Senator Arnie Roblan and Representative Caddy McKeown have taken credit for a guest viewpoint published in The Oregonian that could just as easily have come from the BS Oregon website or serve as a page in Jordan Cove’s company prospectus.
Jordan Cove and the associated pipeline will take four years to build and employ 3,500 workers at the peak of construction. The facility will directly employ 150 people at wages three times the average wage in Coos County, and will directly fund an additional 50 high-paying positions…
…Jordan Cove’s operations will also require new suppliers that currently don’t exist in Coos County. In total, this project will create in excess of 750 direct, indirect and induced permanent jobs and will increase Coos County’s gross domestic product by $1.36 billion – or 78 percent. This economic boost will provide the resources needed to fund law enforcement, enrich educational opportunities for our children and augment other services that have been hard-hit by the contraction of the wood products industry.
Implying that outside environmental groups are to blame for Coos County’s economic downfall the pair claim to want to “balance thoughtful development and economic growth with careful management and conservation of our natural world.” They then go on to praise the highly controversial process of hydraulic fracturing. “The simple truth is that hydraulic fracturing is helping move the United States toward achieving energy independence.” Unfortunately it is not that simple.
Roblan has championed preemptive legislation meant to restrict the rights of communities to local self-governance such as the Monsanto Protection Act and McKeown has supported these efforts. Still, more and more communities are banning fracking and two courts have upheld their right to do so.
“The people of Dryden stood up to defend their way of life against the oil and gas industry. And, against stiff odds, they won,” said Deborah Goldberg, managing attorney of Earthjustice’s Northeast regional office and an expert on the environmental impacts of industrial gas development.
“The [lower court] ruling makes clear that local officials have the right to decide what industrial activities are appropriate within their communities.”
“The Town of Dryden has a very strong case,” said Deborah. “Two courts have ruled that localities retain their longstanding power to regulate land use, including by prohibiting industrial activities such as gas development in their communities. We’ll do everything we can to ensure this victory stands.”
Without even mentioning legislation enacted in Salem that has crippled local budgets while coddling timber and other industry, I can see why Roblan and McKeown would want to believe Jordan Cove will be an economic savior. Both have been behind or in support of some of the greatest boondoggles to hit the South Coast that in addition to being expensive block the region from developing a genuinely sustainable economy. Yet here they are, once again, pitching an industry facing mounting opposition across the country rather then doing something useful like reinstating the timber severance tax.
These two are getting clobbered in The Oregonian, and it’s a joy to behold ! Finally, those that brung us to this point are being exposed , and it couldn’t make me any happier. Pointing fingers at out of staters and enviros and obstructionists, my old arse. You people have guided this ship called Coos County for generations, and it’s high-time you were exposed for the ‘work’ you’ve all done. Shame on you two, pointing fingers at anybody. Jody didn’t make policy, you did. Sierra Club didn’t cut ribbons to the Rusted Railroad To Nowhere, the Rusting into the sands worthless second airline terminal, the 12 inch pipeline which brought us 1,900 jobs sayeth another Whitty, you did, and had your photos taken in The World, you were so proud of yourselves. Every one of these projects has been a boon-doggle of major proportions, and on and on and on it goes. Well, finally we see who is behind the curtain, and it ain’t purdy. And THEY don’t like it, you will notice, taking their toys and pouting all the way home. And now? Miz Cribbins says she will no longer answer your questions, but Sweet already told your sorry arses that, remember?
What a bunch of crap! The numbers grow every time that Jody McCaffree represents a threat. There will never be 3500 concurrently. Veresen has promised nothing in writing. In all likelihood Veresen will sell out with the new owner under no obligation to do anything. Veresen believes that we are a bunch of rubes and McKeown and Roblan just proved them right again. If Veresen intends to hire lots of locals, why are we building housing for 2000 in a labor camp below a bridge? The contractor, and that’s not Veresen, will hire their own experienced people. 3500, 150, 50 all getting rich; don’t believe it for a moment. Locals will be hired as security guards, cafeteria cooks, maintenance, second and third tier short term subcontractors. And let’s start the party by day and night matching pile drivers; there will be 2,000 pieces of steel to be set. And when we are all done, lets put a generation of children at Sunset and Madison schools at risk 6/10 mile from the possible LNG vessel catastrophic event. And how will Veresen work a miracle persuading suppliers to form businesses here to support the LNG factory? I can move; can you?
Just heard that West Coast Contractors which was doing some work for Jordan Cove just laid off those workers because Kiewit, JC’s prime contractor, has taken over.