Federal Fish Biologists Question Bradwood Landing LNG On Columbia River

Federal fish biologists question Columbia River LNG project

By Scott Learn - The Oregonian
November 21, 2009, 7:00AM

The National Marine Fisheries Service submitted a lengthy list of questions and concerns about the proposed Bradwood Landingliquefied natural gas terminal this week, posing additional hurdles for the Columbia River project.

Full Details

527 Groups?

Committee for County Prosperity ID: 13954( Nature of Committee:
support good works of commissioners asking community to retain) Orestar Transactions show at least $6,000 in cash contrbutions from Bradwood Landing LLC funneled through this organization and intended for Samuelson, Hazen and Roberts
Oregonians to Maintain Community Standards ID: 1579 Lists Samuelson and Hazen on their roster of support

A 527 organization or 527 group is a type of American tax-exempt organization named after a section of the United States tax code, 26 U.S.C. § 527. A 527 group is created primarily to influence the nomination, election, appointment or defeat of candidates for public office. Although candidate committees and political action committees are also created under Section 527, the term is generally used to refer to political organizations that are not regulated by the Federal Election Commission or by a state elections commission, and are not subject to the same contribution limits as PACs. However, On September 18, 2009 the Washington D.C Federal Appeals Court ruled that these groups have a First Amendment right to raise and spend freely to influence elections so long as they do not coordinate their activities with a candidate or a party.

Oregon LNG Clears Two Hurdles Over Port of Astoria Lease

Oregon LNG wins two battles over Port of Astoria lease

By Scott Learn - The Oregonian
November 18, 2009, 5:45PM

The liquefied natural gas company Oregon LNG has gotten two important thumbs up on its controversial lease with the Port of Astoria, boosting prospects for its plans to build a terminal on 92 acres near Youngs Bay.

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City Of Astoria Planning Commission To Hold Public Hearing To Amend Astor-East Urban Renewal Plan November 24, 2009

The City of Astoria Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, November 24, 2009 at 7:00 p.m., in the City Council Chambers, 1095 Duane Street, Astoria. The purpose of the hearing is to consider the following requests:

2. Astoria Astor-East Urban Renewal Plan Amendment - The Astoria Planning Commission will discuss the draft Astor-East Urban Renewal Plan Amendment and make a recommendation to the City Council regarding the proposed amendment. The amendment would allow for an increase in the maximum indebtedness (the financial limit of the Plan), and will end the additional urban renewal tax (special levy) within the City for the Astor-East Urban Renewal District. The Planning Commission will make a recommendation to the City Council conerning possible adoption of the Plan Amendment at a City Council meeting tenatively scheduled for December 7, 2009.

Public Transit Safety Tip

The Proper Way To Hold Onto A Safety Rail While In Transit
(That would be the gentleman standing at the door is the example you want to follow)

Oregon DSL: Revision To Rules Authorizing Structures On And Uses Of State-Owned Submerged/Submersible Lands

GRP Note:The public comment period for these draft rules has been extended. The new deadline is 5 PM, Thursday, December 24, 2009. We hope to take these rules to the Land Board for its consideration at the Board’s February 2010 meeting.


What is This Notice About?
The Department of State Lands (DSL) has for some time had rules governing the management of, and issuing of authorizations to place structures on, and to use state-owned submerged and submersible land. These rules (OAR 141-082-0000 through 141-082-0210) were last amended in 2002. Since then, these rules have served DSL well. However, a number of changes, most of which are relatively minor, needed to be made to them to clarify various provisions; streamline some of the processes used; and to ensure that the definitions of terms used in the rules are the same as those recently used in other rules. These rules also needed to be reorganized to reflect the format now used when creating new rules or amending previously adopted rules. Consequently, DSL has revised these rules accordingly. In amending these rules, DSL has also increased the application fee for a public facility license and the fees to register structures on state-owned submerged and submersible land in order to enable the agency to recover more of the costs it incurs to administer its registration program.

Go To Oregon DSL Site For Details

The Truth About Tough-On-Crime Josh Marquis

The truth About Tough-On-Crime Josh Marquis

By Doug Bates, The Oregonian

November 14, 2009, 10:37AM

All three finalists for Oregon's U.S. attorney have impressive resumés, and I'm sure that whoever among them is appointed by President Barack Obama will do an excellent job.

Personally, however, I'm pulling for Josh Marquis, the outspoken and sometimes controversial Clatsop County district attorney. .............

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Clatsop County Commissioner Jeff Hazen Comments On Recent And Upcoming Recall Elections

From Jeff Hazen's Blog
These Three Things

First of all, I would like to thank all of those that voted to keep me in office during the recent recall attempt. I will forever be grateful to those that supported me through this time. I am proud to serve District 1 and the entire county and will continue to work hard for everyone.

Secondly, it saddens me that Ann was recalled by just 4 votes. Many people just don't know how hard she worked for Clatsop County. I have never seen a county commissioner work harder than her. She worked tirelessly to make sure that those that needed help the most were taken care of. She fought a hard battle to keep her seat and the margin of loss goes to show that there was not an overwhelming majority unhappy with the job she was doing. It has been an honor for me to serve with Ann and I applaud her job that she did as a commissioner.

Third, the recall effort against Patricia is moving forward. Make no mistake about it, this is a continuation of the effort to overthrow your county government. Patricia also works tirelessly for the county. She studies the issues very closely and can be relied on for very thoughtful consideration no matter what comes before the commission. It would be a travesty for her to lose her seat on the commission. We need hard working people like Patricia on our commission.

I can't help but ponder that there are those behind the recall efforts that don't like the idea of strong-willed women in leadership in the county. Sad, truly sad.
posted by Jeff at 10:04 AM on Nov 11, 2009

Oregon LNG/Calpine: A Look Back. How Easily We Forget

Remember November, 2004, The big announcement that Calpine Energy Group had signed, what many thought was a ridiculous piece of paper calle d a potential 65 year irrevokeable lease with The Port of Astoria?

Shortly after, Martin Nygaard announced his own possible deal for an LNG Facility on historic Tansey Point he is somehow, still, leasing from The City of Warrenton, a piece of land bequethed to the citizens of Warrenton by The Carruthers Familty for the benefit and pleasure of those citizens. Tansey Point is the site of The Anson Dart Treaties signing where something like 52 treaties between Dart, representing the U.S., and the area Native American Tribes and clans, gave over their lands with the treaties never ratified.

It is now a Timber Storage/Shipping Yard for Warrenton Fiber.

The photo above reflects to a reasonable scale what that prospect with those tanks would look like. The LNG Tanker sitting at dock, 2.4, statistical minimum, times a week, not shown, would be twice the length of two tanks combined

The other photo is of the Skipanon Peninsula site with distances to habitated areas in proximity to the Skipanon, OLNG/Calpine site.

Samuelson Recall Confirmed - Recount Holds

Read The Details

Columbia River Business Alliance Asks Governor To Investigate Port Lands Deal With Oregon LNG

Lease deal for proposed LNG terminal site in Astoria draws fire

By Scott Learn, The Oregonian - Oregonlive.com

November 07, 2009, 10:02PM

Opponents of a proposed liquid natural gas terminal near Astoria are asking Gov. Ted Kulongoski for an investigation into a lease of public land to Oregon LNG to build the plant. They question the lease deal, negotiated in 2004 by the Port of Astoria's since-fired director, the Oregon Department of State Lands and Calpine, the predecessor to Oregon LNG.

Read Full Article
OLNG's Hansen Pitches His Side Of The Story
The Hansen And Gearin Audio Interviews With Oregon DOJ

KGW News:Astoria Red Lion Deck Collapses Dumping Five!

Read Details and View Video

Susan Trabucco's OP/ED On The Oregon DOJ's Port Of Astoria Investigation

Volume 4: Issue 11 - 11/01/2009
By Susan Trabucco - Coast River Business Journal

Attorney General John Kroger must be older than he looks. Or maybe, under the tutelage of Clatsop County District Attorney Josh Marquis, he’s just a student of early 1970’s political history. Because the recent media assault on former Port of Astoria executive director Peter Gearin and me looks like something straight out of the dirty tricks playbook of old Tricky Dick himself:

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Listen To The Peter Hansen DOJ Interview and Read The, updating, Peter Gearin DOJ Interview Transcript

GRP Straw Poll Results On Recall Election Replacement Process

Asked the question: Should The Clatsop County Recall Elections Be Successful, Which Would You Prefer As The Process For Replacing "The Recalled"?

Total Participants: 60

A District Vote By Ballot In A Special Election
43 (71%)
Replacement By Selection Of A Quorum Of County Commissioners
17 (28%)

Coos Bay, Oregon: Jordan Cove Developers Push LNG Project Back To 2011

From Oregonlive.com
Breaking News, Business, Environment, Oregon Coast
LNG developers push back plans to 2011 for North Spit of Coos Bay
By The Associated Press - Oregonlive.com

October 31, 2009, 8:37PM COOS BAY -- Developers hoping to build a liquefied natural gas terminal on the North Spit of Coos Bay have pushed back plans to start construction until spring 2011.

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And Here? Broadwater LNG, Another Sure Deal Dies On The Vine In April Of 2009 And Look Who Stopped it. Wasn't FERC, It Was The State Of New York

Eastern Oregon Wind Energy Success Puts Pressure On Power Grid

Wind energy's success creates a power grid challenge

By Matthew Preusch, The Oregonian

October 29, 2009, 8:40PM

The rows of white turbines spinning over wheat fields and ridgelines in eastern Oregon are ample evidence that renewable energy from wind is real and growing. So much so that the aging network of transmission lines and power stations that carries energy around the region is loaded to its limits.

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Clatsop County: Who's At Top?

Not The District Attorney!

Not The Sheriff!

Not The Board Of Commissioners!

Why, It's Us Isn't It?

So now, here we are faced with choosing the possible replacement for one of two of those County Commssioners that just faced a "Recall Election" and a third Commissioner facing, yet, another "Recall Election" sometime in early December and we, the one's these five serve, are going to be witness to these five Commisseioners, again, choosing and replacing themselves with their own choice without our direct involvement and approval other than some cursory verbal input that, recently, has not been heeded in any way whatsoever by most of these same officials?

I've got a poll over on the left here and I swear I have not tampered with it, says overwhelmingly, by those that voted, that those replacements should be chosen by a vote of the particular district constituents so, why is this not happening?

This may not be the process of our own County Charter but, isn't this the process for recall elections generally, throughout the state?

Regardless, this is one we all need to show up for to make sure the replacements are interested for certain to serve the interests of "Us", "The People" instead of particular agenda......really!!

Recall-October 27, 2009: And The Winner Is?

Apathy Maybe?

PRECINCTS COUNTED (OF 13) . . . . . 13 100.00%
REGISTERED VOTERS - TOTAL . . . . . 8,396
BALLOTS COUNTED - TOTAL. . . . . . . 4,254
VOTER TURNOUT - TOTAL . . . . . . 50.67

Recall of Jeff Hazen,
COMMISSIONER, DISTRICT 1
Yes . . . . . . . . . . . . 978 43.90
No. . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,250 56.10
Total . . . . . . . . . 2,228

Recall of Ann Samuelson,
COMMISSIONER, DISTRICT 5
Yes . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,013 50.10
No. . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,009 49.90

Clatsop County District Attorney Josh Marquis Selected A Finalist For U.S. Attorney

News Release. . .
U.S. Senator Ron Wyden
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 27, 2009
CONTACT: Tom Towslee, 503-326-7525
Wyden Forwards U.S. Attorney, U.S. Marshal Finalists to President Obama

Portland, OR – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden forwarded to President Obama today the names of the finalists chosen by a selection committee for U.S. Attorney and U.S. Marshal for the State of Oregon.

The 13-member selection committee appointed by Wyden and U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley made their recommendations to Wyden after interviewing candidates and deliberating over last weekend.

The committee chaired by Deschutes County District Attorney Mike Dugan was comprised of a diverse group of police, sheriff, district attorney, defense attorney, victim’s rights, and judicial representatives from each region of the state.

The committee was charged with recommending three individuals for each position. There was a tie for third in the voting for U.S. Marshal. As a result, Wyden is forwarding all four names to the White House for that position.

The finalists recommended for the position of U.S. Attorney by the selection committee:
Clatsop County District Attorney Josh Marquis
Oregon Department of Justice Attorney Amanda Marshall
Acting U.S. Attorney Kent Robinson

The finalists recommended for the position of U.S. Marshal by the selection committee:
Lane County Sheriff Russell Burger
Portland Police Bureau Commander James Ferraris
Former Oregon State Police Captain Gerald Gregg
Former Gresham Police Chief Carla Piluso

The White House and Justice Department will now review the recommendations, and after further consultation with Sen. Wyden, President Obama will make a selection for each position. The nominees must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate once the President makes his nominations for each position.

Tom Towslee
State Communications Director
Office of Senator Ron Wyden
503.326.7525
503.477.0307 (cell)
tom_towslee@wyden.senate.gov

The President Of Europe? Yes Indeedy!!!

Daily chart

Europe's first president and who's in the running
Oct 26th 2009

From - Economist.com

Who is tipped to become the first president of Europe?

THE Czech Republic is the only nation left of the 27 member states of the EU yet to ratify the Lisbon treaty but it may do so this week. The treaty creates a new permanent president.

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