eEdition SUNNY 68 • 56 | WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 2020 | theworldlink.com
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Jordan Cove approval not a ‘greenlight’ JILLIAN WARD The World
COOS COUNTY — On Monday, the Trump administration approved the Jordan Cove liquid natural gas terminal. But this does not mean the project has the green light to move forward, at least not until it gets permits from the state of Oregon. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette signed an order for the project, which would send its LNG exports to Asia from Coos Bay, and stated that the Jordan Cove Energy Project “encapsulates what the Trump administration has been working hard on for the past three years — providing reliable, affordable, and cleaner-burning natural gas to our allies around the world.” However, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley’s office clapped back, stating in an email to The World that “We need real infrastructure plans that will create real jobs, boost our economy and spur exports, without undermining our economic future, environment, and public health.”
Ray Zaccaro, from Merkley’s office, went on to write that the Monday announcement “fails that test.” “Climate chaos is already wreaking havoc on our fisheries and burning up our forests, and adding more fossil fuel pollution for decades to come will only make things worse,” Zaccaro wrote. “Senator Merkley will continue to fight for jobs and an economy that helps working Oregonians while combating the climate crisis and protecting our resources and health.” Allie Rosenbluth, campaign director with community activist organization Rogue Climate, said that the approval from the federal administration did not come as a surprise. “It’s just another rubber stamp … giving the façade that the project is moving forward,” Rosenbluth said. “However, (federal approval) has no impact on whether or not Jordan Cove is moving forward. The project still cannot build because it lacks permits from the state … Its federal and local permits are (also) being challenged by the state, local
Courtesy of Jordan Cove Energy Project
Jordan Cove LNG terminal conceptual drawing - what the plant could look like, view from the northeast of the corridor, including processing facility and the marine slip. tribes, affected land owners and community groups like Rogue Climate.” Rosenbluth pointed out that Monday held victories for groups standing against pipelines across
the nation, starting with the Atlantic Coast Pipeline which was canceled after five years of delays. “… The energy company saw it wasn’t a viable project,” she
said. “And then yesterday, the Dakota Access Pipeline was ordered by a federal court to drain the oil from the pipeline in the next 30 days and shut down the
Please see LNG, Page A2
Elk Creek Road closing for repairs
Bandon Marina and the full moon
The World
Amy Moss Strong, The World
The full moon shines over the Bandon Marina on the Fourth of July.
McConnell eyes virus aid as evictions, benefits cuts loom WASHINGTON (AP) — An eviction moratorium is lifting. Extra unemployment benefits are ending. Parents are being called to work, but schools are struggling to reopen for fall as the COVID-19 crisis shows no signs of easing. With Congress bracing for the next coronavirus aid package, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is outlining Republican priorities as earlier programs designed to ease Americans through the pandemic and economic fallout begin to expire. He is eyeing $1 trillion in new aid. “This is not over,” McConnell said during a visit to a food pantry Monday in Louisville, Kentucky. The GOP leader’s next virus aid package is centered on liability protections, a top priority for Republicans seeking to shield doctors, schools, businesses and others from coronavirus-related lawsuits brought by patrons claiming injuries during reopenings. McConnell is also considering a fresh round of direct payments, noting they are especially helpful for those earning $40,000 a year
or less. He wants the liability shield to run for five years, retroactive to December 2019. “Liability reform, kids in school, jobs and health care,” he said. “That’s where the focus, it seems to me, ought to be.” Democrats have proposed a far more ambitious aid approach in the $3 trillion House-passed coronavirus rescue package, setting the outlines of a robust debate over how best to help Americans as COVID-19 cases surge in hot spots nationwide, threatening public health and economic livelihoods. Congress is away for a twoweek recess, but the contours of the debate are taking shape before lawmakers resume session July 20. Deadlines for many programs expire by the end of the month. McConnell’s earlier decision to hit “pause” on new relief has infuriated Democrats, especially as state and local governments clamor for aid to prevent worker layoffs. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement Tuesday that McConnell “has created needless uncertainty
and pain for millions of families who are still reeling from the public health and economic crises.” Schumer said, “Senator McConnell ought to be working across the aisle to prevent mass evictions, a new hunger crisis, and the layoff of more essential state and local government employees — all things that will happen if Republicans continue to delay action or act stingily.” The earlier rounds of aid, including the sweeping $2 trillion coronavirus aid package approved in March, were the biggest in U.S. history. And while aid was approved almost unanimously, it is now dividing the parties. Many Republicans view the outlay as excessive, and they want to avoid another round of big-ticket spending. Democrats argue that more aid is needed, and their bill includes new worker health and safety protocols to ensure a safe reopening. While the two sides share many common goals in boosting public health research toward treatments and a vaccine, the difference in the economic aid to Americans is stark.
For example, Republicans mostly oppose the $600 weekly boost to unemployment benefits, arguing it’s a disincentive to work because some employees earn more by staying home than they would on the job. Democrats say it’s a lifeline for struggling Americans trying to make ends meet. Democrats also provide more money in their bill to prevent evictions: $100 billion in rental assistance and $75 billion for homeowners paying mortgages. The $2 trillion coronavirus aid package’s 120-day federal eviction moratorium on certain rentals expires at the end of July. The Democrats’ bill would extend it through March 2021. Democrats are wary of the liability protections being proposed by Republicans. Instead, their bill includes other priorities, such as funding to shore up the struggling U.S. Postal Service, which they see as another lifeline for Americans, and to provide $50 monthly stipends toward broadband services for households with laid-off or furloughed workers to stay connected online.
NORTH BEND — Elk Creek Road (28-11-29.0), east of Myrtle Point, is closed for up to three months beginning July 7 as the Bureau of Land Management completes road repairs. The BLM will replace four culverts between milepost 0.4 and 2.8. While through traffic is prohibited, users can access the area via a detour on Big Creek Road (29-1128.0) off Highway 42 near Bridge. Once on Big Creek Road, travel 1.64 miles and veer to left onto Elk Creek Extension (28-10-31.0). After 3.5 miles, Elk Creek Extension ends and turns into Elk Creek Road (28-11-29.0). A map of the detour is available at https://www.blm. gov/office/coos-bay-district-office. Active haul is occurring in the area and drivers should watch for log trucks on these roads. Once complete, the culvert replacements will improve public access and enhance fish habitat in the area, according to a BLM press release. The culverts are in danger of failing and are being replaced through the BLM’s deferred maintenance program. Three of the four culverts cross fish bearing streams and replacing the aging pipes will provide fish access to an additional 1.2 miles of high-quality stream habitat.
Trump pushes for schools to reopen
(AP) - President Donald Trump launched an all-out effort pressing state and local officials to reopen schools this fall, arguing that some are keeping schools closed not because of the risks from the coronavirus pandemic but for political reasons. “They think it’s going to be good for them politically, so they keep the schools closed,” Trump said Tuesday at a White House discussion on school plans for the fall. “No way. We’re very much going to put pressure on governors and everybody else to open the schools.” The White House’s roundtable gathered health and education leaders from across the nation who said schools and colleges are ready to open this fall and can do so safely. They argued that the risks of keeping students Please see Schools, Page A2