April 11, 2019

Wyden, DeFazio Ask FERC to Extend Public Comment Period for Jordan Cove

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden and U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio today urged federal regulators to provide additional time for public comment on a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) for the proposed Jordan Cove LNG Project.

In the Oregon lawmakers’ letter to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Chairman Neil Chatterjee, they asked that the agency extend by 30 days its 90-day public comment period now scheduled to end July 5.

“Given the considerable size of this project, the fact that the project affects landowners in four separate Oregon counties, and the fact that the DEIS document itself is more than 1,000 pages, we believe a 90-day public comment period is an inadequate amount of time for the public to review and make comments,” Wyden and DeFazio wrote. “Further, the proposed comment period ends the day after the busy Independence Day holiday, which could impair the public’s ability to make comments.”

Wyden and DeFazio also urged the commission to hold public meetings in each of the counties that would be affected by the proposed project -- Klamath, Jackson, Douglas, and Coos.

And they requested both that FERC engage in meaningful consultation with tribes in the affected areas, as well as ensure 25 printed copies of the draft environmental impact statement are available at easily accessible places such as local public libraries.

Text of the letter is available here.

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