FOREST GROVE (AP) — Secretary of State Bill Bradbury opposes the building of liquefied natural-gas terminals in Oregon, saying they would take the state “180 degrees in the wrong direction.”

Bradbury, who is in his last year of office because of term limits, said such projects would increase Oregon’s dependence on fossil fuels just as it’s attempting to increase its use of wind and solar energy.

“LNG is a dirty fuel that adds to the greenhouse gases we’re putting into the environment,” Bradbury said.

Bradbury expressed his opposition at a global warming forum in Forest Grove and in an interview with The Oregonian newspaper. He is the first high-ranking state official to oppose LNG. Gov. Ted Kulongoski supports LNG, particularly for a facility proposed for Coos Bay, as “a bridge” to help the state transition to a renewable future.

Out-of-state companies have proposed building three terminals in the state: one in Coos Bay and two on the Columbia River. The terminals would accept imports of supercooled natural gas from abroad, reheat the liquid into a gas, and ship the gas to West Coast markets through one of four proposed pipelines that would run through hundreds of miles of farms and forests.

Bradbury, Kulongoski and State Treasurer Randall Edwards hold the three votes on the State Land Board, which may need to approve the use of state lands for any LNG terminal and associated pipelines.

Supporters of the LNG terminals and pipelines say imports are needed to diversify Oregon’s energy sources as supplies tighten. Opponents say Oregon has enough natural gas, and shouldn’t bear the environmental burden for facilities that would ship it out of state.

Within Oregon, Bradbury has taken a high-profile role on the issue of global warming. He toured the state to present former Vice President Al Gore’s slide show on the subject.

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Information from: The Oregonian, http://www.oregonlive.com