Public Participation in the Siting of Liquefied Natural Gas Export Terminals in Oregon

• In Event: 331 - Section on Environment and Technology Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 08. Politics, Policy, and Environmental Governance (Group A)

Abstract

Recent proposals to site liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals in Coos Bay and Astoria, Oregon, have stirred controversy and sparked protest among local citizens. LNG is natural gas that has been cooled to cryogenic temperatures to reduce its volume to allow for easier and more economical transport. Public participation processes have been developed to better incorporate citizen concerns, but questions remain as to how well they have worked in this particular context. How have active participants in the public participation processes surrounding these two proposals (e.g., opponents, supporters, decision makers, agency officials, etc.) perceived the effectiveness of such processes in incorporating citizen concerns? And, how did these perceptions relate to community mobilization in response to a proposal? Using data collected from local newspapers and 45 interviews with active participants, we find that, while opponents in both communities agreed there have been many opportunities for citizens to attend and be informed about the proposals, they did not feel that public input had been adequately incorporated into decisions and have thus turned to other non-institutional tactics to get their voices heard. In contrast, supporters, specifically in Coos Bay, perceived opponents to be a vocal minority and organized a counter-movement in response. We recommend that regulators at the state and federal level, particularly the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, consider a radically different approach to siting that is more collaborative and involves long-term community engagement beyond specific proposals.

Authors

• Hilary Schaffer Boudet, Oregon State University

• Brittany Gaustad, Oregon State University

• Trang Tran, Oregon State University