LNG activists on tap: Maryland and Oregon projects focus of presentations

BROWNSVILLE — The grass-roots group Save RGV From LNG will host a public meeting tonight featuring presentations from activists who have done battle with liquefied natural gas projects in Maryland and Oregon.

The event, “Stories from LNG Frontline Communities,” takes place from 6-8 p.m. in Brownsville at the Historic Alonzo Building, 510 E. St. Charles St. Organizers said the purpose is to give local residents an idea of what to expect if LNG export terminals proposed for the Port of Brownsville become a reality.

Donny Yanqui, an activist with “We Are Cove Point,” will discuss Maryland’s $3.8 billion Dominion Cove Point LNG project, which was approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in September 2014, broke ground the following month and is expected to begin operations late this year.

FERC rejected a 2015 request from environmental groups that the government withdraw authorization of the project based on insufficient review of its environmental impact.

Also speaking is Ted Gleichman of the Oregon Sierra Club, who will discuss the Jordan Cove LNG project in Coos Bay, Ore., the first LNG project to be rejected by FERC. The agency denied the applications of Jordan Cove LNG on the grounds that the project’s proponents had failed to demonstrate sufficient public benefit.

In December, FERC denied a request for a rehearing of its order denying the application, though Jordan Cove LNG still considers the project viable and has resubmitted an application to FERC.

Three companies, Annova LNG, NextDecade LNG and Texas LNG, are seeking permission from FERC to build LNG export facilities at the Port of Brownsville. Following tonight’s presentations, members of Save RGV From LNG will give an update on those local projects and efforts to stop them.

Backers of the projects tout economic benefits to the region, though opponents argue that any economic payoff would fail to outweigh the cost to the environment, tourism and public safety.