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PACIFIC CONNECTOR Pipeline rep says it's safe, will bring jobs Comment By Bob Hunter Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Bob Hunter Mail Tribune Posted May. 4, 2015 at 12:01 AM By Bob Hunter Mail Tribune Posted May. 4, 2015 at 12:01 AM » RELATED CONTENT • Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline opponents rally in Medford » Social News While no energy transportation system is accident-proof, natural gas pipelines come with the fewest risks, a spokesman for the company proposing to build a controversial liquified natural gas pipeline through Southern Oregon told a Medford audience Friday. "A natural gas pipeline remains the safest way to transport energy," said George Angerbauer of Williams Companies in a talk to the Medford Rogue Rotary Club. "The federal government has consistently said it's the safest way." Concerns about safety, environmental impact and energy exporting have swirled around the proposed Pacific Connector pipeline that would cover 232 miles through Southern Oregon, including Jackson County. The pipeline would stretch from Malin in Klamath County to Coos Bay, where the gas would be compressed and loaded onto cargo ships to be transported to Asian markets. Angerbauer likened the pipeline to "an energy interstate highway across Southern Oregon" and said it would not be depleting a scarce energy source. "We have more natural gas than Saudi Arabia has oil," he said. Construction of the pipeline would create 1,800 temporary jobs at its peak, while work on the LNG terminal in Coos Bay would create an average of about 1,000 jobs per month over a 3½-year construction period. The project would create 150 permanent jobs, primarily in Coos Bay. Angerbauer limited his remarks to issues involving the pipeline and not the terminal, which would be developed by a separate company. He noted that Williams, which is headquartered in Tulsa, Okla., already operates 750 miles of natural gas pipeline in Oregon and said the company focuses on safety issues. "Safety is our top priority," he said. "It is in our interest to have a safe pipeline." Among the precautions Williams takes in installing and maintaining the pipeline are: All pipe welds are X-rayed to ensure quality. A new pipeline would be pressure tested at 1,600 pounds for eight hours, while normal operations would not exceed 1,200 pounds of pressure at its highest point near Malin. The pipe is coated with the same material used to prevent corrosion in ocean-going ships' hulls. The pipeline is monitored around the clock from a remote location. He also noted that pipelines fare well in earthquakes and that the Pacific Connector line would be buried 5 feet below the floor of Haynes Inlet near Coos Bay to protect it from a tsunami impact. He said studies have shown that a major tsunami would scour as much as 3 feet of soil from the inlet's floor. Angerbauer acknowledged that the pipeline proposal has stirred up opposition, including from landowners along the route. He said some of the concerns are based on perception rather than reality and that Williams is not seeking to take land from property owners, but rather to obtain land rights to place the pipeline underground. "They can do almost anything with their land that they could do before," he said. He also called the compensation offered to property owners "very generous" and noted that in previous pipeline projects, eminent domain was used for only about 1 percent of the properties. In all, he said, the Pacific Connector pipeline would cross 270 parcels of private property. It also would cross 340 water bodies, ranging from small streams to the Rogue, Klamath and Umpqua rivers. "For major rivers, especially the Rogue, we're going to be tunneling under the river," he said. "We won't touch the water — we'll start way out on one side and come out way on the other side." Angerbauer said the next step in the regulatory process will be the release of an environmental impact statement, which was scheduled for mid-June. He said that date likely will be pushed back as the federal government recently requested additional information. Bob Hunter is editor of the Mail Tribune. Reach him at [email protected]. By Bob Hunter Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Bob Hunter Mail Tribune Posted May. 4, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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