In the latest move to drum up public support for the proposed liquid natural gas holding facility and pipeline on Coos Bay's North Spit, Bob Braddock, Jordan Cove Energy Project director, promised that Coos County will have the lowest natural gas prices on the entire West Coast if the deal goes through.

Nearly 60 people assembled Wednesday afternoon in The Mill Casino-Hotel's Salmon Room to hear Braddock and Larry Larsen, Marketing Services representative of Williams Company. Braddock presented a timeline and cost analysis of the proposed holding facility, while Larsen discussed the construction of the pipeline.

In contrast to the discussion held less than two weeks ago at the North Bend Public Library, where local residents shouted at each other and argued vehemently, the question and answer portion of the meeting was muted and civil.

Asked what impact the holding facility would have on the local job market, Braddock said it would produce about 50 permanent jobs, though at least a quarter of those jobs would be given to experienced workers from outside Coos County. During construction, he said more than 800 people would be required to work, and the majority of these jobs would also be given to people from outside the county.

On the subject of any safety risk posed by the holding facility, Braddock said, “There's risk in everything, but one would have to go back to the time of World War II to find an instance of (holding) tank failure. And that was because they built it with shoddy material, because they used the good material for the war effort.”

Braddock also said the holding facility's location would be remote enough to prevent any major risks.

“The closest home to the site (of the proposed holding facility) is 1.1 miles away,” Braddock said. “We've researched this. Something bad always happens sometime, somewhere, and we can't promise anything, but we've looked into as many concerns as we can, including tsunamis.”

Asked if the holding facility might be a potential target for terrorists, Braddock mentioned that Boston has a similar holding facility and hasn't experienced any attacks.

“Of all the places for terrorists to attack, Boston would be it,” said Braddock.

Outright criticism toward the proposed deal was relegated to outside the casino, where two protesters stood in the rain, holding signs that accused Coos County of selling its safety for money.