Oregon Public Broadcasting

A well-known environmental lawyer was in Portland Thursday to speak against a proposed Liquified Natural Gas project near Astoria.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. joined other LNG opponents on the banks of the Columbia River to denounce the NorthernStar company’s proposed terminal.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: “This is a bad energy policy, and it is so out of character with the way that other Americans are beginning to perceive this region, as the leader in green technology.”

Kennedy said the terminal could damage the most important salmon estuary in the country.  He’s supported LNG projects in the past, but says this facility’s technology is antiquated.

The federal government is expected to approve the NorthernStar’s proposal as early as next week.

Last month a federal commission reported the project would have only a limited environmental impact.

A spokesman for NorthStar said it has gone above and beyond requirements to compensate for environmental harm.