Federal officials could decide whether to approve the siting of a liquefied natural gas terminal in Coos County as early as June 18. Or it could be several more months before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission gets around deciding on the local application.

No one can say for sure what the decision will be, but everyone agrees about the process: Locals have very little say.

Sure, you can go to meetings, deride the federal reports and put up signs and billboards. But FERC isn't considering whether the community wants the terminal. It's approval is based on whether the developer has met state and federal laws.

And FERC isn't alone in that effort. Another 28 state and federal agencies have a role in approving the LNG terminal and natural gas pipeline. It's the same story with these other agencies. Locals have very little say in their decisions.

Most of these departments aren't scheduled to complete their work until after FERC issues its LNG yea or nae. But like the FERC, all these agencies must make their decisions objectively.

So ultimately the battle becomes an issue of time. Proponents will fight to get the process done and over with quickly, while opponents' best option is to try and drag out the proceedings as long as possible in hopes the developer will lose interest and drop the project.

That's not likely, says Jordan Cove Project Manager Bob Braddock.

The company is confident energy companies someday will want to transport LNG to a terminal on the West Coast. Although news reports say the United States has a glut of natural gas, Northwest Natural President Gregg Kantor has said in the past that demand in the eastern part of the country could result in a need for imports of LNG on the West Coast. Any decision to stop construction, provided government agencies approve the project, would result from a shift in these energy markets - not from opponent delay tactics.

"It would require economic changes that make the project simply uneconomical and there is no indication of that, " Braddock said.

He concedes the proposed construction start date of September 2010 may change, due to the government approval process and court battles that come out of it. Jordan Cove's Coos County land-use application has been held up for nearly a year by a Eugene activist who appealed a question over tsunamis all the way to the Oregon Supreme Court. The high court decided not to hear the case.

"I never cease to be amazed at the ingenuity of opponents and their ability to manipulate the court system," Braddock said.

And there aren't just opponents who are calling for delays.

Gov. Ted Kulongoski recently complained about the FERC process. He wants FERC to wait until other federal and state agencies complete their reviews.  FERC listens to these other agencies by saying its approval is on the condition other agencies approve the project.

"We are saying that it doesn't seem to make sense to punt on all the other analysis," said Mike Carrier, the governor's natural resources policy director.

But that doesn't mean Kulongoski is opposed to LNG.

"He feels him adopting a policy position of that nature would create an awkward situation for state agencies to handle their cases," Carrier said.

One of those state agencies, the Department of Environmental Quality, hasn't received a completed application to allow the dredging for the LNG slip dock on Coos Bay's North Spit, said spokeswoman Julie Curtis. Once the application is completed, staffers will notify nearby landowners of the permit and take comments for 30 days. If questions arise that the department can't answer, it will ask the applicant, in this case the Port of Coos Bay, for more information.

"It is a public process and there is ample time for the public to weigh in," she said.

One local resident who has spoken out in opposition to the LNG project is Jolly Hibbits of Bandon. Despite what Carrier said, she thinks opponents have made a difference in the approach the state has had in the process.

"Kulongoski was pro-LNG until our group and a bunch of other people went up to Salem and made a scene," she said.

Carrier may say the governor hasn't taken a position on LNG, but Kulongoski has asked the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to review FERC's decision on Bradwood Landing on the Columbia River. The governor is arguing FERC should have considered whether anyone needs the project.

The political maneuverings have enticed Tim Bishop to become involved in the LNG debate. A board member of Friends of New and Sustainable Industry, Bishop says it's important elected officials know there are people who want to see LNG come to Coos County.

"It's time for them to get behind instead of being a hindrance to the project," he said.