05/09/2008

Associated Press

The state Department of Energy says Oregon is going to need more natural gas, but it doesn't have to come from imported liquefied natural gas.

Governor Ted Kulongoski had asked the Oregon Department of Energy to review the state's need for natural gas and some of the financial and environmental impacts on the state.

In a report released Friday, the department said proposed pipelines from the Rocky Mountains will be able to meet the state's increased demand.

And the report found that those pipelines are more likely to provide less expensive natural gas and produce significantly reduced carbon dioxide emissions than the three LNG facilities proposed in Oregon.