Southern Oregon residents will soon get the chance to speak out on federal regulators' preliminary decision that a natural gas pipeline and export facility in their part of the state will cause minimal environmental damage.
The first in a weeklong series of public meetings is set for Monday in Coos Bay.
Jordan Cove spokesman Michael Hinrichs said company officials are looking forward to hearing from the community.
But Jody McCaffree with North Bend-based Citizens Against LNG disagrees.
“They have some stuff that’s completely missing, maybe conveniently for Jordan Cove, but it’s not in here,” she said.
McCaffree said the environmental impact statement failed to analyze the current state of the surrounding estuary. Neither does it address the potential impacts of LNG-laden tanker traffic in Coos Bay – something she says was included in the EIS when Jordan Cove was previously proposed as an import terminal.
Citizens Against LNG is mobilizing members to attend the meetings and submit comments. The group is also coaching the broader community to ensure that comments directly address the environmental impact statement.
Hinrichs says company representatives will be attending the meetings to begin the process of formulating responses to “any valid arguments against the draft EIS.”
The public meetings begin Monday evening in Coos Bay. FERC will also hold meetings in Roseburg, Canyonville, Medford, Klamath Falls and Malin.
Jordan Cove in Coos Bay is one of 2 LNG export terminals currently proposed in Oregon and one of 15 in the United States. Most are located on the Gulf of Mexico.
Copyright 2020 EarthFix. To see more, visit .
