WASHINGTON – The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Thursday greenlighted a liquefied natural gas terminal along the Columbia River in Oregon – the first LNG terminal on the West Coast to receive such approval.

The vote was 4-1. Advocates on the commission, including Chairman Joseph Kelliher, said the terminal will help provide needed energy for the region and the country.

The $650 million Bradwood Landing project, 20 miles east of Astoria, Ore., would import superchilled natural gas aboard tankers and warm it so it can be distributed regionally in pipelines.

The commission imposed more than 100 conditions that it said would help assure safety and mitigate environmental damage from the plant.

The plant’s developer, Houston-based NorthernStar Natural Gas, must obtain state-level permits before it can start construction.