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Passamaquoddy Bay & LNG

2006 April

Coast Guard probing apparent near-collision in Boston Harbor — Boston Globe, Boston, MA

The incident has prompted some lawmakers to call for tougher regulations to protect heavily populated city neighborhoods against catastrophic collisions in the harbor.

USCG to probe incident at wharf — Boston Globe, Boston, MA

The ship, bound for the Boston Autoport in Charlestown, ''appears to have come within a few feet" of striking the pier, said Lieutenant Edward Munoz, senior investigator for the Coast Guard in Boston.

Munoz said investigators are looking into whether pilot error may have caused the ship to come so close to the pier.

WEBMASTER'S COMMENTS: Pilots in Passamaquoddy Bay have publicly stated that they can safely navigate LNG vessels through the local passage. And yet, as reported in the 2006 March 31 Bangor Daily News, the local pilots haven't had LNG vessel training. That's a serious indication that there's something that the pilots may not know about handling an LNG carrier, especially in difficult waters and difficult weather.

Further, the 1973 December 19 Evening Times-Globe article, "N.B. Fishing, Tourism Threat Cited" reported that Portland harbor pilot Captain Amos Mills — who stated that he was the only person in Maine licensed to pilot vessels into Eastport at that time — said that Eastport (requiring transit through Head Harbour Passage) was the most difficult port between New Brunswick, Canada, and Puerto Rico. The proposed LNG projects in Passamaquoddy Bay require transiting beyond Eastport, encountering even more navigational challenges. The situation stands with:

Very difficult navigational waters;

Pilots without LNG vessel training, stating that they can safely "handle it";

Apparent pilot error in Boston Harbor, which could have been disasterous had an LNG vessel been in port.

This hardly adds up to confidence-building or assurance of "safe, risk-free LNG carrier transit" through local waters, or "safe LNG terminal siting" in Passamaquoddy Bay. What it does add up to, though, is the need for FERC to adhere to SIGTTO* LNG-industry standards, and — since there's no way to comply with SIGTTO standards in Passamaquoddy Bay — to boot the Passamaquoddy Bay LNG projects out on their ears.

Since the FERC doesn't seem interested in adhering to SIGTTO safety standards, then our Congressional delegates — Michaud, Allen, Snowe, and Collins — need to take legislative action to see that FERC does heed those standards.

* SIGTTO — Society of International Gas Terminal and Tanker Operators

Taking sides in Passamaquoddy LNG dispute [Opinion] — Chronicle Herald, Halifax, NS

The Three Nation Alliance to Save Passamquoddy Bay is made up of several tribal members from Pleasant Point, as well as people from the nearby community of Eastport, the town of St. Andrew’s in New Brunswick and the St. Croix-Scoodic Passamaquoddy Band in the St. Andrew’s area.

The group is concerned about the large ships navigating safely through the many islands located in Passamaquoddy Bay. Its members don’t want to see an accident happen in the bay similar to the ferry sinking in British Columbia in March. They also want to preserve the bay’s natural beauty.

The Passamaquoddy Band of St. Croix-Scoodic shares the same concerns as the group in Eastport. Chief Hugh Akagi is already concerned about the overfishing and pollution coming down the bay. For Akagi, allowing another industry to move into the Passamaquoddy Bay will mean inviting more problems to an already stressed area.

WEBMASTER'S COMMENTS: This balanced piece was written by Maureen Googoo, the Mi’kmaq journalist based in Halifax who videorecorded the March Save Passamaquoddy Bay Rally in Eastport for Aboriginal Peoples Television Network in Canada.

Kerry and Kennedy halt move to tear down Fall River bridge — WRGB-TV, Albany, NY

Oklahoma Republican Senator James Inhofe tried to place language into a heating assistance bill that would have reversed part of a federal transportation bill preserving the bridge. (Apr 11)

Report on U.S. Dependence on Foreign Natural Gas and "Problem with Gazprom" — LNG Law Blog; Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan; Washington, DC

"For the time being, the U.S. government should make it a priority to support a tougher, smarter line by our European partners to counter Russia’s attempt to build a monopoly on gas supply and distribution," Schmitt said.

WEBMASTER'S COMMENTS: Russia has the largest natural gas reserves in the world. Gazprom is the Russian natural gas monopoly. Gazprom doesn't yet have LNG liquifaction infrastructure, but they soon will have. They've expressed a desire to be a strong player in both upstream and downstream LNG facilities and markets, including a desire to own U.S. LNG import terminals. Gazprom has specifically expressed an interest in owning the Dominion Cove Point LNG terminal in Maryland, the terminal that Downeast LNG's Dean Girdis thinks is the bee's knees.

LNG firm: Pipeline would skirt wildlife refuge — Bangor Daily News, Bangor, ME

Cary Weston said that information submitted last week by Roger Fleming of the Conservation Law Foundation of Brunswick to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission was incorrect. Asked to identify the correct route, Weston, who was traveling, said he did not have that information at his fingertips.

"At no point does the proposed pipeline pass near or through the refuge," Weston said.

"I am looking at the map that is contained in Volume 1 of their application that is on the FERC docket," Fleming said Tuesday afternoon. "And it has three alternative routes for the pipeline. Two of the three very clearly go right through the middle of the Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge." [Bold and red emphasis added.] (Apr 12)

Menard, Correia win key roles on LNG board — Boston Globe, Boston, MA

State Sen. Joan Menard, D-Fall River, was named co-chairwoman of the recently formed liquefied natural gas commission at the group’s first meeting in Boston Tuesday. (Apr 12)

Task force is remnant of LNG bill — Dundalk Eagle, Dundalk, MD

Faced with a federal law that gave the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) jurisdiction over LNG facility construction, Stone and 6th District delegates Joseph “Sonny” Minnick, John S. Arnick and Michael Weir Jr. amended their bills to restrict where dredging could be done off Sparrows Point.

Rather than pass the bills, the Senate Finance Committee chose to form a task force. It will include six local residents (three chosen by Stone, three by the House) and representatives from the departments of Natural Resources and the Environment and other state representatives.

Coast Guard to review LNG tankers — Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, TX

The U.S. Coast Guard said it will review the safety and security issues associated with transporting liquefied natural gas through the Matagorda Ship Channel in Calhoun County. (Apr 11)

Residents can have say on LNG line in SCV — Daily News, Los Angeles, CA

Residents will have the chance again to comment on a proposed natural gas pipeline through Santa Clarita, a project that was sidelined for more than a year while environmental studies were retooled. (Apr 12)

EPA Probes BP's Actions in Prudhoe Bay Oil Spill — Planet Ark

The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that the EPA has launched a criminal investigation into BP's management of the pipeline corrosion blamed for the spill of an estimated 200,000 gallons of crude oil in the western part of the largest US oil field. (Apr 10)

WEBMASTER'S COMMENTS: This is the second U.S. "incident" criminally implicating BP in the past 13 months. (See story on the Justice Department's investigation into the Texas City, TX, BP fatal oil refinery explosion.) And yet, FERC has publicly declared that it isn't concerned about BP — or even anyone of global-genocidal proportions — owning and/or operating LNG facilities! (BP is an owner in Dominion Cove Point, Maryland, the LNG terminal being eyed for ownership by Russian gas monopoly Gazprom, and that's held up as an example of perfection by Dean Girdis of Downeast LNG.)

CLF warns against ad hoc approach to LNG terminal siting in Northeast — SNL, Charlottesville, VA

To date, all proposed LNG project sites in the region have been advanced on a community-by-community basis and are not based on a coherent strategy for evaluating the overall need for additional LNG import capacity in the region or on rigorously defined criteria for identifying the best potential terminal location, CLF Senior Attorney Roger Fleming said at a recent public meeting in Robbinston, Maine, convened by FERC. (Apr 10)

Seek fortune elsewhere [Letter to the editor] — Bangor Daily News, Bangor, ME

Land grab frustrates Red Head residents — CBC New Brunswick, Canada

The city tried to expropriate the land without a hearing, but the provincial government said no, and now landowners are hoping to get more details about the entire project.

Seven Red Head landowners are fighting the land grab, which will allow a road to be built to the new LNG terminal near Mispec.

Landowners fight LNG access road plans — CBC New Brunswick, Canada

One of the things at issue is the amount of land the city wants for the road. The plans call for a right of way that's at least 50 metres wide.

But Debly argues that's twice the standard for this kind of secondary road. "They figure it's an appropriate buffer zone, but we have questions about the nearness to the house because it'll be behind the house on our property and beside the house on a neighbouring property." (Apr 10)

More than just pipe dreams — Chronicle Herald, Halifax, NS

Keltic’s plan, which has been in the works for the past six years, involves bringing in liquefied natural gas by tanker to supply the petrochemical operation. The firm also plans to build a cogeneration power plant and a new access highway.

[Paul McEachern, head of the 500-member Offshore / Onshore Technology Association of Nova Scotia,] is optimistic both of the proposed Nova Scotia projects will proceed. That’s because Keltic has a supply of gas to fuel both the LNG regasification terminal and provide the feedstock to make plastics at its petrochemical plant, and Anadarko has received crucial environmental permits allowing a LNG terminal to be built on its 72-hectare site, he says.

"Having a permitted LNG site is as rare as hen’s teeth," he says.

Malibu News Flash: Malibu mayor will ask city to fight LNG plant — Malibu Times, Malibu, CA

Report says new Regas plants will lower US gas prices 21% — LNG Express, Houston, TX

In 2005, US imports of LNG totaled some 631 billion cubic feet (bcf). US LNG imports could total as much as 4,900 bcf by 2010 if the three terminals that are under construction and the nine that have been approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission are placed in service. Norman said that the net effect of the new regasification capacity would be a reduction in the price of gas by an estimated 21%. (Apr 7)

US Senate to debate bill to open eastern GOM to drilling: Frist — Platts, New York, NY [Free registration required]

LNG meetings show issue divisive — Bangor Daily News, Bangor, ME

Opponents of the project from Pleasant Point had FERC and U.S. Coast Guard officials writing furiously.

Opponent Vera Francis wondered why a translator had not been provided since, for many, Passamaquoddy was the tribe's first language. She said she wondered why the federal agency had not advertised the meeting in the reservation's newsletter or on its [local] access [cable] channel.

"Why is it that the largest Native American population in all of New England did not receive ample and reasonable notification of this proceeding this evening?" she asked. [Bold red emphasis added.]

WEBMASTER'S COMMENTS: The answers to the above questions are all the same: because the FERC public process is "window dressing," intentionally designed to help LNG developers complete their projects, and to prevent the affected public from protecting their own interests.

Coast Guard Issues FEIS for Compass Port — LNG Law Blog; Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan; Washington, DC

As mandated by the Deepwater Port Act, the FEIS confirms that "by June 11, 2006, the Governors of the adjacent coastal states of Alabama and Mississippi may approve, disapprove, or notify MARAD of inconsistencies with State programs relating to environmental protection, land and water use, and coastal zone management for which MARAD may condition the license to make consistent."

Op-ed: Examine the need for LNG in California — LNG Law Blog; Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan; Washington, DC

An opinion piece in yesterday’s Ventura County Star says state officials, energy companies, newspapers