WASHINGTON, D.C. – A controversial natural gas pipeline project in southwest Oregon was dealt yet another blow.
The Jordan Cove Project has been in the works for well over a decade. The proposed pipeline would span 229 miles through Oregon, with a liquefied natural gas terminal in Coos Bay.
Early last year, Pembina—the Canadian company overseeing the project—was granted federal approval to move forward with the Jordan Cove Project. However, that didn’t exactly give Jordan Cove a green light. Pembina’s plans still had to be approved at the local level with state permitting and more land acquisitions before construction could begin.
After the decision, Jordan Cove was further hampered by the state via the Clean Water Act.
On Tuesday, May 4, 2021, the project hit yet another roadblock. This time, the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals reversed two permits that would have allowed Pembina Pipeline to dredge protected areas in the Coos Bay estuary.
“These land use reversals are further major barriers to Jordan Cove LNG. They show that yet again Pembina has failed to demonstrate the value of this project outweighs its impacts,” said Phillip Johnson of Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition, one of the lead organizations on the LUBA appeals to protect the Coos Bay Estuary. “LUBA has upheld the regulations that protect estuaries in Oregon, and we don’t think the Jordan Cove scheme can get around them. We hope that Pembina will accept the reality that Jordan Cove should never be built.”
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