State Preserves Authority to Deny Clean Water Act Permits for Jordan Cove
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 28, 2018
Contact:
Stacey Detwiler, stacey@rogueriverkeeper.org, 541-488-9831
Allie Rosenbluth, allie@rogueclimate.org, 541-897-4480
State Preserves Authority to Deny Clean Water Act Permits for Jordan Cove
Medford, OR - Today, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) accepted the withdrawal and simultaneous resubmittal of Jordan Cove’s application for a critical Clean Water Act section 401 state water quality certification.
The withdrawal of the Clean Water Act application comes just weeks after more than 42,000 public comments were submitted critiquing the project and DEQ released a long list of unanswered questions about the impacts of the project on waterways. DEQ now has a year to gather the information it needs to properly assess the potential harm to Oregon’s waterways and to determine if the project should be allowed to proceed at all.
“The Clean Water Act gives each state the authority to protect its waters, wildlife, and communities from harm caused by federally-licensed projects,” said Stacey Detwiler of Rogue Riverkeeper. “This project threatens the health of our rivers, and the communities that rely on them, and we will continue to urge DEQ to use its authority to review these impacts and confirm what we already know- this project is not right for Oregon.”
The Jordan Cove LNG export terminal and Pacific Connector fracked gas pipeline would cut through more than 485 rivers and streams, including the Rogue, Klamath, and Umpqua rivers and put the drinking water for more than 116,000 Oregonians at risk. Construction would require massive amounts of dredging, diverting, and damming waterways that support threatened salmon habitat, as well as local businesses that depend on healthy rivers and streams.
This decision reflects both the complexity of the project and the impact of overwhelming public opposition. An unprecedented 42,000+ comments were submitted by the public asking Oregon DEQ to deny water quality certification under the Clean Water Act. In August, more than 200 impacted landowners, youth, tribal leaders, health professionals, business owners, and environmental and climate advocates rallied in Medford to ask the Oregon DEQ to deny this permit.
“Communities across Oregon have been calling on our state to stop this project for over a decade,” said Allie Rosenbluth with Rogue Climate. “Governor Kate Brown and our state agencies have substantial power to protect clean water and our climate for future generations. It’s time for our state to use that authority and stop this project for good.”
With today’s decision to accept Jordan Cove’s withdrawal and resubmittal, Oregon DEQ preserves its ability to continue to review the project and its impacts to clean water.
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