Coos County commissioners back Northwest Natural bid to take over county gas pipeline

Coos County commissioners voted to send a letter to the Oregon Public Utilities Commission endorsing Northwest Natural’s application to acquire the county‑owned gas pipeline that serves roughly 1,900 residences and multiple major employers.

Commissioner Sweet, who has coordinated the transfer effort, said the county has about $2,000,000 in a pipeline fund but faces an estimated $10–12 million in repairs to keep the line operating. “To be completely honest, we are selling it for $1,” he said, adding that the county would convey its $2 million fund to Northwest Natural as part of the transaction to encourage PUC approval.

The move is not a sale — the letter is a formal expression of the board’s support for Northwest Natural’s pending PUC application. Northwest Natural, Sweet said, has greater financial and operational capacity to integrate the line into a larger distribution system and to invest in the repairs the county can no longer sustain.

Commissioners and staff described the pipeline as a long‑standing county asset that historically provided utility revenue to offset operating costs. Sweet told the board the line traverses unstable terrain in places and has required costly remedial work; he said the county’s small pipeline fund is insufficient to address the larger repair backlog.

One commissioner noted that increasing customer rates to cover repairs would be “catastrophic” for businesses and residents and said the Public Utilities Commission likely would not allow the county that approach. A brief public comment from Brandy Martindale raised questions about alternative options; the board discussed but did not take additional public testimony before voting.

The board voted to approve and sign the proposed letter of support. The action directs staff to forward the letter to the Oregon Public Utilities Commission; the PUC will review Northwest Natural’s application and decide whether to approve the acquisition and any associated terms.

Next steps: the letter will be transmitted to the PUC as part of Northwest Natural’s application; the PUC’s timetable and any required public hearings or filings were not specified at the meeting.