It’s good to see Gov. John Hickenlooper take an active interest in a proposed liquefied natural gas terminal in Coos Bay, Ore., and urge federal officials to approve the project.
An LNG facility there would open up Western Slope natural gas to international markets and be a buffer against the glut of production elsewhere in the country.
Exporting natural gas makes economic sense for the nation as well. According to a report from the U.S. Department of Energy, exports of natural gas — which are now constrained by a lack of port infrastructure — could provide a $47 billion boost to the economy by 2020.
Opponents of additional LNG ports fall into two camps: environmentalists who oppose any additional fossil fuel extraction and some manufacturers that worry exports would boost the price of natural gas.
The price issue is a legitimate concern, but LNG exports are so small today compared to the available resource, and the timeline for bringing ports up to speed so lengthy, that exports aren’t likely to constrain supply for the foreseeable future.
Meanwhile, however, they’d do a lot to stabilize the economies of a number of local communities.
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