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Hearing to consider pipeline route from Canaport LNG to United States — LNG Law Blog, Washington, DC
Canada's National Energy Board (NEB) will hold a public hearing on January 28 to consider the best possible route, construction schedule, and methods for the Emera Brunswick Pipeline, which is expected to transport regasified LNG from the Canaport LNG terminal in St. John, New Brunswick, to the United States. (Nov 29)
Supreme Court hears riverfront arguments — The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, PA
At stake is a $600 million liquefied natural gas terminal that energy giant BP wants to build on the New Jersey side of the Delaware River. (Nov 28)
Suit on LNG terminal should be heard in Balto. County, judge rules — The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore, MD
Baltimore County officials say they are allowed to prohibit certain uses, such as LNG terminals, along the waterfront as part of the state and federally sanctioned Coastal Zone Management Act.
AES is appealing a ruling by a federal judge in Baltimore that upheld the restriction. (Nov 27)
Rabaska runs into native rights — The Gazette, Montreal, QC
Before giving Rabaska the federal approval it needs, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency wants to consult with the tiny Maliseet of Viger First Nation, which has ancestral land claims to the Rabaska site.
In a letter to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, acting chief Ernest-Daniel Nicolas noted the band wrote to the Rabaska promoters and the federal government in 2004, informing them of the band's ancestral rights to the site.
But that letter was ignored, he wrote in the band's Nov. 9 letter. (Nov 25)
Quintana might tie into fiber optic line — The Facts, Clute, TX
Fiber optic communication lines are being laid to the island to service, primarily, the Freeport LNG terminal.
After the lines are completed, residents also will have the opportunity to tap the high-speed lines.
“We’re not going to give free communications service,” Henry said. “Anyone can tap into it just like cable, if they want, but they are going to have to pay for it. (Nov 26)
LNG counter to green strategy [Op-ed] — Powell River Peak, Powell River, BC
The BC Energy Plan states coal-fired generation must have sequestration. BC, as part of the green plan, should not go down the route of opening up the province to gas-fired generation. British Columbians are to reduce emissions by 33 per cent by 2020, so it would seem foolish to sanction a policy of fossil fuel burning, thus placing greater burdens on crucial parts of the economy, where meeting targets will be more problematic and failure would cost jobs. (Nov 29)
Safety will be a factor [Letter to the editor] — Powell River Peak, Powell River, BC
In response to the safety concerns, WestPac will complete a risk assessment and consequence analysis that will consider the likelihood of an accidental event and examine the potential impacts that could result. These studies will consider the impact on ferries and the ability to evacuate residents from Texada Island. The results of these studies will form the development of emergency preparedness and contingency and emergency response plans for the facilities. Such plans would be developed in consultation with emergency responders and key service providers, and will focus on the protection of public health and safety. (Nov 29)
Webmaster's Comments: Who would be providing the information that emergency response organizations need to determine their training and infrastructure improvements?
In the case of Maine's Emergency Response Agency's attempt to provide coordinated information and readiness related to the Downeast LNG and Quoddy Bay LNG projects in Passamaquoddy Bay was a miserable two-day boondoggle, with no advice from the state, and with several local emergency responders threatening to walk out.
The LNG industry can't be trusted to look out for the safety interests of local communities when community interests may be at odds with the industry.
Governor: LNG OK, but ... — The Daily Astorian, Astoria, OR
"If he's going to keep his mind open to all possible energy development and not categorically oppose LNG, that's not an unreasonable positions for him to take," said Huhtala. "But the agencies in the state of Oregon made it pretty damn clear that the Bradwood project has so many problems it probably couldn't and shouldn't be redeemed. He should take a stand on the Bradwood project." (Nov 28)
LNG is not a done deal [Editorial] — The Daily Astorian, Astoria, OR
Now that we have in-depth analysis from the state, the shallowness of the Clatsop County Planning Commission's reversal of findings by county planning staff is exposed as a power play utterly without intellectual merit.
It is pleasing to learn that professionals in state agencies are quantifying opinions that have previously been dismissed by LNG supporters as the shrill unsubstantiated cries of worrywart NIMBYs.
This LNG permitting process should not be evaluated as a race for economic development. This should be a strategic, national planning exercise. Instead, we have a horse race among developers of prospective LNG terminals. It is a process that rewards - more than anyone else - Washington, D.C.-based lawyers who specialize in regulatory law. [Red and bold emphasis added.] (Nov 26)
Webmaster's Comments: Some people think that if there are no facts to discredit the opponents, resorting to name-calling (i.e., "NIMBY," "emotional," "moon bat," "tree-hugger," etc.) will somehow be convincing.
Gov.: Companies need to step up PR efforts — Hillsboro Argus, Hillsboro, OR
In a series of letters dated Oct. 30, Kulongoski stopped just short of chiding natural gas developers about the way they've involved the public in their planning to build natural gas infrastructure across western Oregon.
Kulongoski cited reports of meetings being insufficiently noticed, times being changed at the last minute, pipeline routes being changed before meetings without notice to newly affected landowners and company representatives trespassing on private property.
"I have heard that company representatives sometimes come across as unprepared, dismissive and inattentive during public meetings and generally are very heavy handed when working with concerned citizens," Kulongoski wrote. [Red emphasis added.] (Nov 27)
Webmaster's Comments: Governor Kulongoski's complaints ring all--to-familiar here in the Passamaquoddy Bay area, and are indicative of FERC's lack of concern about the rights of the public.
| It's too bad that Maine's Governor Baldacci won't stand up for Maine citizens on the ill-sited, and economically and socially harmful Passamaquoddy Bay LNG projects, like Gov. Kulongoski is doing for Oregon citizens. |
Heed LNG concerns — The Register-Guard, Eugene, OR
[S]tate agencies offered scathing reviews of a 600-page environmental analysis of the project that FERC released in August.
Calling the federal study “incomplete and flawed,” state officials say there is no assurance the facility will meet Oregon’s safety and environmental standards. They also question the glaring absence of any independent assessment of the region’s need for a liquified natural gas facility. “For FERC to make LNG siting decisions in a vacuum without the best available information and scientific data does a huge disservice to the people of Oregon,” says a draft cover letter from the state Energy Department.
Meanwhile, Congress should move swiftly to give states a meaningful role in determining where LNG terminals are located. [Red emphasis added.] (Nov 27)
FERC announces engineering conference on Jordan Cove LNG proposal — LNG Law Blog, Washington, DC
On December 12 FERC will convene an engineering design and technical conference in Coos Bay on the proposed Jordan Cove LNG regasification terminal. The conference will not be open to the public, but intervenors may attend. Advance registration an non-disclosure agreements are required. (Nov 27)
Commissioners delay approval on LNG — The World, Coos Bay, OR
COQUILLE — The Coos County Board of Commissioners postponed its final approval of a land use application Monday that would allow construction of a liquefied natural gas terminal on Coos Bay’s North Spit. (Nov 27)
Thomas Elias: Natural gas supply is unreliable [Op-ed] — Press-Telegram, Long Beach, CA
…Tangguh's [a supplier, along with Shell, to the Baja California terminal supplying Mexico and California] LNG will be a reliable source of income for Sempra, but not even Sempra is willing to call it a reliable source of energy for California. In an exchange of e-mails over several days inviting Larson and Sempra to explain why their LNG should be considered a reliable source of energy for California, he consistently refused any direct response. (Nov 28)
November LNG imports to United States decline 56% from previous monthly total — LNG Law Blog, Washington, DC
LNG cargos and activity at American LNG import terminals … [represent] a 56% month-on-month decline. (Nov 29)
US working gas in storage falls 12 Bcf to 3.528 Tcf: EIA — Platts
The withdrawal fell below the expected range….
Inventories are now 95 Bcf above the five-year average…. [Bold emphasis added.] (Nov 29)
US greenhouse gas emissions fall 1.5% in 2006 from 2005: EIA — Platts
The total US emissions level for 2006 rose 15.1% from 6,146.7 million mt of CO2e in 1990, while 2005 levels were 16.8% higher than 1990.
The report, EIA's 15th annual, presents the agency's latest estimates for CO2, methane, nitrous oxide and other GHG. (Nov 28)
Petro-Canada mulls gas projects in Canada far north — Reuters Canada
Petro-Canada has some 12 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves in Canada's far north, the arctic islands region thousands of miles from potential markets, ice-locked for much of the year and where winter temperatures routinely fall below minus 40 degrees.
"To me it makes a pretty ideal (liquefied natural gas [LNG]) project," Brenneman said at a company-sponsored investment conference. "We've just formed a small team to start looking at the feasibility of that." (Nov 28)
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Montana looks to international law in coal mining dispute with Canada — Independent Record, Helena, MT
Any energy proposal on one side of an international border that puts at risk environmental and economic systems on the other side … is prima facie a violation of international law. [Bold red emphasis added.] (Nov 24)
Webmaster's Comments: The above article strengthens the case against LNG developers Dean Girdis and Rob Wyatt (Downeast LNG), and Donald M. Smith and Brian Smith (Quoddy Bay LNG). Nothing can change the fact that they selected an inappropriate location for their projects.
Canadian coal mine could be delayed [News release] — US Senator Max Baucus of Montana
Baucus has also asked U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to call for an investigation by the International Joint Commission, a panel of both American and Canadian experts charged with preventing and resolving international disputes between the U.S. and Canada. The panel was instrumental, at Baucus' urging, in defeating a similar mining proposal in the same area in 1988. (Mar 30)
Webmaster's Comments: Montana's Senator Baucus seems to be more concerned about cross-border environmental and economic impacts than the Maine's federal delegation, Sen. Olympia Snowe, Sen. Susan Collins, Rep. Michael Michaud, and Rep. Thomas Allen (who now wants to represent this district of Maine as Senator).
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BEP changes mind, grants request by LNG firm to refile — The Quoddy Tides, Eastport, ME
At the November 14 meeting, two BEP members, Matt Scott and Nancy Ziegler, reversed their previous votes opposing the withdrawal request and voted in favor of granting Downeast's request to withdraw the application and refile at a later date. The request to withdraw the application was granted by a vote of 5 – 3.
"Now for the board to rush to a new decision where two members changed their votes, at a meeting that did not clearly state this specific agenda item in advance, and on a huge matter that did not provide for appropriate legal and public participation, is unfortunate, lessens public faith in the whole process and begs a host of questions." (Nov 23)
Webmaster's Comments: The BEP's reversal came after rejecting 8 attempts by DeLNG to corrupt the process. DeLNG's Pierce Atwood attorney Chip Ahrens stated that the reason for withdrawing was not due to having lost Title, Right, or Interest in their proposed pipeling route — even though DeLNG and allies had used that argument in two hearings to justify withdrawal. That leaves the 6 failed pleas made by DeLNG before the BEP — where they attempted to submit testimony after the close of the hearings.
But now, after two additional hearings where the BEP denied DeLNG's attempts to withdraw, two members of the BEP decided to change their votes; they say they had "made a mistake" — after having steadfastly made 8 previous rejections of DeLNG's arguments. What's going on?
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FERC offers comments on Weaver's Cove LNG administrative appeal — LNG Law Blog, Washington, DC
FERC granted approval of the project in July 2007 but notes that its approval of the project was "conditioned on compliance with a number of environmental and safety conditions." (Nov 21)
Webmaster's Comments: FERC bills itself as a "safety agency," and has a Memorandum of Understanding with the Coast Guard to be cooperating agencies. For FERC to issue an LNG terminal permit prior to the Coast Guard issuing its final opinion regarding site location safety is non-cooperative, and illustrates FERC's actual lack of dedication to safety.
When the Coast Guard finds a site location to be unsafe, as with the Weaver's Cove LNG terminal proposal, FERC facilitates undue industry pressure on the Coast Guard, while at the same time, taking itself off the hook.
Suez employs first U.S. mariners under MARAD agreement — LNG Law Blog, Washington, DC
Platts LNG Daily [subscription required] reports that Suez LNG is now using U.S. mariners aboard one of its LNG carriers, the Suez Matthew, pursuant to an agreement between the company and MARAD. (Nov 21)
R.I.P., LNG — The Herald News, Fall River, MA
At a mock funeral for the proposed Weaver’s Cove Energy liquefied natural gas terminal Saturday, opponents of the project gathered outside the North Main Street site to pay their “lack of respects” to a project they believe is now dead. (Nov 18)
LNG proponents wage campaign against river — SouthCoastToday.com, MA
The Weaver's Cove vision of the Taunton River is a bleak one, as noted in their response to the National Park Service's Taunton Wild and Scenic River Study, Draft Report and Environmental Assessment. They describe the last five miles (essentially Fall River and Somerset north of the Braga Bridge) as "almost entirely built up on both banks, with power plants, an inactive oil terminal, roadways, railroads, bridges, power lines, shipyards, sewage treatment plants and large stretches of residential living." In other words, it's so ugly that their terminal can't possibly degrade it any further. Nice neighbors.
The reality is far different. (Nov 9)
Some Oregon agencies critical of LNG plans — AP, The Daily News, Longview, WA
"For FERC to make LNG siting decisions in a vacuum without the best available information and scientific data does a huge disservice to the people of Oregon," says a proposed cover letter drafted by the state Energy Department.
Distrust clouds LNG hearing — The Daily Astorian, Astoria, OR
An air of distrust pervaded Monday's Clatsop County Commission hearing on the land-use application for NorthernStar Natural Gas Co.'s liquefied natural gas project at Bradwood Landing. (Nov 20)
Webmaster's Comments: The proposed NorthernStar Bradwood Landing LNG terminal would require LNG ships to pass within one-quarter of a mile from Astoria (due to the height of the Astoria Megler Bridge) — placing downtown Astoria in the LNG ship "Zones of Concern" #1 and #2 (the most-extreme hazard zones) — and to transit an approximate 32-mile, winding, inland water transit, near people, and in conflict with other existing uses — all warned against by the LNG industry's own standards, developed and published by SIGTTO.
Natural gas pipeline concerns justified [Opinion] — Woodburn Independent, Woodburn, OR
Also, farmers are not allowed to plant anything within 25 feet of either side of the pipeline. That is ludicrous. The gas companies say the farmers will be "fairly compensated" but how do you put a value on lost land over the course of a lifetime? You can't.
Also, in order to put this pipeline through, the gas companies will have to cut down a lot of trees along the Willamette and Pudding Rivers. Those trees, however, are vital to soil stability and survival of the fish habitat. The trees provide shade, which keeps the water temperature livable for these fish.
FERC officials to visit LNG site — The World, Coos Bay, OR
According to a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission notice, staff of the Office of Energy Projects will pay a visit to the Jordan Cove liquefied natural gas terminal site on Tuesday, Dec. 11. (Nov 22)
Webmaster's Comments: If FERC paid any attention to the LNG industry's own terminal siting standards, as developed and published by SIGTTO, the Jordan Cove terminal site proposal would have disappeared long ago.
LNG promoters try end run through Oregon [Editorial] — Santa Monica Mirror, Santa Monica, CA
So far, promoters like Houston-based NorthernStar Natural Gas and the Canadian Fort Chicago energy firm have made five proposals to build LNG receiving facilities along the picturesque Oregon coast, from the mouth of the Columbia River at Astoria to the waters off the small but lovely town of Coos Bay.
If all were built, they would bring in more than five times the amount of natural gas Oregon can consume anytime in the next 50 years.
For sure, LNG would likely cost more than the conventional gas supplies now coming here from Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Wyoming, and the Canadian province of Alberta. (Nov 22-28)
Fears of LNG come to westside--and Palisades — Palisadian-Post, Pacific Palisades, CA
If Woodside's plans were approved today, the company would alternate between two identical regasification ships in Santa Monica Bay. At a buoy 28 miles off Dockweiler Beach, one ship would regasify that load from a near-frozen, liquefied state and deliver the gas through two 24-inch-wide pipelines that would travel along the ocean bottom. (Nov 7)
NATS: Relatively low U.S. gas prices sending LNG cargos to Europe — LNG Law Blog, Washington, DC
Low U.S. gas prices are keeping the Cove Point and Lake Charles LNG terminals operating at low levels of utilization and the Excelerate Gulf Gateway facility is idle, according to NATS. (Nov 20)
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FRIENDS MOURN WOMAN'S DEATH — Saint Croix Courier, St. Stephen, NB
Photographer Jenna Sullivan is remembered in St. Andrews for her spirit and smile.
After finishing school in the spring she returned to Sweet Harvest Market, and her calendar project was born when she took a photograph of her roommate, who is a member of one of the featured bands, then they decided to donate the proceeds to Save Passamaquoddy Bay.
Downeast LNG to file new state applications next year — Saint Croix Courier, St. Stephen, NB
"We now will be able to come back before the board next year with a new pipeline route and additional information that addresses concerns raised by board members following the public hearings last summer. A more complete record will enable the BEP to make a more informed decision on our project," said company president Dean Girdis. (Nov 20)
Webmaster's Comments: Despite the BEP hearing, that disclosed — among numerous other problems with DeLNG's testimony — the need for a two-year lobster study before any permit should be considered, Downeast LNG President Dean Girdis has already announced that they'll present their permit applications to the State of Maine in 2008 — one year premature!
If Downeast LNG should have learned anything from the BEP hearing, it would be "do your homework before filing your state applications" — something that DeLNG previously hadn't even come close to doing, and that Girdis has arrogantly indicated he isn't going to do in the future.
Apparently, DeLNG's President Dean Girdis modus operandi (M.O.; method of operation) is to be "information challenged," working toward getting slapped down again in 2008.
Group demands LNG moratorium — Powell River Peak, Powell River, BC
Denise Reinhardt, a spokeswoman for Malaspina Communities for Public Power (MCPP), presented a resolution to New Democratic Party (NDP) MLA Nicholas Simons, who represents the Powell River-Sunshine Coast riding, which calls for no LNG terminal and plant on Texada Island or "anywhere on the coast of BC."
WestPac has backed off for a year, Simpson added, only because of the work of the people in the community who oppose it. "The people in the community deserve all the credit for that," he said. "But as you know, they have backed off for now, but they have not gone away." (Nov 22)
Law prevents Texada LNG vote — Powell River Peak, Powell River, BC
Colin Palmer is the regional board chairman and Electoral Area C director. "It was just quite clear that local government simply cannot have a referendum on an opinion," he said. "And neither can we kind of do some end run around such a thing and spend money on it. That would be illegal as well."
TAN [Texada Action Now] is not dismissing the idea of a referendum, but it doesn't think it's as urgent as it seemed to be a month or two ago, Childress added. "I think it's clear to everyone that an overwhelming majority of people on Texada Island don't want the WestPac project to go ahead," he said. "If we think in the future that a referendum is necessary, we're willing to go ahead with it by finding an impartial third party to conduct it and TAN would be willing to pay for it." (Nov 22)
Webmaster's Comments: It's a curious democracy that doesn't allow its citizens to vote on issues that affect their lives and well-being.
Terasen Gas building LNG storage — Powell River Peak, Powell River, BC
WestPac LNG, an Alberta-based private company, has proposed a combined LNG import terminal and natural gas-fired electrical generation facility on the north end of Texada Island. Plans for the $2-billion project include two onshore LNG storage tanks, each with a capacity up to 165,000 cubic metres, and an interconnection with the existing Terasen natural gas pipeline from the mainland to Vancouver Island.
Stu Leson, WestPac's vice-president of business development, said the announcement shows LNG is an important part of Terasen's supply portfolio, and it is complementary to WestPac's proposal for Texada. "We were certainly aware of the Terasen proposal and the kind of peaking facility they are going to put in," he said. "There's quite a difference between the type of facility that they're putting in and the type that we're putting in."
Chuck Childress, chairman of TAN (Texada Action Now), said the Terasen facility hurts WestPac's proposal slightly. "Basically, it lets Terasen be more efficient in its delivery of natural gas to Vancouver Island," he said. "It lets them do it in a more cost-effective manner, which then makes some of the arguments WestPac has been making redundant." (Nov 22)
State agencies worry about LNG proposal — KTVZ-TV, Bend, OR
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Oregon's government has said little about whether a liquefied natural gas import terminal should go up on the Columbia River above Astoria.
But in preliminary comments reviewed by The Oregonian, numerous state agencies are critical of an environmental review that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued in August. (Nov 22)
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LNG company vows new push for Fall River plant — AP, Boston Herald, Boston, MA
BOSTON - The company hoping to build a liquefied natural gas terminal in Fall River is forging ahead even after the Coast Guard rejected the proposal last month.
"Weaver’s Cove could present an entirely new proposal, which would require the Coast Guard to conduct an entirely new analysis," Coast Guard Senior Chief Richard Uronis said.
Webmaster's Comments: In other words, Weavers Cove LNG can continue to burn up taxpayers' money, even though their project has no future. The Weavers Cove project violates SIGTTO LNG-industry terminal siting standards — standards that FERC ignored and violated when they granted a permit for the project.
If FERC actually were a safety agency instead of an instrument of industry, they would take the Coast Guard's opinion into account before and in deliberation of issuing a permit, rather than issuing a permit and then asking for the Coast Guard's opinion regarding safety and security.
Why haven't our federal delegation — Sen. Olympia Snowe, Sen. Susan Collins, Rep. Mike Michaud, and Rep. Tom Allen — attempted to fix this obvious and wasteful cart-before-the-horse?
Largest onshore LNG plant proposed in Florida — Reuters UK
Floridian Natural Gas Storage LLC plans a facility in southeast Florida that would liquefy gas from pipelines and store it for later regasification and send out to users, partner Bradley Williams told a Rice University conference.
Each of the storage tanks on site would be capable of holding 190,000 cubic meters of LNG, the equivalent of 4 billion cubic feet of gas, Williams said. The facility would be much larger than the 100 onshore LNG facilities already used to meet peak gas demand across the United States, Williams said. (Nov 16)
Lack of supply delays Texas LNG terminal construction, an Industrial Info News Alert [Press release] — Yahoo Finance [Free registration required]
SUGAR LAND, TX--(MARKET WIRE)--Nov 15, 2007 -- Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas) -- Occidental Energy Ventures Corporation, a subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:OXY - News), is in the process of securing liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply for its Ingleside Energy Center near Corpus Christi in Gregory, Texas. (Nov 15)
Future of Alberta oil could be decided in B.C. — CanWest News Service
[P]lans that could see the construction of a West Coast LNG terminal in the next decade could play a role in ultimately short-circuiting the controversial $16.2-billion pipeline that was originally envisioned as bringing natural gas from the northern expanses of the Beaufort Sea to the gas-hungry markets of the United States.
Obviously unasked questions abound. What, for example, if anything, will LNG imports do to already depressed North American natural gas prices? North American natural gas is currently priced independent of European or Asian markets. Will a market fuelled by new LNG imports be subject to price wars? Or, more importantly, will price surges develop as competitors bid for the increasingly valuable fuel? (Nov 18)
States, feds, counties all will have say in LNG's OK, FERC says — The Daily News, Longview, WA
So who has the authority to approve NorthernStar's liquefied natural gas terminal, anyway? Is it the feds? The counties? The state agencies?
The answer, according to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, is all of the above.
Paul Friedman, a FERC environmental project manager who is working on the proposal, said the Natural Gas Act and the Energy Policy Act of 2005 give FERC "total authority" to site onshore LNG facilities. In most cases, FERC, he said, can override the decisions made by counties in Washington and Oregon.
Friedman confirmed that if Cowlitz County denied NorthernStar's permits, the project could still be built per FERC's authority.
So why bother approving permits in Cowlitz County?
"It's a voluntary thing, but we think they should do it," Friedman said of the local process. "It's one way of proving to us that you're going to reduce environmental damage by following local procedures." (Nov 18)
Webmaster's Comments: This is more evidence of the cockamamie FERC process.
Clatsop County asks FERC to honor local land use decisions on Bradwood LNG — Small Town Papers News Service
At the board of commissioners' public hearing on the project Oct. 22, county staff was surprised by testimony suggesting that FERC could simply overrule any local conditions imposed on the project, in defiance of the Coastal Zone Management Act and the Energy Policy Act, according to a Clatsop County press release issued late last week. (Nov 16)
Science is factual [Letter to the editor] — The Daily Astorian, Astoria, OR
It was with some amusement that we listened to the Northern Star spokesman call Dr. Jerry Havens a "hired gun" at the Federal Energy Regulatory Committee meeting on Nov. 8 in Knappa. It is an old public relations trick: If you can't dispute the message, attack the messenger.
We feel a fact check is in order. Havens, a professor of chemical engineering at the University of Arkansas and a nationally respected expert on liquefied natural gas, is the scientist who wrote the U.S. Coast Guard model used by FERC to determine the vapor cloud exclusion zones. Havens has repeatedly expressed his concerns that FERC is incorrectly calculating the results of an LNG spill. (Nov 16)
Webmaster's Comments: If FERC doesn't calculate LNG vapor dispersion models properly — according to the author of those models — how can FERC call itself a "safety" agency?
BP begins production from Trinidad's Mango offshore field — MarketWatch.com, Dow Jones
Gas from Mango will supply Atlantic LNG's liquefaction plant for export as LNG to international markets - including the U.S., as well as the domestic market.
Webmaster's Comments: Two things:
- Trinidad's natural gas supply is due to run out in 12 years; and,
- BP isn't exactly a company that exudes safety — with its lack of corporate safety culture, it's record of fatalities and accidents, the criminal investigation that's currently being conducted about the company — it's more like a company that should be kept as far away from our shores as possible!
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BEP reconsiders; Downeast LNG can withdraw & re-file — WQDY-FM, Calais, ME
Reached for comment, [Save Passamaquoddy Bay attorney] Ron Shems told WQDY News, "I think what today shows is almost desperate behavior by Downeast LNG to want to start over. They rushed into this. Their application was not put together well, they didn't have the studies, there were lots of problems with what they wanted to do. That became apparent at the July hearings and so they want to start over."
"This takes a project in a very competitive and time-sensitive industry and puts it back a couple of years, so now I really question the viability of the project," Shems said.
"This is a blow to public participation in the permitting process because there was an enormous effort on everyone's behalf for the citizens to participate, and to simply go through this again because Downeast chose to jump the gun and not do a good job is to make everyone have to go through it again. Their feet should have been held to the fire," Shems told us. [Red emphasis added.]
BEP reversal lets Downeast LNG revise plan — Bangor Daily News, Bangor, ME
"We now will be able to come back before the board next year with a new pipeline route and additional information that addresses concerns raised by board members following the public hearings last summer," [Downeast LNG's] president, Dean Girdis, said in a statement. "A more complete record will enable the BEP to make a more informed decision on our project."
Save Passamaquoddy Bay representatives also suggested that by reconsidering its thoroughly deliberated earlier decision, the board could be undermining public confidence in the integrity of the BEP.
After the vote, Save Passamaquoddy Bay attorney Ronald Kreisman urged the board to make sure Downeast LNG files all of the required information next time to avoid additional "dry runs" by the company. [Red and bold emphasis added.]
Webmaster's Comments: Even though the week-long BEP hearings in July brought forth the need to conduct a two-year lobster study, Downeast LNG is already saying they'll be re-submitting their applications next year — a year too early to complete the study.
By withdrawing, it's clear that Downeast LNG was ill-prepared when they submitted their state applications, and after an expensive taxpayer-financed hearing and vetting by the Department of Environmental Protection that demonstrated Downeast LNG's lack of diligence, after intervenors dealt in good faith by following the rules, and after eight failed attempts by Downeast LNG to subvert the state's regulatory system by trying to submit information after the record was closed and attempting to withdraw their applications, the developer finally got permission to withdraw.
There should be no doubt in anyone's mind that Downeast LNG intends to continue its abuse of the regulatory process.
Board allows LNG developer to withdraw application — Boston Globe, Boston, MA
"My clients are already wondering what's going on here," attorney Ron Shems told the BEP.
Canadian officials have threatened to block LNG tankers from passing through their waters en route to either Robbinston or another LNG facility proposed for nearby Pleasant Point. [Red emphasis added.]
Webmaster's Comments: Canada hasn't "threatened" to block LNG transits; it has been stated at the highest level — face-to-face from Prime Minister Harper to President Bush — that they will block them.
The US Department of State's false assertion that LNG tankers have a right to transit Canada's Head Harbour Passage — when Canada has the same right as the US Coast Guard has to assess the Head Harbour Passage waterway, and where appropriate, to prohibit LNG transits to the proposed Downeast LNG and Quoddy Bay LNG ports — is merely a red herring.
| The US State Department is telling the world that the US Coast Guard doesn't have the authority it has been given by Congress!
US Senator Olympia Snowe has been aping that same aspersion.
Relying on the State Department's deceit, FERC and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection act as though the proposed LNG projects can actually receive LNG by ship, and are wasting taxpayers' money vetting projects that have no future.
It's time that US and Maine bureaucrats and politicians be taken to task on this matter, to stop this uncontrolled hemorrhaging of state and federal tax money.
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To Dean Giridis and his Local Supporters — Google Groups [Quoddy]
This is not selfish NIMBY, it's all about Quoddy citizens protecting our lives, our businesses, our homes, and the unique environment that binds us to this place. A small number of LNG jobs in Maine and no re
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