So, should the FERC approve the Jordan Cove Energy Project and the Pacific Connector Pipeline?

While this project has some potential economic benefits for the people of Oregon, they are hugely outweighed by the negative environmental and social impact it would have on our state, and our planet.

Putting added fossil fuel infrastructure in the ground is a step in the wrong direction. This proposed pipeline and export terminal would only discourage Oregon from moving towards the renewable energies that are going to be necessary to prevent catastrophic changes in our climate.

The “low-emission scenario” climate models show a logical way forward, yet energy corporations like Veresen and projects like the Pacific Connector Pipeline and Jordan Cove Export Terminal are pushing us further and further towards the catastrophic high emission scenarios of 4 degrees celsius warming.

This is not to mention the impact that it will have on Native peoples. The project will put the cultural traditions, as well as the livelihoods of the tribes of southern Oregon and northern California in jeopardy. This injustice is made worse because those who are baring the brunt of the impact don’t have anything to gain from the project.
Finally, when looking at the ecological impacts, it is impossible to rationalize the completion of this project. There is no amount of safety measures that the proponents for this pipeline could take that would adequately protect our state’s natural environment from harm. Risks to fresh water, endangered species, and marginalized peoples make the Pacific Connector Pipeline and Jordan Cove Energy Project seem like an unnecessary hazard to our state, and our planet.