May 22, 2020

Wyden Statement on FERC decision to deny rehearing of controversial Jordan Cove Energy Project, and to allow eminent domain proceedings to begin

U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released the following statement in response to the decision by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to deny a rehearing of the controversial Jordan Cove energy project in Oregon and allow Pembina Pipeline Corp. to pursue eminent domain proceedings, despite strong objections to the project by three Oregon state regulatory agencies:

“This FERC decision provides fresh and troubling evidence that my concerns about a stacked commission have come to pass resulting in arbitrary and awful decisions being dictated from on high about this project.

"I opposed Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell when they put their elbows on the scale of the Jordan Cove decision by appointing another Republican commissioner to what should be an independent and bipartisan panel. And I will not stop fighting against what’s clearly become a rigged process.

“I’ve always had a problem with the use of eminent domain on this project – it is simply not the Oregon Way. Kicking off eminent domain proceedings now to rip the homes and private property away from Oregonians battling the economic fallout of this public health crisis fits the textbook definition for being both tone-deaf and mean-spirited. I will fight this step and any others that boot Oregonians off their land for this project.”

This is the latest step by an imbalanced FERC to disregard local private property rights and environmental concerns identified by Oregonians, and in the middle of a historic public health crisis. 

Wyden, a senior member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in January called for Donald Trump to appoint a full and bipartisan commission before the Commission rules on complex projects, such as the Jordan Cove Energy Project in Oregon. He opposed the decision by FERC to approve the controversial project.