Review Process Extended for Proposed $6B Gas Terminal Project

WARRENTON, OR-Natural gas company Oregon LNG, and state regulators have agreed to a three-month stay of the application process for a $6 billion terminal and pipeline Oregon LNG hopes to build at the mouth of the Columbia River.

The state Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) is considering the proposal in the form of a Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) application.

Under the stay agreement, Oregon LNG expects to work closely with the state of Oregon to ensure that its application contains necessary data and information for the state to make a consistency determination.

“Although the review was to be completed on January 3, we appreciate the recent efforts of the state of Oregon to clarify the enforceable policies that govern the issuance of CZMA decisions,” said Peter Hansen, CEO of Oregon LNG. “We will continue to work closely with DLCD and other key stakeholders to deliver the necessary data and information that will enable the project to receive a consistency determination at the earliest possible time.

“The project remains on track to receive most of its federal permits by the end of 2014, making Oregon LNG one of the first LNG export projects on the West Coast of North America.”

The CZMA is the primary regulatory construct under which coastal cities, counties, and state and federal agencies administer Oregon's federally approved Coastal Management Program. On July 3, 2013, the state of Oregon determined that the application of Oregon LNG for a consistency determination from the state of Oregon under the CZMA was complete. Under the CZMA, the state of Oregon has six months to make a consistency determination for a project once its application is deemed to be complete.

Oregon LNG says the project will represent the largest private development in Oregon's history. The project is anticipated to result in $6.3 billion in direct spending during construction, another approximately $3 billion in related economic stimulus, and provide the state and local governments with high-value jobs and tax revenues.