FERC Responds to Questions on LNG Terminal Land Rights
FERC has released a letter from Chairman Norman Bay in response to questions posed by Oregon Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici and Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkly regarding the land rights dispute over the proposed the Oregon LNG project site in Warrenton, Ore. The letter asserts, among other things, that:
– Holders of Section 3 authorizations for LNG facilities do not have the right of eminent domain and therefore must obtain the necessary rights for the site on which they intend to build.
– Disputes over the legal ownership of property are matters of law outside FERC’s expertise and jurisdiction and are matters for a court to decide.
– FERC’s regulations do not require that an applicant hold clear title to a project site at the time an application is filed, and it is FERC’s policy to continue processing an application as long as there is the possibility of future resolution to any site access issue.
Read more in The Daily Astorian article.