Coalition rips Northwest pipeline plan

SALEM, Ore. — The U.S. government has taken a step toward approving the expansion of a natural gas pipeline in the Pacific Northwest — a move opposed by environmentalists and the attorneys general of Oregon, California and Washington state.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission announced Friday that it has completed an environmental impact statement that concluded the project “would result in limited adverse impacts on the environment.”

“Most adverse environmental impacts would be temporary or short-term,” the federal agency said.

A grassroots coalition of environmental groups said the analysis conflicts with climate goals of Pacific Northwest states and fails “to address upstream methane emissions from the harmful practice of fracking.”

The Gas Transmission Northwest pipeline belongs to TC Energy of Calgary, Alberta — the same company behind the now-abandoned Keystone XL crude oil pipeline.

Gas Transmission Northwest proposes to modify three existing compressor stations along the pipeline — in Kootenai County, Idaho; Walla Walla County, Wash.; and Sherman County, Ore. — to boost capacity by about 150 million cubic feet per day of natural gas. The company says the project is necessary to meet consumer demand.

The 1,377-mile pipeline runs from the Canadian border, through a corner of Idaho and into Washington state and Oregon, connecting with a pipeline going into California.

In August, the attorneys general of Oregon, Washington state and California asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to deny the proposal, saying the expansion is expected to result in more than 3.24 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year, including methane and carbon dioxide.