NorthernStar Natural Gas Inc. announced Wednesday, May 5, 2010, that it has suspended its $650 million Bradwood Landing liquefied natural gas project.

Clatsop County’s legal counsel confirmed Wednesday afternoon that several entities that may have connections to the Bradwood Landing project filed bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas on Tuesday, May 4, 2010.The filings were made by NorthernStar Natural Gas Inc. (Case File No.: 10-33856), NorthernStar Pipeline Company LLC (Case File No.: 10-33863), and Bradwood Landing LLC (Case File No.: 10-33867). Bradwood Landing LLC is one of the applicants in the land use proceedingspreviously filed with Clatsop County. To the county's knowledge, the other county applicant, NorthernStar Energy LLC, has not filed bankruptcy.

All of the above-referenced proceedings were filedas no asset, voluntary bankruptcy proceedings under Chapter 7 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. In layman's language, this means the cases were filed directly by the named parties rather than by their creditors. The purpose of the proceeding is to liquidate rather than reorganize the companies, and while the companies may have some assets,it is believedthatno assetswill be available for unsecured creditors. The companies all are represented byattorney Thomas Grace of the Spencer CrainCubbage Healy & McNamara firm located in Houston, Texas.

County Counsel is examining the impact of the filings on the land use applications currently pending before the County Hearings Officer and on the appeal of the Land Use Board of Appeals decision filedin the Oregon Court of Appeals by Bradwood Landing LLC and NorthernStar Energy LLC roughlytwo weeks ago.

In March of 2008, the Clatsop County Board of Commissioners voted 4-1 to approve with conditions Bradwood Landing LLC’s consolidated land-use application for a liquefied natural gas terminal and related facilities on the Columbia River east of Astoria.  Commissioner Sam Patrick cast the dissenting votes. Columbia Riverkeeper et al appealed the Board of Commisisoners' decisions to the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA), which released its decisions on Tuesday, January 27, 2009.  LUBA affirmed the Board of Commissioners' decision on the approval for a variance for Clifton Road and remanded the consolidated application for the liquefied natural gas terminal on two issues.  View the decision on the consolidated application, and view the decision on the Cifton Road variance.  Department of Environmental Quality to Hold Informational Meeting for Proposed Bradwood Landing Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal and Pipeline The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) will provide information and accept comments regarding air and water quality issues related to the proposed Bradwood Landing liquefied natural gas terminal and pipeline at an information meeting on Wednesday, March 3, 2010, at the Knappa High School Gymnasium, 41535 Old Highway 30, approximately 13 miles east of Astoria. The meeting begins at 6:00 p.m. DEQ Water Quality and Air Quality program staff will share information about DEQ's authority, the status of the permit applications, and potential timelines for drafting permits, holding a formal public hearing, and making permitting decisions. Comments relating to air and water quality issues will be accepted through 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 17, 2010. View the public notice.  For more information, visit DEQ’s Bradwood Landing LNG page: http://www.deq.state.or.us/nwr/LNG/BradwoodLanding/bradwood.htm Recent Events and Documents Relating to Bradwood Landing's Applications  View information about the July 8, 2009, Board of Clatsop County Commissioners' public hearing on the two remanded issues. View Clatsop County's Procedures Following Remand. View Clatsop County's letter to the Department of Justice regarding a recent referendum that invalidated Clatsop County's amendment to its OPR zone to allow pipelines in that zone as a conditional use. On January 12, 2009, Clatsop County receieved a public notice from the Washington State Department of Ecology regarding NorthernStar Energy LLC's application for State of Washington Water Quality Certification to perform work in the Columbia River.  Washington State Department of Ecology is seeking public comments through March 9, 2009.  View the public notice.  Comments on the water quality certification application must be sent to the State of Washington address on the public notice.  On September 18, 2008, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued an order and conditions, granting authorizations to site, construct, and operate the Bradwood Landing LLC project.  View the order and 109 conditions, as well as the dissenting opinion of one commissioner. The official Bradwood record, called the Record of Proceedings, is a 32-volume set of approximately 21,000 pages.  View the Table of Contents (about 130 pages).  The record is not available online at this time; however, a hard copy is available in the Transportation and Development Service's Land Use Planning Office, 800 Exchange Street, Suite 100, Astoria, and may be viewed by appointment.  To view the record, please call 503-325-8611, or email comdev@co.clatsop.or.us to make an appointment. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued the Final Environmental Impact Statement June 6, 2008.  The document can be viewed on FERC's Website. View Ordinance #08-05 and Resolution and Order, dated March 20, 2008. View Exhibit A, Findings of Approval of Core Elements of the Consolidated Application from Bradwood Landing LLC, for Permits and Development Approvals to Develop an LNG Marine Terminal, Pipeline, and Related Facilities at Bradwood, Clatsop County Oregon Before voting, the commissioners discussed public safety issues.  Bradwood must have agreements with emergency service responders signed before the county will issue a development permit for construction.  The Board made a change to one condition, allowing Bradwood to return to the Board if it can’t reach an agreement with a particular agency.  If that happens, the Board will hold a public hearing and make a decision based on the recommendations by the county’s public safety consultant, PBS&J. The Board added a new condition to its approval of the project – a memorandum of agreement with Bradwood Landing LLC and NorthernStar Energy LLC in which the company essentially agrees to honor the conditions, even if waived by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The Board adopted the findings of fact, spelling out the facts, conclusions and conditions of the approval, and held the second reading and adopted an ordinance amending the county’s comprehensive land use plan to enlarge the area zoned for marine industrial uses, to dredge areas of the river so LNG carriers can dock and unload at the proposed storage and distribution facility.  A proposed pipe from Bradwood would carry natural gas to the Williams Northwest interstate pipeline in Washington. The county’s review is specific to the site of the proposed LNG marine terminal, pipeline and related facilities and compliance with the county’s land-use plan and zoning regulations.  The county’s review does not address issues such as LNG carrier traffic on the river that state and federal agencies will handle. A Summary of County Actions on Bradwood LNG Proposal is available. Recent Documents: April 4, 2008, letter from Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in response to Clatsop County letters regarding the Bradwood Landing Project, proposed by Bradwood Landing LLC and NorthernStar Energy LLC March 17, 2008 Staff Response to Bradwood Landing's March 14 Revised Draft Findings of Approval, immediately below Bradwood Landing's March 14, 2008 Draft Findings of Approval and Supplemental Safety Condition Staff's response to Bradwood Landing's March 4, 2008, submittal, immediately below Bradwood Landing's March 3, 2008 response to Staff Comments and "redline" revised Proposed Findings, received March 4, 2008 February 27, 2008 Staff Comments on the Proposed Findings of Fact, immediately below February 2008 Proposed Findings of Fact, submitted by Bradwood Landing Proposed Ordinance Relating to the Bradwood Landing LNG Proposal and Amending the Clatsop County Combined Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Map, the Text of the Clatsop County Comprehensive Plan and the Text of the Clatsop County Land and Water Development and Use Ordinance #80-14.