Public Comment Guide:
Tell North Bend City Council no more special treatment for Jordan Cove LNG
On Tuesday, November 24 at 7:00PM the City of North Bend is hosting an online Public Hearing on whether or not to extend a permit approval for the Jordan Cove LNG export project. This permit expired in October because Jordan Cove LNG does not meet State standards to move forward. It’s critical that our community takes action to tell the City of North Bend that Pembina, the Canadian fossil fuel corporation behind Jordan Cove LNG, is treated like any other permit applicant and that this extension is denied.
How do I submit a comment?
- You testify at the online hearing by signing up on this online form by Tuesday, November 24 at 1:30PM, and by logging into the Public Hearing on November 24 at 7PM
North Bend’s Remote Public Hearing Form can be found online at http://bit.ly/nbpublichearingcomments2020.
If you need support submitting your online comments or signing up to testify please see page 3 for instructions or join comment writing drop in hours on Zoom to get assistance on writing and submitting comments:
- Thursday, November 19: 5pm-7pm
- Sunday, November 22: 10am-12pm
The link https://bit.ly/nbcommenthelp2020 will be used for all three drop in hour days. If you have any questions or have issues with logging in, please contact ashley@rogueclimate.org.
How do I view the hearing?
The Public Hearing can be viewed on livestream at the City of North Bend’s Youtube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBQ3YfjsfZPmyNBIbUdFCwA.
What is this Public Hearing about?
In October 2019, the North Bend City Council approved a land use permit for floodplain and estuarine development for Jordan Cove LNG. The permit is only active for one year and expired last month because Jordan Cove LNG cannot meet required state standards that protect public health and safety, clean water, and more. North Bend should have never granted this permit in the first place because the proposed project would do irreparable damage to our Bay and because Jordan Cove LNG does not have the State permits required to receive this local permit.
Pembina’s request is especially concerning because they are asking North Bend City Council to consider an ‘indefinite extension’ of this permit instead of just another year.
The Public Hearing is an opportunity to tell the North Bend City Council why they should not approve this permit extension request in any form.
What makes a good public comment?
You do not have to be an expert to give a public comment. Here are some quick tips for making a public comment.
- Make it personal: why do you care about this?
- Stick to 3 minutes. That’s about 450 words, written out.
- Be sure to call on the North Bend City Council to deny the request for a permit extension.
- Practice saying your comment out loud a couple of times.
- If you choose, you can follow this format:
- Introduce yourself- name, where you live, and why you care (your kids, your climate, your fishing spot, your culture)
- Introduce what you want to address in your comment, and why- what specific issue will you speak to? (Use the talking points below)
- Come back to why you care about this issue – what makes it personal?
- End by calling on the North Bend City Council to reject the request for a permit extension.
Public Hearing Talking Points:
- The City of North Bend is responsible for a fair process and should require Pembina to reapply for this expired permit. Whether it’s a permit for a community member building a home in North Bend or a Canadian fossil fuel corporation building a giant gas export terminal, the City must stick to its rules and process. This permit has expired and Pembina is responsible for reapplying, just like any other applicant would be.
- Jordan Cove LNG did not meet the qualifications to receive this permit in the first place. To receive this permit applicants are required to have received authorizations from the State of Oregon. Oregon’s agencies have denied the required permits because Jordan Cove LNG does not meet State standards to work in our waterways, State lands, or the coastal zone. Pembina has still not reapplied for these State permits that this North Bend permit requires.
- 16 years of false promises show that Jordan Cove LNG should not get special treatment from the North Bend City Council. Pembina has laid off members of our community and packed up their offices in Coos Bay and throughout Oregon. North Bend should be focused on protecting the existing jobs now threatened by the pandemic and economic recession, not giving a free pass to an out of state corporation that has already shown our community that it does not keep its promises.
Comment Submission Steps:
1. Go to https://www.northbendoregon.us/cityrecorder/webform/remote-public-hearing-comment
2. Scroll down to the form to fill out date and personal information:Name, Address (No PO Box), Zip Code, Phone number, and email. It should look like this:
3. Click on the date of the meeting (November 24) and then click “Public Hearing Testimony.” Fill in subject as “Jordan Cove LNG Permit Extension Request” and click the Support option as OPPOSE
4. If you would like to SPEAK at the public hearing, please fill out the box here with “SPEAK”:
5. If you would like your comment entered into the written record, in lieu of speaking please enter comments in the box or note that you will email them to nbpublichearing@northbendcity.org:
6. Submit your comment by scrolling down to the end of the page and signing your name. Then press the submit button to send your comment or request to testify at the online meeting.
7. Check your email to confirm North Bend received your comment. You should see an email from webmaster@northbendcity.org. There will be a following email (from either kkocher@northbendcity.org or cschnabel@northbendcity.org) with information on how to log into the meeting.
8. For the public hearing, speakers will log into the Zoom meeting and will be in the “Waiting Room” until the appropriate time to speak. You can view the meeting via the North Bend Youtube Livestream while you are waiting.
