Greenpeace

 Several liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals, proposed at various sites around the state of Oregon, have been drawing public criticism from people as diverse as farmers, fishers, and environmentalists.  First of all, the terminals would cut through farms and tree plantations without the permission of the owners. Second, forests and other ecosystems would be destroyed to make way for the pipelines.  And finally, LNG is a fossil fuel with a big carbon footprint.  While ordinary natural gas burns cleaner than coal or oil, LNG requires other fossil fuels just to transport it in ships from places like Russia, Indonesia, and - potentially - Iran to the United States.  Add the high energy cost of moving this fuel to the carbon produced when it is burned, and it begins to look more like coal than natural gas.

So yesterday, activists of all ages and backgrounds rallied outside the Portland headquarters of Northwest Natural Gas - one of the companies looking to develop LNG in this state.  We held up our signs, waved at passing cars, and let the corporation know that we don't want it in our backyards.  After a while, we took a walk to gather outside the building where Governor Ted Kulongoski was supposedly at lunch; the governor has so far done very little to discourage LNG in Oregon, despite his promises to help leverage fossil fuels out of our economy.  I was at the rally from 11:45 that morning until 1:30 - it was quite an experience.  It is not very often that this many people from so many different backgrounds come together for a shared purpose, like this.  And to defeat new fossil fuel infrastructure - in this state and others - this is just the kind of thing that will be needed.  I even collected some new signatures for the Cool Washington County petition.  Let's kick fossil fuels out of this state, and bring in the clean energy!

If you live in Washington County, PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION TO THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS!

-Nick