By Dan Serres, Conservation Director
My phone rang in early January, and although I had not yet met Michael Calhoun, he was exactly the person I
wanted to talk to. We had just been notified that DEQ would be holding a public meeting in Vernonia about the proposed Oregon LNG pipeline. And Vernonia – a small town in Oregon’s Coast Range – was relatively new to the Oregon LNG issue. In our short initial conversation, Michael quickly grasped the opportunity for Vernonia area residents to have a voice in the LNG fight, and he was clearly already committed to informing his community. He was the leader we needed in a town that was just entering the fray over the Oregon LNG export proposal.
Over the next several months, I learned that Michael and his father, Steve, were a powerful team. Steve is a realtor, a former high school teacher, and an articulate, level-headed public speaker who went to work informing Vernonia city leaders about Oregon LNG’s proposal to cut a swath for its pipeline through the Nehalem watershed. Michael set up a Facebook page, designed t-shirts, and helped to network the group of people who were concerned about the proposed pipeline. We learned that Oregon LNG’s proposed route would cross Rock Creek, which supplies the drinking water for Vernonia. In a matter of weeks, Michael and Steve empowered their friends and neighbors to weigh in on the Oregon LNG proposal, and we packed a public meeting held by DEQ.
“I realized that this project could really harm our community, and that we needed to get organized – and fast,” said Michael Calhoun. “We connected with Columbia Riverkeeper who helped us out, and now we have a growing group of people who aren’t going to allow Vernonia to be steamrolled by LNG.”
Together with dozens of their friends, neighbors, and local leaders, the Calhouns spearheaded the creation of a new local group – Vernonia Against LNG – and led an effort to persuade the Vernonia City Council to pass a resolution opposing LNG. On May 18, the City of Vernonia’s resolution passed unanimously. The City’s statement calls on Governor Brown and other state leaders to use their authority to protect Vernonia by denying the Oregon LNG project. In the wake of its fast-moving success, Vernonia Against LNG is continuing to press local, state, and federal decision-makers to take a stand against LNG. We expect more hearings this summer, and Vernonia Against LNG will be active in keeping Columbia County residents informed.
“The stakes are high for us here in Vernonia,” said Steve Calhoun. “The Oregon LNG project threatens our water resources and safety. We’ll keep speaking out until Oregon LNG is denied, once and for all. We are proud of our City Council for standing up for us, also.”
Michael, Steve and Vernonia Against LNG represent one of the many community groups that form the dynamic and expanding coalition to stop LNG export in Oregon and Washington. To learn more about Columbia Riverkeeper’s work to stop LNG, visit our website. You can learn more about Vernonia Against LNG by visiting their Facebook page.
