 percent of its population of about 140 million citizens have access to electricity, according to the World Bank.
Total SA, Chevron Corp., Shell and ConocoPhillips have put on hold two LNG projects, at Brass and Olokola, until the government sets its policy on supplies to the domestic market. The gas would have been more than enough to meet India's annual consumption, based on BP's statistics.
Caprock Risk's Jarvis said restrictions on liquefied natural gas exports will tighten global energy markets.
Demand for LNG, or gas chilled for shipment in tankers, is the industry's fastest-growing business, with growth of about 10 percent a year, Shell and Total estimate.
Compared with fuel oil, natural gas costs 18 percent less, based on the amount of energy in each fuel. Crude prices have tripled since 2002, pushing governments to seek more of the industry's record profits and limit access to regions that typically harbor natural gas too.
"The correlations between gas and crude oil will become tighter as the LNG market becomes more important on a global scale," Jarvis said in an interview. Natural gas in New York may rise to $15 per million British thermal units by 2013, he said.
"When you are in a supply-constrained situation, prices will rise," said Darren Jones, president of global gas for Houston-based ConocoPhillips, the third-largest U.S. oil company.
Wood Mackenzie's Harris said he expects oil and natural gas prices will converge. If that happens, a $10 million investment in natural gas on the Nymex would return 22 percent, or $2.2 million.
Indonesia lost its top ranking as an LNG exporter to Qatar in 2006 as Southeast Asia's most populous nation diverted exports to meet soaring domestic needs. The economy grew 6.2 percent in the three months ended Dec. 31, near the fastest pace in 10 years. State oil company PT Pertamina will lower supplies to a Japanese buying group by 75 percent after the current contract expires in 2010, Vice President Iin Arifin Takhyan said in October.
"By 2011 we see a very tight global natural gas market," said Stacy Nieuwoudt, an analyst at energy investment bank Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. Securities Inc. in Houston.
Chevron, which is seeking to expand an LNG venture in Angola, respects governments' desires to direct supplies to domestic markets, said John Gass, president of Chevron's global gas business.
"At the same time host countries also see the value of exporting their gas on world markets," Gass told reporters today in Bangkok. "The companies that are going to be successful in the future are the ones that are going to be able to balance I would say those complementary priorities that resource holders have."
Natural gas provides 22 percent of the world's energy, behind coal's 23 percent and oil's 40 percent, according to BP. The world's known gas reserves may last about 63 years, compared with 41 for oil, the BP statistics show.
Increasing demand and a lack of supplies meant that Japan and South Korea this winter paid more than double the U.S. benchmark gas price to attain cargoes from as far away as Trinidad, the biggest LNG supplier to the U.S.
U.S. natural gas futures for delivery at the Henry Hub in Louisiana have risen 29 percent so far this year on the New York Mercantile Exchange, outpacing a 9 percent gain in benchmark U.S. crude prices. Nymex gas for April delivery was trading at $9.682 per million British thermal units at 9:59 a.m. London time today.
"We have seen this year a situation where there was strong appetite for LNG, forcing buyers to pay oil prices or even a premium," said Philippe Sauquet, senior vice-president of Total Gas & Power Ltd., a unit of Paris-based Total.
www.bloomberg.com
Bradwood/NSNG LNG's Joe Desmond: Criticizes Californians For Being Fixated On Greenhouse Gases - Commenting, "Radicals And Energy Policy Don't Mix!"
Instead of fossil fuels, invest dollars in clean-energy supplies
By Rory Cox and Robert FreehlingTuesday, March 11, 2008
Re: Joe Desmond's March 2 commentary, "Radicals, energy policy don't mix."
Pacific Environment has just published a new report called "Collision Course" that makes a case for what is really common sense: California cannot reduce greenhouse gases while at the same time increasing its commitment to consuming fossil fuels.
Importing liquefied natural gas from overseas would be a huge commitment, tying us to long-term fossil-fuel purchase contracts amounting to many billions of dollars. A better choice is to invest these same dollars in clean energy, and state law already commits us to do this.
The main problem is that many people think that needing energy means that this need must be met with fossil fuels. But there are other options.
State law requires California's utilities to use 20 percent renewable energy by 2010 and to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions 25 percent by 2020. It is state policy that by 2020, one-third of our electricity should come from renewable sources. These are wise policy decisions supported by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Desmond, who works for Northern Star natural gas, recently critiqued us in these pages for being "fixated" on greenhouse-gas emissions. We plead guilty.
The relentless rise in global temperature has already resulted in serious problems that are a mere foreshadowing of things to come: unprecedented wildfires in Southern California, killer heat waves in France, diminishing cropland in Sudan that has led to civil war, the rising price of food due to crop failures and melting polar ice caps. Most scientists agree that this is the result of greenhouse-gas emissions.
We acknowledge, with Desmond, that renewable technologies have environmental impacts. But none even remotely compare to the damage to the climate brought on by burning fossil fuels.
That is why we support the California Energy Action Plan — co-published by his old agency, the California Energy Commission — that states efficiency and conservation are the best options to meet future energy needs. Without a doubt, the cleanest kilowatt is the one you don't use. Of course, that means using less natural gas.
The Energy Action Plan says that the next best option after efficiency is renewables and distributed generation (or smaller generating facilities located closer to customers.) Desmond mentions that utilities are having problems meeting their renewable mandate.
However, if utilities and energy planners would follow the Energy Action Plan and invest in distributed generation, the problem of "locations and transmissions" for far off renewable energy that Desmond mentions would be reduced.
Desmond writes about LNG as if it were just more of the same natural gas that California is already using. But there are major differences. Domestic natural gas is now piped to us from gas fields in the U.S. and Canada.
LNG is shipped in supertankers that likely will come from politically challenging regions; about 80 percent of the world's available natural gas is in the Middle East (particularly Iran and Qatar) and the former Soviet Union. LNG dependence comes with all the same hazards as foreign-oil dependence, including price shocks, possible supply disruptions and expensive wars.
There is simply no good reason to expose California rate payers, as well as our troops, to this vulnerability. The LNG process also adds 15 to 25 percent extra greenhouse-gas emissions over that of domestic natural gas.
A clean, efficient and locally oriented energy supply has many benefits. A number of studies have demonstrated that it will provide more jobs and investment at home while protecting the environment and improving our security.
This may sound radical. But there's a growing consensus that says it's just common sense.
— Rory Cox is California program director at Pacific Environment and Robert Freehling is research director at Local Power. Both groups are in the coalition Ratepayers for Affordable Clean Energy. "Collision Course" can be downloaded at http://www.raceforcleanenergy.org/.
By Rory Cox and Robert FreehlingTuesday, March 11, 2008
Re: Joe Desmond's March 2 commentary, "Radicals, energy policy don't mix."
Pacific Environment has just published a new report called "Collision Course" that makes a case for what is really common sense: California cannot reduce greenhouse gases while at the same time increasing its commitment to consuming fossil fuels.
Importing liquefied natural gas from overseas would be a huge commitment, tying us to long-term fossil-fuel purchase contracts amounting to many billions of dollars. A better choice is to invest these same dollars in clean energy, and state law already commits us to do this.
The main problem is that many people think that needing energy means that this need must be met with fossil fuels. But there are other options.
State law requires California's utilities to use 20 percent renewable energy by 2010 and to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions 25 percent by 2020. It is state policy that by 2020, one-third of our electricity should come from renewable sources. These are wise policy decisions supported by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Desmond, who works for Northern Star natural gas, recently critiqued us in these pages for being "fixated" on greenhouse-gas emissions. We plead guilty.
The relentless rise in global temperature has already resulted in serious problems that are a mere foreshadowing of things to come: unprecedented wildfires in Southern California, killer heat waves in France, diminishing cropland in Sudan that has led to civil war, the rising price of food due to crop failures and melting polar ice caps. Most scientists agree that this is the result of greenhouse-gas emissions.
We acknowledge, with Desmond, that renewable technologies have environmental impacts. But none even remotely compare to the damage to the climate brought on by burning fossil fuels.
That is why we support the California Energy Action Plan — co-published by his old agency, the California Energy Commission — that states efficiency and conservation are the best options to meet future energy needs. Without a doubt, the cleanest kilowatt is the one you don't use. Of course, that means using less natural gas.
The Energy Action Plan says that the next best option after efficiency is renewables and distributed generation (or smaller generating facilities located closer to customers.) Desmond mentions that utilities are having problems meeting their renewable mandate.
However, if utilities and energy planners would follow the Energy Action Plan and invest in distributed generation, the problem of "locations and transmissions" for far off renewable energy that Desmond mentions would be reduced.
Desmond writes about LNG as if it were just more of the same natural gas that California is already using. But there are major differences. Domestic natural gas is now piped to us from gas fields in the U.S. and Canada.
LNG is shipped in supertankers that likely will come from politically challenging regions; about 80 percent of the world's available natural gas is in the Middle East (particularly Iran and Qatar) and the former Soviet Union. LNG dependence comes with all the same hazards as foreign-oil dependence, including price shocks, possible supply disruptions and expensive wars.
There is simply no good reason to expose California rate payers, as well as our troops, to this vulnerability. The LNG process also adds 15 to 25 percent extra greenhouse-gas emissions over that of domestic natural gas.
A clean, efficient and locally oriented energy supply has many benefits. A number of studies have demonstrated that it will provide more jobs and investment at home while protecting the environment and improving our security.
This may sound radical. But there's a growing consensus that says it's just common sense.
— Rory Cox is California program director at Pacific Environment and Robert Freehling is research director at Local Power. Both groups are in the coalition Ratepayers for Affordable Clean Energy. "Collision Course" can be downloaded at http://www.raceforcleanenergy.org/.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Keep Oregon Free Of LNG Art Show And Fund Raiser For Columbia RiverKeeper
KEEP OREGON FREE OF LNG
ART SHOW & FUND RAISER FOR
ART SHOW & FUND RAISER FOR
COLUMBIA RIVERKEEPER
An Art Show by Lori Durheim and Various Artists
Astoria Visual Arts (AVA) 453-A 11th St.
March 20, 2008 <> March 23, 2008
Reception Friday, March 21 6 - 9 PM
Regular gallery hours: 2 - 6 PM
All sales go to Columbia Riverkeeper, a non-profit organization,
whose mission is to protect the Columbia River and all life connected to it.
The Art show opens on March 20th at 2:00pm at the AVA building. This is the same day for the Clatsop C.C. final vote at 4:00. Please stop by before and after the dog & pony show by the board.
An Art Show by Lori Durheim and Various Artists
Astoria Visual Arts (AVA) 453-A 11th St.
March 20, 2008 <> March 23, 2008
Reception Friday, March 21 6 - 9 PM
Regular gallery hours: 2 - 6 PM
All sales go to Columbia Riverkeeper, a non-profit organization,
whose mission is to protect the Columbia River and all life connected to it.
The Art show opens on March 20th at 2:00pm at the AVA building. This is the same day for the Clatsop C.C. final vote at 4:00. Please stop by before and after the dog & pony show by the board.
Daily "A" Op-Ed:Yes On Lee Recall
Yes On Lee Recall
Richard Lee has served himself more than he’s served the county’s votersRecalling an official from elective office is an extreme remedy.
In the last 20 years, Clatsop County voters removed a district attorney in 1994 and Astoria voters removed a city councillor in 1996.
A 2004 recall directed at four members of the Astoria School board failed.
Now some 4,366 voters in Clatsop County District 3 are being asked to recall Commissioner Richard Lee. The recall petition was organized and circulated by some 25 citizens who are alarmed at Lee's behavior in office. Their petition statement can be found at ccfog.org
Click on the link below for full story
http://www.dailyastorian.com/main.asp?SectionID=23&SubSectionID=392&ArticleID=49657
Richard Lee has served himself more than he’s served the county’s votersRecalling an official from elective office is an extreme remedy.
In the last 20 years, Clatsop County voters removed a district attorney in 1994 and Astoria voters removed a city councillor in 1996.
A 2004 recall directed at four members of the Astoria School board failed.
Now some 4,366 voters in Clatsop County District 3 are being asked to recall Commissioner Richard Lee. The recall petition was organized and circulated by some 25 citizens who are alarmed at Lee's behavior in office. Their petition statement can be found at ccfog.org
Click on the link below for full story
http://www.dailyastorian.com/main.asp?SectionID=23&SubSectionID=392&ArticleID=49657
McCain - Rice Ticket?
Well, what do you think?
McCain and Rice For the Republican ticket?
How about a McCain - Colin Powell ticket?
McCain and Rice For the Republican ticket?
How about a McCain - Colin Powell ticket?
Sunday, March 09, 2008
From The Oregonian: DeFazio Pushes For State Input On LNG
Safety - The process to site a proposed natural gas terminal is inadequate, U.S. House Democrats say
Saturday, March 08, 2008
CHARLES POPE - The Oregonian Staff
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio, backed by Oregon's three other Democratic House members, demanded Friday that the federal government consider Oregon's concerns about the location of a proposed liquefied natural gas terminal.
DeFazio along with Reps. David Wu, Earl Blumenauer and Darlene Hooley told the chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission about the "inadequacy" of the process for determining whether the facility is built and where.
"As you know, the proposed LNG facilities in Oregon do pose some significant environmental and safety challenges, while the question of need is being left to the market to answer," the letter said. "We would appreciate FERC's insight and expertise into the question of need, before our constituents are asked to grapple with the safety and environmental obstacles.
"And finally, we encourage FERC to work collaboratively with the state of Oregon because we believe that there are several state agencies that can offer significant resources regarding the question of siting an LNG facility in Oregon."
DeFazio said in an interview that he's worried the federal government will approve the facility without adequately taking into account local concerns. Asked if Oregon should hold a veto on the project, DeFazio said, "absolutely."
Friday's letter is similar in tone and substance to one sent last month by Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., and yet another by Democratic Gov. Ted Kulongoski.
FERC must approve the application if the LNG facility is to move forward. The commission has not said how long it will take before a decision is made.
Charles Pope: 202-383-7819; charles.pope@newhouse.com
Saturday, March 08, 2008
CHARLES POPE - The Oregonian Staff
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio, backed by Oregon's three other Democratic House members, demanded Friday that the federal government consider Oregon's concerns about the location of a proposed liquefied natural gas terminal.
DeFazio along with Reps. David Wu, Earl Blumenauer and Darlene Hooley told the chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission about the "inadequacy" of the process for determining whether the facility is built and where.
"As you know, the proposed LNG facilities in Oregon do pose some significant environmental and safety challenges, while the question of need is being left to the market to answer," the letter said. "We would appreciate FERC's insight and expertise into the question of need, before our constituents are asked to grapple with the safety and environmental obstacles.
"And finally, we encourage FERC to work collaboratively with the state of Oregon because we believe that there are several state agencies that can offer significant resources regarding the question of siting an LNG facility in Oregon."
DeFazio said in an interview that he's worried the federal government will approve the facility without adequately taking into account local concerns. Asked if Oregon should hold a veto on the project, DeFazio said, "absolutely."
Friday's letter is similar in tone and substance to one sent last month by Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., and yet another by Democratic Gov. Ted Kulongoski.
FERC must approve the application if the LNG facility is to move forward. The commission has not said how long it will take before a decision is made.
Charles Pope: 202-383-7819; charles.pope@newhouse.com
U.S.S. Ranger Berthed In Hammond?
The U.S.S. Ranger Berthed At Hammond?
Smart People!
Obviously wisdom not shared by Port of Astoria and of cousre, many would say no surprise there.
"Our mission is to preserve the Aircraft Carrier USS Ranger as an educational, civic and cultural center in Portland Oregon where she will become the world’s largest floating museum; a must-see tourism destination in the Pacific Northwest. Still serving her country as an emergency communications and disaster response center, she will be the centerpiece of a complex to honor those men and women who have served the cause of freedom in the USA and around the world.
The Foundation's vision is to produce a venue that will honor the history all the ships that bore the name USS Ranger from John Paul Jones’ to the current Super Carrier. In doing so, we will also honor and preserve the memory of all her sister carriers, including those already scrapped or sunk; those targeted for sinking and those nuclear powered ones protecting our freedom on all the seas of the world today.
Indulge yourself and enjoy our website as you learn about the USS Ranger Foundation and the effort that is being done to preserve her memories for generations to come.
Stop by the Ship's Store and browse through our gift shop. You are sure to find something to delight the sailor in your life. Log into the Message Board and join the conversations. Coming soon is our Blog! Above all join us with your support to save our “Top Gun of the Pacific Fleet”."
Here you go, visit the USS Ranger Foundation Site...Click on Link Below!
The Clatsops....Is This Still Their Land?
"The Clatsops are a band of the Chinooks, occupying the country on the Pacific coast, from the mouth of the Columbia river, about thirty miles south. Their lands are considered very valuable; they include what are called the Clatsop plains. Nearly all their territory is already claimed and occupied by settlers. They number in all eighty, and have ceded their lands to the United States."
"Ceded" their lands, yes, but to Anson Dart on Tansy Point in the 1850's but this treaty to my understanding and some 50 others around these parts, were never ratified and Dart in this letter, the above paragraph is excerpted from, even says they(The Clatsops) are a band of the Chinooks, which would confirm their legitimacy today would it not?
Anybody have any idea as to the current status of the "Clatsop Nation".
Can anybody locally, today, claim descendency to the "Clatsop Nation"?
Anybody know where "Indian Mary" is buried?
Friday, March 07, 2008
LNG: Tom Horning On Geological Problems With LNG Projects
Letter From Daily Astorian March 7, 2008 LTE's:
Geological hazardsProposed liquefied natural gas projects for Bradwood Landing and Skipanon Peninsula both have serious geologic hazards associated with them.
The proposals call for construction of large tanks on the order of 150 feet high in areas that are underlain by as much as 370 feet of weak sediments that have back-filled the Columbia River canyon over the past 18,000 years.
In contrast to strong bedrock in the hills above the valley, these sediments have low seismic velocities that will amplify ground motions from a large earthquake. Experience shows that this will produce ground waves and reinforced harmonic oscillations that match the natural frequency of shaking of large structures, such as LNG storage tanks.
With five to seven minutes of prolonged shaking, tall structures will sway and roll horizontally and vertically with greater and greater amplitude until they are damaged, sometimes to the point of collapse.
I am concerned that the engineering profession has not developed the experience and skills to adequately address these unique hazards.
Frequently, engineers learn from their mistakes, as with the space shuttles and World Trade Center. Their experiences to date have been with short, albeit powerful, jolts of shallow crustal quakes, rather than with long-duration subduction zone events.
I am concerned that the LNG project sites are too dangerous and will be at risk of catastrophic failure and fire should the next subduction zone earthquake strike while they are operating.
A loss of these energy facilities will interrupt the delivery of natural gas into the interstate pipeline system and disrupt supplies throughout the West Coast, causing indirect but significant economic consequences.
It might take more than a year to repair the damaged infrastructure.
Moreover, seismically induced liquefaction of sands in the Columbia River will cause walls of the dredged channel to slump all the way to Portland, bringing river traffic to a halt for many months, further hindering energy delivery.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission should pay close attention to this in their site review.
LNG facilities should be sited away from the public and on firm bedrock.
The finest geotechnical consultants should investigate the sites, and their findings should be critically reviewed by equally qualified specialists who have been hired to represent the public interest.
Permits should be granted only after geologic investigations prove the sites are safe, not before.
Siting the LNG projects has been based on the availability of convenient lands along the river corridor, regardless of geologic hazards.
Public safety should be the primary criterion for choosing LNG sites.
A better site would be on solid basalt bedrock at the now-defunct Trojan power plant site at Rainier, notwithstanding the inconvenience of moving LNG tankers that far up the Columbia.
Decisions to permit dangerous projects should always place community safety above convenience, tax revenues and a few extra jobs.
Thomas S. Horning - Certified engineering geologist - Seaside
Geological hazardsProposed liquefied natural gas projects for Bradwood Landing and Skipanon Peninsula both have serious geologic hazards associated with them.
The proposals call for construction of large tanks on the order of 150 feet high in areas that are underlain by as much as 370 feet of weak sediments that have back-filled the Columbia River canyon over the past 18,000 years.
In contrast to strong bedrock in the hills above the valley, these sediments have low seismic velocities that will amplify ground motions from a large earthquake. Experience shows that this will produce ground waves and reinforced harmonic oscillations that match the natural frequency of shaking of large structures, such as LNG storage tanks.
With five to seven minutes of prolonged shaking, tall structures will sway and roll horizontally and vertically with greater and greater amplitude until they are damaged, sometimes to the point of collapse.
I am concerned that the engineering profession has not developed the experience and skills to adequately address these unique hazards.
Frequently, engineers learn from their mistakes, as with the space shuttles and World Trade Center. Their experiences to date have been with short, albeit powerful, jolts of shallow crustal quakes, rather than with long-duration subduction zone events.
I am concerned that the LNG project sites are too dangerous and will be at risk of catastrophic failure and fire should the next subduction zone earthquake strike while they are operating.
A loss of these energy facilities will interrupt the delivery of natural gas into the interstate pipeline system and disrupt supplies throughout the West Coast, causing indirect but significant economic consequences.
It might take more than a year to repair the damaged infrastructure.
Moreover, seismically induced liquefaction of sands in the Columbia River will cause walls of the dredged channel to slump all the way to Portland, bringing river traffic to a halt for many months, further hindering energy delivery.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission should pay close attention to this in their site review.
LNG facilities should be sited away from the public and on firm bedrock.
The finest geotechnical consultants should investigate the sites, and their findings should be critically reviewed by equally qualified specialists who have been hired to represent the public interest.
Permits should be granted only after geologic investigations prove the sites are safe, not before.
Siting the LNG projects has been based on the availability of convenient lands along the river corridor, regardless of geologic hazards.
Public safety should be the primary criterion for choosing LNG sites.
A better site would be on solid basalt bedrock at the now-defunct Trojan power plant site at Rainier, notwithstanding the inconvenience of moving LNG tankers that far up the Columbia.
Decisions to permit dangerous projects should always place community safety above convenience, tax revenues and a few extra jobs.
Thomas S. Horning - Certified engineering geologist - Seaside
Grass Roots Straw Poll Results
Would You Approve A Financial And Performance Audit By Oregon Secretary Of State's Office On Clatsop County Government/Administration And Port Of Astoria?
Yes: 32 votes - 78%
No: 8 votes - 19%
Undecide: 1 vote - 2%
Could Care Less: o votes - 0%
Yes: 32 votes - 78%
No: 8 votes - 19%
Undecide: 1 vote - 2%
Could Care Less: o votes - 0%
Thursday, March 06, 2008
A Look Back: Wanta Be A Planning Commissioner?
In Clatsop County, it might be who you know, not what talents you have, that gets you selected
By JOE GAMM - The Daily Astorian
Former Warrenton mayor Paul Rodriguez, a veteran of the rough-and-tumble of small-town politics, wanted to get back into public service by joining the Clatsop County Planning Commission.
After he submitted his name, his interview earlier this year made him uncomfortable.
It wasn't having to go up in front of the Board of Commissioners - in public, with everyone watching and listening - because that didn't happen.
It was the circumstances of the "interview" - and what was discussed.
"I was interviewed at my business," said Rodriguez, who owns and operates the Iredale Inn.
"What made me uncomfortable was the commissioner's mind was already made up."He told The Daily Astorian that the Clatsop County Commissioner who visited him commented that the rules should not be adhered to; they were "fuzzy.
"Rodriguez won't say who contacted him at the Iredale Inn, except to say it was a man.
At that time, there were three men on the five-member Board of Commissioners.
Two of them - Jeff Hazen and Sam Patrick - told The Daily Astorian they've never gone alone to interview somebody at their business.
The third man on the board of commissioners at the time was the board's current chairman, Richard Lee.
Rodriguez is too much of a gentleman to confirm the identity of his visitor. But, he said, "I just had this feeling when he left, that I wasn't even going to get to do it, period.
"Lee hasn't been available for comment about that.
Discretion welcomed.
The incident, and subsequent Daily Astorian interviews with other recent applicants for vacant county Planning Commission positions, have focused attention on the process the county uses to fill these important chairs.
However, the former manager of Clatsop and Hood River counties, Jim Azumano, said in home-rule charter counties if the regulations concerning committees aren't tightly written, they are that way on purpose.
This allows commissioners an unusual amount of discretion in choosing members."It remains one of the areas for local government to just appoint people, ad hoc," Azumano said.
The selection process isn't written into the home rule charter. Instead, Clatsop County has policies for appointments and terms for appointments. All state, among other things, that such committee members serve at the pleasure of the Board of Commissioners and should represent all five geographical districts of the county, whenever possible.
New members chosen
Some observers, however, are wondering whether recent appointments pass the "sniff test."Planning commissioners for Clatsop County have over-ruled senior professional staff recommendations twice recently on land-use issues affecting the approval of the proposed NorthernStar Natural Gas Co.'s liquefied natural gas terminal, the biggest project on the community's horizon.
Long-serving public servant Helen Westbrook recalled that she was still a county commissioner when Lee introduced Cary Johnson, an Astoria building contractor and elected director of the Clatsop Soil and Water Conservation District, and made a motion to appoint him to the planning commission.Johnson was appointed that day.
Johnson, in turn, approached newcomers Christine Bridgens, a Warrenton floral designer, and Mike Autio, an Astoria attorney. Bridgens said she'd been interested in land use and property rights. She spoke to Johnson, and he gave her an application.That's three of the members who voted for approval of the Bradwood Landing LNG project.
Twice staff recommended denial of the project. Twice the Planning Commission recommended approval (though with conditions.)
Big projects, small projectsThe Planning Commission in recent weeks has almost made a habit of approving land-use changes, in spite of staff recommendations.
On Sept. 11, when many Americans' minds were on other matters, Lee's own business dealings and county government intersected.
Lee, in addition to being a county commissioner, is one of the largest private landowners in Clatsop County. The ruling that day - overshadowed in the headlines by a completely separate and rather smelly land-use battle in Warrenton - concerned a request for a 35-foot variance to the 60-foot setback requirement from an arterial street for his RV park, southeast of the Miles Crossing-Jeffers Gardens intersection.
The request, from Butch Parker, asked permission for the RVs - placed on land owned by Lee - to be set within 25 feet of the road. County planner Michael Weston recommended denial, saying the applicant is held to the same standard as other businesses. He felt there would be a safety risk to campers associated with the decreased setback.
"The inability to pack in a couple more RVs does not satisfy the criteria or definition of a hardship," said his report.The staff findings noted that Lee owns land that is zoned "exclusive farm use" and is currently developed ... as a golf course.
'The cookies were in'Other unsuccessful applicants to the Clatsop County Planning Commission now have publicly expressed concerns that have been previously only spoken about in hushed tones around the county courthouse for the past few years.
"I think the cookies were in," said George McCartin, of Astoria. He said county commissioners' minds were made up before he applied.McCartin said the county wanted someone with experience. His is considerable: he has served as a planning hearing officer for the federal government.
McCartin said he's been overlooked two times."I think they definitely wanted to pick people who were going to support LNG," he said.
Marc Auerbach, of Birkenfeld, who had served one term on the Planning Commission, was unceremoniously dumped, even though county staff considered him a well-prepared member of the commission. He re-applied for a second term, but was not asked back.
A newcomer, Robert Stang, of Astoria, a strong opponent of LNG, said he thought of himself as well qualified for the Planning Commission. If county commissioners were interested, he said, they would have offered him a position.
David Graves, of Astoria, applied, offering a fresh insight. He said he is retired and new to the area, so he "would have been a complete outsider coming in.
"Interviews in the old daysWhen he was appointed to the commission about 11 years ago, current Planning Commission Chairman Bruce Francis said a panel of commissioners and county employees interviewed about a dozen applicants.
The Warrenton resident said he thought there were a lot more people interested in being on the Commission at that time. "We had an interview process back in those days," he said.
Francis said the senior planner at the time said he made sense. "If you go to too many planners, and make too much sense, you get appointed," he said.
Bill Harris - a Warrenton resident serving his second term on the Planning Commission - said he wasn't interviewed, other than by phone by other planning commissioners. He said he found out about the opening through the newspaper."It's good to have new blood coming in," he said. "But there needs to be some continuity going forward."But he said he was surprised when Auerbach wasn't chosen to remain.
Auerbach attended all the meetings. "He came, he was well prepared, he was very good at seeking out information," Harris said.He is surprised to see how things turn out."When somebody wants to be involved and is cut out, I didn't think that was a very smart move," he said.
By JOE GAMM - The Daily Astorian
Former Warrenton mayor Paul Rodriguez, a veteran of the rough-and-tumble of small-town politics, wanted to get back into public service by joining the Clatsop County Planning Commission.
After he submitted his name, his interview earlier this year made him uncomfortable.
It wasn't having to go up in front of the Board of Commissioners - in public, with everyone watching and listening - because that didn't happen.
It was the circumstances of the "interview" - and what was discussed.
"I was interviewed at my business," said Rodriguez, who owns and operates the Iredale Inn.
"What made me uncomfortable was the commissioner's mind was already made up."He told The Daily Astorian that the Clatsop County Commissioner who visited him commented that the rules should not be adhered to; they were "fuzzy.
"Rodriguez won't say who contacted him at the Iredale Inn, except to say it was a man.
At that time, there were three men on the five-member Board of Commissioners.
Two of them - Jeff Hazen and Sam Patrick - told The Daily Astorian they've never gone alone to interview somebody at their business.
The third man on the board of commissioners at the time was the board's current chairman, Richard Lee.
Rodriguez is too much of a gentleman to confirm the identity of his visitor. But, he said, "I just had this feeling when he left, that I wasn't even going to get to do it, period.
"Lee hasn't been available for comment about that.
Discretion welcomed.
The incident, and subsequent Daily Astorian interviews with other recent applicants for vacant county Planning Commission positions, have focused attention on the process the county uses to fill these important chairs.
However, the former manager of Clatsop and Hood River counties, Jim Azumano, said in home-rule charter counties if the regulations concerning committees aren't tightly written, they are that way on purpose.
This allows commissioners an unusual amount of discretion in choosing members."It remains one of the areas for local government to just appoint people, ad hoc," Azumano said.
The selection process isn't written into the home rule charter. Instead, Clatsop County has policies for appointments and terms for appointments. All state, among other things, that such committee members serve at the pleasure of the Board of Commissioners and should represent all five geographical districts of the county, whenever possible.
New members chosen
Some observers, however, are wondering whether recent appointments pass the "sniff test."Planning commissioners for Clatsop County have over-ruled senior professional staff recommendations twice recently on land-use issues affecting the approval of the proposed NorthernStar Natural Gas Co.'s liquefied natural gas terminal, the biggest project on the community's horizon.
Long-serving public servant Helen Westbrook recalled that she was still a county commissioner when Lee introduced Cary Johnson, an Astoria building contractor and elected director of the Clatsop Soil and Water Conservation District, and made a motion to appoint him to the planning commission.Johnson was appointed that day.
Johnson, in turn, approached newcomers Christine Bridgens, a Warrenton floral designer, and Mike Autio, an Astoria attorney. Bridgens said she'd been interested in land use and property rights. She spoke to Johnson, and he gave her an application.That's three of the members who voted for approval of the Bradwood Landing LNG project.
Twice staff recommended denial of the project. Twice the Planning Commission recommended approval (though with conditions.)
Big projects, small projectsThe Planning Commission in recent weeks has almost made a habit of approving land-use changes, in spite of staff recommendations.
On Sept. 11, when many Americans' minds were on other matters, Lee's own business dealings and county government intersected.
Lee, in addition to being a county commissioner, is one of the largest private landowners in Clatsop County. The ruling that day - overshadowed in the headlines by a completely separate and rather smelly land-use battle in Warrenton - concerned a request for a 35-foot variance to the 60-foot setback requirement from an arterial street for his RV park, southeast of the Miles Crossing-Jeffers Gardens intersection.
The request, from Butch Parker, asked permission for the RVs - placed on land owned by Lee - to be set within 25 feet of the road. County planner Michael Weston recommended denial, saying the applicant is held to the same standard as other businesses. He felt there would be a safety risk to campers associated with the decreased setback.
"The inability to pack in a couple more RVs does not satisfy the criteria or definition of a hardship," said his report.The staff findings noted that Lee owns land that is zoned "exclusive farm use" and is currently developed ... as a golf course.
'The cookies were in'Other unsuccessful applicants to the Clatsop County Planning Commission now have publicly expressed concerns that have been previously only spoken about in hushed tones around the county courthouse for the past few years.
"I think the cookies were in," said George McCartin, of Astoria. He said county commissioners' minds were made up before he applied.McCartin said the county wanted someone with experience. His is considerable: he has served as a planning hearing officer for the federal government.
McCartin said he's been overlooked two times."I think they definitely wanted to pick people who were going to support LNG," he said.
Marc Auerbach, of Birkenfeld, who had served one term on the Planning Commission, was unceremoniously dumped, even though county staff considered him a well-prepared member of the commission. He re-applied for a second term, but was not asked back.
A newcomer, Robert Stang, of Astoria, a strong opponent of LNG, said he thought of himself as well qualified for the Planning Commission. If county commissioners were interested, he said, they would have offered him a position.
David Graves, of Astoria, applied, offering a fresh insight. He said he is retired and new to the area, so he "would have been a complete outsider coming in.
"Interviews in the old daysWhen he was appointed to the commission about 11 years ago, current Planning Commission Chairman Bruce Francis said a panel of commissioners and county employees interviewed about a dozen applicants.
The Warrenton resident said he thought there were a lot more people interested in being on the Commission at that time. "We had an interview process back in those days," he said.
Francis said the senior planner at the time said he made sense. "If you go to too many planners, and make too much sense, you get appointed," he said.
Bill Harris - a Warrenton resident serving his second term on the Planning Commission - said he wasn't interviewed, other than by phone by other planning commissioners. He said he found out about the opening through the newspaper."It's good to have new blood coming in," he said. "But there needs to be some continuity going forward."But he said he was surprised when Auerbach wasn't chosen to remain.
Auerbach attended all the meetings. "He came, he was well prepared, he was very good at seeking out information," Harris said.He is surprised to see how things turn out."When somebody wants to be involved and is cut out, I didn't think that was a very smart move," he said.
From KAST Cost Watch Blog: One OF 7 Planning Commissioners Speaks Out.
This person identifies themself as one of the 7 County Planning Commissioners by the name of "Chris"?
Could that be "Christine Bridgens" somehow related to Bob Bridgens, Lee's right hand back up spokesman/organizer for Lee's "Citizens For Elections Not Recalls" Group.
Is she speaking for The Planning Commision?
The reasons for recall given by the trio on your show Wednesday are nothing more than an attempt to distract voters into focusing on gossip and personal opinions of Mr. Lee.
Each of their accusations falls far short of being accurate.
As one of the 7 planning commissioners, I know for a fact that Commissioner Lee did not "hand pick" planning commissioners, nor does he manipulate decisions made by the PC's or the Board of Commissioners.
Your commissioners are strong, competent representatives for this county, and I know that they can be trusted to think for themselves.
I don't believe that Richard Lee would have known who I was if he had seen me somewhere before I was appointed, and he surely had no idea of my land use opinions.
So much for the ominous "connection" to Mr. Lee.
More disturbing than that was Ms. Westbrook's, Mr. Wirfs' and Mr. Rokka's statement that the recall had virtually nothing to do with LNG.
I have been closely involved in the LNG hearings (and voluminous study) for the past 10 months and this recall is absolutely about LNG, and the recall group would like very much to silence those who disagree with them.
They had some success with this at one of the hearings held at the Libery Theater when they stopped testimony of carpentry students by telling them that they didn't know enough about it to testify.
Shameful! I hope voters will look through the fog to the truth. It is unhealthy for our community to let this narrowly-focused, anti-development, smear & destroy group manipulate its way into power in Clatsop County.
Could that be "Christine Bridgens" somehow related to Bob Bridgens, Lee's right hand back up spokesman/organizer for Lee's "Citizens For Elections Not Recalls" Group.
Is she speaking for The Planning Commision?
The reasons for recall given by the trio on your show Wednesday are nothing more than an attempt to distract voters into focusing on gossip and personal opinions of Mr. Lee.
Each of their accusations falls far short of being accurate.
As one of the 7 planning commissioners, I know for a fact that Commissioner Lee did not "hand pick" planning commissioners, nor does he manipulate decisions made by the PC's or the Board of Commissioners.
Your commissioners are strong, competent representatives for this county, and I know that they can be trusted to think for themselves.
I don't believe that Richard Lee would have known who I was if he had seen me somewhere before I was appointed, and he surely had no idea of my land use opinions.
So much for the ominous "connection" to Mr. Lee.
More disturbing than that was Ms. Westbrook's, Mr. Wirfs' and Mr. Rokka's statement that the recall had virtually nothing to do with LNG.
I have been closely involved in the LNG hearings (and voluminous study) for the past 10 months and this recall is absolutely about LNG, and the recall group would like very much to silence those who disagree with them.
They had some success with this at one of the hearings held at the Libery Theater when they stopped testimony of carpentry students by telling them that they didn't know enough about it to testify.
Shameful! I hope voters will look through the fog to the truth. It is unhealthy for our community to let this narrowly-focused, anti-development, smear & destroy group manipulate its way into power in Clatsop County.
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Betsy Johnson Investigation Brings New Details
Documents Detail State Sen. Johnson's Strong Talk .
"In his memo, Tammen wrote that Johnson said "she would do everything in her power to protect herself (from Williamson's accusations) and that anyone or any organization associated with (Williamson's) effort should be so warned." "
by Brent Walth, The Oregonian
Tuesday March 04, 2008, 9:50 PM
State Sen. Betsy Johnson last fall tried to get the private computer files of a longtime political foe and used a threat to pressure the maritime group he worked for to release them, interviews and newly released documents show.
She didn't succeed, but the incident sheds light on a portion of the investigation the FBI is now conducting into Johnson, D-Scappoose, a powerful member of the Oregon Legislature.
Click Link Below For Full Story
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/03/documents_detail_state_sen_joh.html
"In his memo, Tammen wrote that Johnson said "she would do everything in her power to protect herself (from Williamson's accusations) and that anyone or any organization associated with (Williamson's) effort should be so warned." "
by Brent Walth, The Oregonian
Tuesday March 04, 2008, 9:50 PM
State Sen. Betsy Johnson last fall tried to get the private computer files of a longtime political foe and used a threat to pressure the maritime group he worked for to release them, interviews and newly released documents show.
She didn't succeed, but the incident sheds light on a portion of the investigation the FBI is now conducting into Johnson, D-Scappoose, a powerful member of the Oregon Legislature.
Click Link Below For Full Story
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/03/documents_detail_state_sen_joh.html
The Daily Astorian Says Lee Breaks His Silence With Them!!!
Look for story in today's "Print Edition" and "Online Editions"
Richard Lee Developments: Current Un-Met Conditions From February 8, 2008
This information taken directly from a letter dated February 8, 2008 from Clatsop County regarding current conditions, met and un-met.
This is the current, as of that date, un-met conditions:
R.V. Park:
The conditions of approval from the January 31, 2005 Clatsop County Hearings Officer decision for the Lee RV Park Conditional Use Permit are listed below. The County's determination as to the adherence to each condition follows:
2. Development shall comply with all applicable state, federal and local laws.
Condition not met. See discussion under Condition No. 3 below.
3. Prior to construction, the applicant shall obtain a Clatsop County development permit and a county building permit. The construction of the RV Park, accessory uses to the park and associated commercial uses shall comply with all requirements of the ORegon State Specialty Code and OAR(9)18-650-0000 through (9)18-650-0080 entitled Recreation Parks and Organizational Camps.
Condition not met. The appliocant has not remitted RV Park design and construction plans to the Clatsop County Building Codes Division to satisfy the requirements of OAR(9)18-650-0000 through OAR(9)18-650-0080.
6. Applicant shall detail walkways within the park including access locations to open space (golf course) areas.
Condition not met. See Condition No. 3 above.
11. Two additional fire hydrants shall be provided on site as as required by the State Fire Marshall.
Condition not met. Contact State Fire Marshall ay (503) 325-5515 x-24 for more details.
Golf Course:
The conditions of approval from March 13, 2003 Clatsop County Hearings Officer decision for the Lee Golf Course Conditional Use Permit are listed below. The County's determination as to the applicants adherence to each condition follows:
1. A final design layout showing the golf course with 50-foot riparian setback noted, shall be provided to Community Development prior to development sign-off.
Condition not met. The CUP was approved 3/13/03. The applicant applied for a development permit (#20070797) for the golf course on 11/20/07. For reasons described in momoranda dated, 10/18/07, 10/25/07 and 1219/07, the Planning Department deemed the application incomplete on 11/21/07. The applicant submitted a final design layout plan for the golf course on 01/22/08. Development sign-off for the golf course is pending in the County's review of the final layout plan and documentation by the applicant that all outstanding issues contained in the aforementioned memoranda have been satisfied.
3. Land disturbing activities in conjunction with preparing the site for the golf course shall be conducted in conformance with the standards in, Section S2.500-2.504.
Condition Indeterminable. See discussuin under Condition No. 1. Since development permit for the golf course was not applied for nor issued prior to commencement of construction acitivities for the golf course, it is not known if land disturbing activities were done in accordance with Section S2.500-2.504.
6. Applicant shall comply with any requirements for a fill permit as it may relate to the parking lot and out buildings
Condition Indeterminable. See discussuin under Condition No. 1. Since development permit for the golf course was not applied for nor issued prior to commencement of construction acitivities for the golf course, it is not known if land fill activities occurred and if so, if these activities were done in accordance with applicable development standards.
7. The property owner shall obtain all required development and building permits and approvals prior to construction. A flood hazard permit shall be applied for and approved for the golf course out building.
Condition not met. See discussion under Condition No.1
Several divisions of land involving a portion of the golf course property occured between 1984 and 2001 without benefit of land use approval. Section 2.050(2) of the Clatsop County Land and Water Development and Use Ordinance reads, "The director shall not issue a development permit for the improvement or use of land that has been previously divided or otherwise developed in violation of this ordinance....". The applicant must rectify this situation (through use partitioning, property lines adjustments or other appropriate means) before additional permits may be issued for improvement or use of the golf course property.
To date, the applicant has not applied for a golf course out building. On two seperate occasions, the Community Development Dept. issued development permits(#20070226 and #20070651) for a golf course out building but the applicant voided one and changed the use classification to a residential (RV) storage building on the other.
8. All construction activities shall follow the Erosion Control Measures under Standards Section S4-304. The erosion control plan shall be submitted when applying for a development/building permit
Condition not met. See discussion under Conditions No.'s 1 and 3.
There were 21 items total to address. The preceeding is what is left.
March 3, 2008: Clatsop County Community Development confirms the following information: "Mr. Lee does not have all of the permits required to complete the RV park. The work that he is doing at this point is permitted. We have issued partial site work permits for utilities only for site "B" and utilities and park model set up permits for site "A". Plans for the remainder of the site, the overall site and the required bath houses have not been submitted, approved or permitted."
This is the current, as of that date, un-met conditions:
R.V. Park:
The conditions of approval from the January 31, 2005 Clatsop County Hearings Officer decision for the Lee RV Park Conditional Use Permit are listed below. The County's determination as to the adherence to each condition follows:
2. Development shall comply with all applicable state, federal and local laws.
Condition not met. See discussion under Condition No. 3 below.
3. Prior to construction, the applicant shall obtain a Clatsop County development permit and a county building permit. The construction of the RV Park, accessory uses to the park and associated commercial uses shall comply with all requirements of the ORegon State Specialty Code and OAR(9)18-650-0000 through (9)18-650-0080 entitled Recreation Parks and Organizational Camps.
Condition not met. The appliocant has not remitted RV Park design and construction plans to the Clatsop County Building Codes Division to satisfy the requirements of OAR(9)18-650-0000 through OAR(9)18-650-0080.
6. Applicant shall detail walkways within the park including access locations to open space (golf course) areas.
Condition not met. See Condition No. 3 above.
11. Two additional fire hydrants shall be provided on site as as required by the State Fire Marshall.
Condition not met. Contact State Fire Marshall ay (503) 325-5515 x-24 for more details.
Golf Course:
The conditions of approval from March 13, 2003 Clatsop County Hearings Officer decision for the Lee Golf Course Conditional Use Permit are listed below. The County's determination as to the applicants adherence to each condition follows:
1. A final design layout showing the golf course with 50-foot riparian setback noted, shall be provided to Community Development prior to development sign-off.
Condition not met. The CUP was approved 3/13/03. The applicant applied for a development permit (#20070797) for the golf course on 11/20/07. For reasons described in momoranda dated, 10/18/07, 10/25/07 and 1219/07, the Planning Department deemed the application incomplete on 11/21/07. The applicant submitted a final design layout plan for the golf course on 01/22/08. Development sign-off for the golf course is pending in the County's review of the final layout plan and documentation by the applicant that all outstanding issues contained in the aforementioned memoranda have been satisfied.
3. Land disturbing activities in conjunction with preparing the site for the golf course shall be conducted in conformance with the standards in, Section S2.500-2.504.
Condition Indeterminable. See discussuin under Condition No. 1. Since development permit for the golf course was not applied for nor issued prior to commencement of construction acitivities for the golf course, it is not known if land disturbing activities were done in accordance with Section S2.500-2.504.
6. Applicant shall comply with any requirements for a fill permit as it may relate to the parking lot and out buildings
Condition Indeterminable. See discussuin under Condition No. 1. Since development permit for the golf course was not applied for nor issued prior to commencement of construction acitivities for the golf course, it is not known if land fill activities occurred and if so, if these activities were done in accordance with applicable development standards.
7. The property owner shall obtain all required development and building permits and approvals prior to construction. A flood hazard permit shall be applied for and approved for the golf course out building.
Condition not met. See discussion under Condition No.1
Several divisions of land involving a portion of the golf course property occured between 1984 and 2001 without benefit of land use approval. Section 2.050(2) of the Clatsop County Land and Water Development and Use Ordinance reads, "The director shall not issue a development permit for the improvement or use of land that has been previously divided or otherwise developed in violation of this ordinance....". The applicant must rectify this situation (through use partitioning, property lines adjustments or other appropriate means) before additional permits may be issued for improvement or use of the golf course property.
To date, the applicant has not applied for a golf course out building. On two seperate occasions, the Community Development Dept. issued development permits(#20070226 and #20070651) for a golf course out building but the applicant voided one and changed the use classification to a residential (RV) storage building on the other.
8. All construction activities shall follow the Erosion Control Measures under Standards Section S4-304. The erosion control plan shall be submitted when applying for a development/building permit
Condition not met. See discussion under Conditions No.'s 1 and 3.
There were 21 items total to address. The preceeding is what is left.
March 3, 2008: Clatsop County Community Development confirms the following information: "Mr. Lee does not have all of the permits required to complete the RV park. The work that he is doing at this point is permitted. We have issued partial site work permits for utilities only for site "B" and utilities and park model set up permits for site "A". Plans for the remainder of the site, the overall site and the required bath houses have not been submitted, approved or permitted."
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
2/12/2008 Excerpt From The Daily Astorian
2/12/2008 10:37:00 AM
Criminal investigator probes Lee Attorneys say commissioner’s actions are 'adverse to county’
By JOE GAMM - The Daily Astorian
The Oregon Department of Justice is investigating Commissioner Richard Lee.
Though he would not give any details, Clatsop County Sheriff Tom Bergin confirmed Monday the investigation has been going on for approximately two weeks.
Page McBeth, a criminal investigator in the Criminal Justice Division, is in charge of the investigation.
McBeth has interviewed a number of people inside and outside county government about Lee, Bergin said.
So, if the presumed fabricated article about an Oregon D.O.J. investigation of Richard Lee is indeed true, would that mean Sheriff Tom Bergin and D.O.J. Investigator McBeth would be in collusion with the Daily "A"as well?
Criminal investigator probes Lee Attorneys say commissioner’s actions are 'adverse to county’
By JOE GAMM - The Daily Astorian
The Oregon Department of Justice is investigating Commissioner Richard Lee.
Though he would not give any details, Clatsop County Sheriff Tom Bergin confirmed Monday the investigation has been going on for approximately two weeks.
Page McBeth, a criminal investigator in the Criminal Justice Division, is in charge of the investigation.
McBeth has interviewed a number of people inside and outside county government about Lee, Bergin said.
So, if the presumed fabricated article about an Oregon D.O.J. investigation of Richard Lee is indeed true, would that mean Sheriff Tom Bergin and D.O.J. Investigator McBeth would be in collusion with the Daily "A"as well?
Richard Lee:RV Park/Golf Course Current Permit Status
Tuesday, March 4, 2008 - In response to a question by a KAST-AM listener to Mr. Lee as to whether all his permits were current on his projects to which Lee stated, in essence, to the best of his knowlege they were.
Clatsop County Community Development confirms the following information: "Mr. Lee does not have all of the permits required to complete the RV park. The work that he is doing at this point is permitted. We have issued partial site work permits for utilities only for site "B" and utilities and park model set up permits for site "A". Plans for the remainder of the site, the overall site and the required bath houses have not been submitted, approved or permitted."
Clatsop County Community Development confirms the following information: "Mr. Lee does not have all of the permits required to complete the RV park. The work that he is doing at this point is permitted. We have issued partial site work permits for utilities only for site "B" and utilities and park model set up permits for site "A". Plans for the remainder of the site, the overall site and the required bath houses have not been submitted, approved or permitted."
LNG:Bradwood/Northern Star NG And What Is Their "Commercial Client
From Northern Star Community Liason, Peter Hackett to my query as to exactly what is meant by the term.... "Commercial Client".
Strangely, no mention of the proposed Palomar Pipeline?
(Hackett says...We(You and Me) will have to call Palomar for the status of that project....?)
The pipeline has a tap to the GP mill in Wauna……………and another to all industries at the Port of St Helens as well.
Ethanol and NG fired power plants.
No contracts for sales of gas……………….that happens after permitting……….and contracts for supply.
Pipelines have open capacity……….........Bradwood is a Tolling Facility (This means that companies will sign long-term terminal use agreements that will give LNG sellers access to the US market, and US natural gas buyers access to the global supplies of LNG).…………we provide a service………..storage and regasification of LNG.
Natural Gas leaving Bradwood will go to Kelso and the Williams Pipeline……….NG currently in the WP will be eventually displaced by “price taking” , lower priced LNG that gets regasified at Bradwood.
Residential and Commercial natural gas customers that use Williams will be using NG from Bradwood, as contracts are negotiated for supply.
Natural Gas Utilities in the NW would be commercial clients…………………..GP could buy gas directly………….as well as the industries at the Port of SH
Strangely, no mention of the proposed Palomar Pipeline?
(Hackett says...We(You and Me) will have to call Palomar for the status of that project....?)
The pipeline has a tap to the GP mill in Wauna……………and another to all industries at the Port of St Helens as well.
Ethanol and NG fired power plants.
No contracts for sales of gas……………….that happens after permitting……….and contracts for supply.
Pipelines have open capacity……….........Bradwood is a Tolling Facility (This means that companies will sign long-term terminal use agreements that will give LNG sellers access to the US market, and US natural gas buyers access to the global supplies of LNG).…………we provide a service………..storage and regasification of LNG.
Natural Gas leaving Bradwood will go to Kelso and the Williams Pipeline……….NG currently in the WP will be eventually displaced by “price taking” , lower priced LNG that gets regasified at Bradwood.
Residential and Commercial natural gas customers that use Williams will be using NG from Bradwood, as contracts are negotiated for supply.
Natural Gas Utilities in the NW would be commercial clients…………………..GP could buy gas directly………….as well as the industries at the Port of SH
And These People Are Extreme Activists?
The following people have graciously agreed to publicly endorse CCFOG's Recall effort.
"Extreme Activists"?....So says Richard Lee's Website Of Lee Facts!
Roger Rocka
Jan Mitchell
Carol Ray
Charlie Ray
Shel Cantor
Marc Auerbach
Mark Stefanelli
Troy Horton
McLaren Innes
Erin Moore
Peter Huhtala
Burr Allegaert
Lawrence Taylor
Scott Reuter
Helen Westbrook
Jan Coughlin
Nancy Holmes
Lynnette S. Hubert
Gail Galen
Jim Scheller
Josie Peper
Mary Ann Brandon
Leon Jackson
Mary Jackson
Dan Crockett
Jo Pomeroy-Crocket
tRalph M. Wirfs
Jim Coughlin
RD Smith
Carolyn Eady
Deborah McEuen
Karen Kenyon
Joal Morris
Stan Guenther
Joyce Jones-Guenther
Teresa Epstein
Anne S. Phillips
Tina Bigelow
Carol Newman
Pam Birmingham
Jeffrey Birmingham
John Benson
Diana Schafer
Ann Goldeen
Lori Durheim
Margot Visher
Ian Boggs
Nelson Yaple
Lynne Cavin
Jim Brien
Deborah Jaques
Don West
Lon C. Mathis
"Extreme Activists"?....So says Richard Lee's Website Of Lee Facts!
Roger Rocka
Jan Mitchell
Carol Ray
Charlie Ray
Shel Cantor
Marc Auerbach
Mark Stefanelli
Troy Horton
McLaren Innes
Erin Moore
Peter Huhtala
Burr Allegaert
Lawrence Taylor
Scott Reuter
Helen Westbrook
Jan Coughlin
Nancy Holmes
Lynnette S. Hubert
Gail Galen
Jim Scheller
Josie Peper
Mary Ann Brandon
Leon Jackson
Mary Jackson
Dan Crockett
Jo Pomeroy-Crocket
tRalph M. Wirfs
Jim Coughlin
RD Smith
Carolyn Eady
Deborah McEuen
Karen Kenyon
Joal Morris
Stan Guenther
Joyce Jones-Guenther
Teresa Epstein
Anne S. Phillips
Tina Bigelow
Carol Newman
Pam Birmingham
Jeffrey Birmingham
John Benson
Diana Schafer
Ann Goldeen
Lori Durheim
Margot Visher
Ian Boggs
Nelson Yaple
Lynne Cavin
Jim Brien
Deborah Jaques
Don West
Lon C. Mathis
Monday, March 03, 2008
Lee Dubunks Accusations - Lee's Debunkment Debuncked
Anonymous said...
Richard Lee's well-financed political machine, complete with push polls is claiming that the accusations against him are not true. The following is taken exactly from his website; http://www.richardleefacts.com/
Richard Lee's well-financed political machine, complete with push polls is claiming that the accusations against him are not true. The following is taken exactly from his website; http://www.richardleefacts.com/
Accusation: Richard Lee has harmed the future of Clatsop County and its residents through the following actions:Accusation #1: Squandering public funds by choosing to hire planning and management consultants and expensive attorneys but disregarding their professional advice and findings.
LEE: The County Commissioner's hired manager is responsible for these decisions, not the County Commission. The legal and consultant conclusions are balanced against other facts and information presented to the commissioners.
FACT: Lee has been the Chair of the Commission and the chief boss of the County Manager from 2005-2007.The county has paid for studies of the Health Department which were ignored, workload studies of the DAs office which were ignored, and most recently disregarded the professional opinion of both the county planners and the specially hired consultants concerning zoning for an LNG terminal. There have rarely been actual discussions at Board meetings chaired by Lee. It's all decided in advance by avoiding public meetings law by meeting privately with the county manager and one other commissioner at a time._____________________
Accusation #2: Undermining common values, adopted plans, established policies, and regulations of the County.
LEE: These are tied to the responsibilities of the County Manager not an individual county commissioner. There is no substance here and there are no specifics.
FACT: The report issued by all four regular county lawyers and another lawyer hired just to deal with all the legal problems Lee has created say that "Commissioner Richard Lee is a land developer who has not complied with conditional use permits and letters from the Planning Department staff requesting compliance, and who has issues of non-compliance with the Building Codes Department. He is a resistant and non-compliant Planning Department customer. Commissioner Lee and his wife have been confrontational in private dealings with Planning Staff and Building Code Officials"_____________________
Accusation #3: Failing to be open and transparent in decision-making and development of policy, violating the spirit of the public meetings law.
LEE: An outright lie. These accusations are rooted in past political wars with the DA and environmental extremist who seem to be working in collusion to oust Lee.
FACT: Lee handpicked members of both the budget and planning committee to carry out personal and business agendas. He has hated the DA since he was prosecuted for game violations in the early 90's and later for running an unlicensed puppy mill and was prosecuted for refusing to pay the county dog license fees. Lee rarely says anything in Commission meetings, instead meeting with certain other commissioners in bars and behind closed doors with the county manager._____________________
Accusation #4: Ignoring and failing to respond to the advice and concerns of paid staff, volunteer committees, and the public.
LEE: The accusers are not willing to be specific and are using these kind of issues to paint a picture that is not true. Of course, Richard Lee isn't in agreement with everyone he comes into contact with, but he has always been honest and forthright.
FACT: Lee was barely re-elected, winning by only 37 votes. He makes it clear the other half of the voters don't count. His district voted FOR Measure 4-123 yet Lee has led the attack on the DA. The County Counsel's report also says:"In spite of Richard Lee's leadership role in County Government and in the community, rather than act in a matter which is above reproach and which reflects a higher standard, Richard and Lynda Lee by their words and conduct appear to seek special treatment and favors to which others would not be entitled. Richard Lee's history of dealings with the County and Lynda Lee's recent behavior has escalated the situation. Richard Lee has hired counsel to represent him on issues arising from any "hostile workplace" allegations. The Lee development remains out of compliance with the law, and at this time they have not indicated any willingness to correct the past areas of neglect or non-compliance. Several potential legal issues related to potential litigation involving the County are raised by the circumstances, including: Wrongful Discharge under Common Law. "____________________
Accusation #5: Manipulating the membership of the Planning Commission in order to control the Planning Commission's decisions and actions.
LEE: Making leadership decisions about Planning Committee members goes with the turf. There is no truth that any decisions related to replacing any Planning Commission member was done for any other reason than for the good of the County.
FACT: Lee went out of his way to remove two planning commissioners who were not in line with his plans for development. Lee frequently attends Planning Commission meetings even though the County Manager discourages County Commissioners from attending for risk of prejudicing the Planning Commission proceedings.__________________________
Accusation #6: Endangering the public and disregarding public safety by failing to require funding guarantees for emergency services and personnel from major industrial proposals.
LEE: An outrageous claim that is simply a lie. First of all, no single County Commissioner could ever be personally responsible for such actions since it takes a majority of the commission to ratify any policy. In addition, the management of county policies and administrative duties is the responsibility of the County Manager. Perioid.(sic)
FACT: Lee has made it clear he's out to "get" the DA who has been elected county-wide 4 times. He has not supported public safety issues and has attacked the Sheriff and the DA repeatedly. As Chair of the Commission he made sure that the first cuts in the county budget would come out of the DA's office. Lee campaigned for two other commissioners who regularly vote with him on virtually every issue.He voted to make the Clatsop DA the lowest paid DA in Oregon and personally bought thousands of dollars of advertising falsely claiming that Measure 4-123 (which passed in his district) would make the Clatsop DA the highest paid in the state. The truth was if 4-123 had passed the Clatsop DA would have been anywhere between the 10th and 17th highest paid DA out of 36.__________________________
Accusation #7: Creating a divisive environment that is acrimonious and counter-productive in doing the publics business.
LEE: These are a small group of extremist views. What is more divisive and harmful to community good will than a re-call petition which is put forward maliciously and without merit for political gain. The accusers have no facts or substantiation or fact to back their claim.
FACT: Extremist views? Anyone who doesn't go along with Lee's program is apparently an extremist. Under Lee so-called "leadership" the Clatsop County Commission has been called a joke by journalists and others outside of Clatsop County. The very fact that so many voters feel he's doing such a terrible job is evidence of how divisive Lee is. Lee has hired a lawyer to SUE the county he claims to serve.
Know What This Is?
The inside of just one of 5 tanks on an LNG tanker to be filled to the top with Liquefied Natural Gas artificially kept super refrigerated to -260 degrees F.
Have you read much about "Open Ocean Piracy" these days?
You should.
Google it up.
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Now's The Time To Test The "Secret By-Pass"
We hear that some serious street work is going to be done downtown at 14th street and will involve disruption for a eek or so.
Now's the time to test Marine Drive from 8th to 16th as a two way street to see how conveniently it could circuit traffic anf trucks through the downtown core which seems to be our major bone of contention by our local truckers.
Give it a try, see how it works. Maybe it will show we don't need a By-Pass after all.
Of course that may put a kink in, prophesied, Wal-Mart's plans out in Miles Crossing and Warrenton Parkway wouldn't it?
Never mind.
Now's the time to test Marine Drive from 8th to 16th as a two way street to see how conveniently it could circuit traffic anf trucks through the downtown core which seems to be our major bone of contention by our local truckers.
Give it a try, see how it works. Maybe it will show we don't need a By-Pass after all.
Of course that may put a kink in, prophesied, Wal-Mart's plans out in Miles Crossing and Warrenton Parkway wouldn't it?
Never mind.
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