There is no indication on the BS Oregon website but all those signs and t-shirts and the advertizing you see and hear supporting the Jordan Cove project thinly disguised as a local grassroots effort called BS Oregon has been formed with the assistance of Lindsay Hart, lobbyists with offices in Portland and paid by Jordan Cove Energy Partners. Ray Bucheger, the DC based lobbyist has guided the organization in its efforts to sell the public on a $500 billion tax giveaway to the Canadian shareholders of Veresen, Inc by labeling a fifteen year property tax abatement a community enhancement plan.

Example of gas flares at Jordan Cove terminal

Example of gas flares at Jordan Cove terminal

BS Oregon’s steering commitee have bought into a plan to place huge amounts of public funds into private control even before the draft EIS (environmental impact statement) has been published. The plan conceived without any public input at all is sending out propaganda touting the enhancement plan begins with a lie. “Our community” begins the pitch, “has submitted a proposal to Veresen…” Many of you may recall that a member of our community was ejected from a planning meeting with Bucheger last year.

Originally the plan as conceived by former Port of Coos Bay CEO, Jeff Bishop only entailed setting aside money for education during the typical five year enterprise zone abatement period. Commissioner John Sweet indicated to me last week that he had a hand in expanding the plan to its new fifteen year time period and adding the waterfront revitalization component or Bayshore Investment Group. Bayshore will effectively gamble with public money without any public oversight and Sweet is currently planned to be on its board of directors. According to Sweet, involving the public will somehow reduce competitiveness with communities across the country. (Sweet might consider applying for the permanent director job offered by SCDC since development, not public service, seems to be where his heart lies.)

So eager to get control of millions of public dollars the BS steering committee and our local leaders appear to have ignored the long term consequences of a protracted tax giveaway. As an example

“…The state of Massachusetts and the cities of Boston and Chelsea estimated they spent a combined $37,500 to safeguard the first LNG shipment to Everett after September 11, 2001. Based on these figures, the public cost of security for an LNG tanker shipment to Everett is on the order of $80,000, excluding costs incurred by the terminal owner.”

Based upon the size and frequency of ship calls estimated by the applicant, the taxpayer will foot a bill of approximately $12 million annually or more than $200 million over the life of this enhancement plan. There are more public costs associated with servicing a project like this and while Jordan Cove will probably never be built this event has clearly demonstrated how irresponsible some of our civic leaders are when dealing with public money. As time allows I will provide more detailed information about the public costs associated with a project like Jordan Cove.