NW Natural ratepayers opposing NW Natural’s plans for Mt. Hood National Forest will confront the gas utility at their headquarters (220 2nd Ave) on Tuesday, December 8th at noon in a press conference highlighting the impacts of NW Natural’s proposed LNG Palomar Pipeline to public lands. The pipeline threatens public lands – public lands owned by us.

This action follows a recent victory for Columbia Riverkeeper and landowners along the Palomar Pipeline route. Against NW Natural’s wishes, and ordered by federal court, a list of over 1500 impacted landowners threatened by the development of the Palomar Pipeline has now become public.

The Hey NW Natural campaign contends that everyone who enjoys the clean drinking water and clean air we rely on from Mt. Hood National Forest should be on the list of impacted landowners. – Over 400 people have added their names to the list of those impacted and oppose the pipeline.

“Oregonians who rely on the Mt. Hood watershed for drinking water and recreational users of our National and state forests are impacted by the Palomar pipeline,” says Monica Vaughan. “Worse yet, because LNG would increase Oregon’s greenhouse gas emissions, all of Oregon will be affected by the impacts of climate change”.

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If you could send a message to NW Natural’s Board of Directors right now, what would you say about their LNG Palomar Pipeline plans?

Do you have anything to say about the company plans to clearcut through 47 miles of Mt. Hood National Forest?

Do you have an opinion about the powerful gas utility using eminent domain to rip through 1500 private properties, destroying irrigation systems and crops along the way?

Do you have an opinion about a gas utility who claims to be green planning to pipe imported Liquefied Natural Gas and through Oregon to the California market…with increased greenhouse gas emissions?

Tell NW Natural’s CEO Gregg Kantor, and his Board of Directors, what you really think. Take action here: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1810/t/10060/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=27896

Earlier this week on Tuesday and Wednesday, FERC staff came to visit environmentally sensitive areas along the proposed Oregon LNG pipeline route. Landowners, community members and students joined the tour addressing their concerns with the impacts of pipeline plan as well as concerns regarding the FERC permitting process.

Because the Oregon LNG pipeline route is parallel to the Palomar pipeline route, many of the sites we visited were threatened by not one, but two pipelines. In one location in Gales Creek in Washington Co. the FERC staff were exploring the various impacts of the pipeline routes to see which route would be a better alternative route.

Unfortunately, both would devastate local landowners and community safety. For example, near Gales Creek the Palomar route runs across the ridge top of a mountain range, dangerously crossing steep-sloped landslide hazard areas. While the alternative Oregon LNG route crosses private property owners land in areas that frequently flood, which also happen to be on a earthquake fault line. Neither of these routes should be considered as a safe or environmentally appropriate area for a high pressured non-odorized pipeline with explosive potential.

Read more about the FERC tour from one recent Pacific University student’s perspective here: http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2009/12/04/youth-confront-ferc-over-carbon-heavy-lng/#more-14934