Senate tries to get the jump on ocean projects — Cape Cod Times, Cape Cod, MA
In a speech to the Senate, O'Leary said the legislation would allow the state to determine appropriate sites for projects in state waters before developers apply. The plan would set out performance standards, mitigation requirements and limitations for different areas of the coast.
"Massachusetts has an opportunity to be a national leader in supporting our historic fishing communities, while balancing growing interests in our marine resources in a manner that protects our environment," he said in a statement.
Congressman urges consideration of Broadwater LNG report — Energy Current, Houston, TX
USA: Congressman Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) has asked officials at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to consider the findings of an environmental report before finalizing the environmental impact statement (EIS) of the Broadwater liquefied natural gas (LNG). The report, entitled OSV Bold Survey Report, was completed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection and the National Undersea Research Center at the University of Connecticut.
In a letter to FERC dated Aug. 22, Courtney said researchers discovered the presence of dense aggregations of finger sponges, northern star coral and erect bryozoans, as well as numerous lobster burrows, in the area where the project would be constructed, none of which were documented in the FERC draft EIS. [Red and bold emphasis added.] (Sep 25)
LNG expansion gets go-ahead — Savannah Morning News, Savannah, GA
After the expansion, Elba will be tied with Lake Charles, La., as the largest of those facilities, with storage capacity of 15.7 billion cubic feet and send-out capacity of 2.1 billion cubic feet per day, said Tamara Young-Allen, a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission spokeswoman.
"A substantial marine LNG release with ignition resulting in a pool fire may cost more than [?] million and include severe damage to shore-side facilities; potential total loss of the LNG vessel and cargo; fatalities; and closure of the port for up to 14 days."
That's too rosy a picture, said Chuck Watson, a Savannah-based hazards analyst who ran computer models using less-optimistic assumptions than FERC's. The probability of an accident or an attack is low, he said, but the consequences could be grave.
His models show a larger area affected by intense heat in the event of a spill and subsequent fire at the terminal. "Their risk radii are at the low end," he said. "I just don't buy the whole thing." [Red emphasis added.]
Regional board rejects LNG motion — The Powell River Peak, Powell River, BC
Texada Island director puts forward referendum motion that other representatives refuse to adopt. (Sep 27)
Website bug bites county — News-Register, McMinville, OR
Commissioner Mary Stern, heeding the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's advice to submit testimony electronically, logged onto the FERC website about 1:45 p.m. Monday Pacific time — 15 minutes before deadline of 5 p.m. Eastern time. But the agency was experiencing technical difficulties with its website, so the county's comments missed the mark slightly.
"I submitted it," she said Wednesday. "I don't know if they're going to accept it." (Sep 27)
LNG hearings coming up — The Malibu Times, Malibu, CA
The U.S. Maritime Administration [MARAD] is holding a preliminary public hearing this week on Wednesday for the proposed Oceanway liquefied natural gas facility, which would be located more than 20 miles off Malibu.
LNG proposal unveiled — Press Telegram, Long Beach, CA
OceanWay of Santa Monica reviews bay terminal plans.
A Santa Monica company planning a liquefied natural gas terminal off the coast of Los Angeles International Airport rolled out its proposal Wednesday to a group of both supporters and skeptics, previewing the start of a long and likely controversial approval process.
Tankers carrying LNG would link up to specially equipped Woodside ships at least 35 miles from shore, where the liquid would be vaporized using an air regassification system. (Sep 27)
Webmaster's Comments: Another offshore project, 35-miles away from the public, using the latest technology, rather than 30-year-old shoreside terminal technology like that proposed by Downeast LNG and Quoddy Bay LNG.
Company floats offshore LNG terminal plan — The Daily Breeze, Torrence, CA
Plan is met with vocal criticism from elected officials from the South Bay to Malibu.
Woodside Natural Gas, an affiliate of an Australian energy company, wants to plant a pair of buoys in 3,000-foot-deep waters beyond the Santa Monica Bay. (Sep 27)
Malibu officials and activists challenge procedures at first hearing on OceanWay LNG proposal — Malibu Surfside News, Malibu, CA
Polite anger was simmering at a Wednesday night hearing on a proposed liquefied natural gas terminal 21 miles off Malibu, when a City of Los Angeles official refused to disclose information about how L.A. City Hall will make its decision on the controversial proposal.
Two Malibu City Council members started the session by publicly criticizing an L.A. City Department of Public Works official for not telling anyone in Malibu about the unexpectedly scheduled hearing, and for not holding one in Malibu, the closest city to the offshore project.
CITY STONEWALLING
The Los Angeles City project manager, Linda Moore, startled the Coast Guard official moderating the meeting when she said, “I would prefer not to [explain just how the city will handle its decision-making process].”
One surprise came near the end of the meeting, when Keith Lesnick, the director of deepwater ports for the federal Maritime Administration, revealed that the BHP Billiton project off Malibu would have faced a federal veto had the state of California not killed it last April. [Bold red emphasis added.] (Sep 27)
Get informed about LNG debate [Editorial] — Ventura County Reporter, Ventura, CA
Whether one supports or opposes the project, it is reasonable to demand that a proposal is significant as an LNG terminal receives as much public scrutiny as possible. If you oppose liquefied natural gas, it is not responsible to expect that others will express your concerns for you. You need to fight your own battles. [Red bold emphasis added.] (Sep 27)
ANALYSIS—More heating than cooling not a problem for LNG — Reuters UK
LONDON, Sept 24 (Reuters) — Having double the capacity for heating liquified gas for use than there is equipment to super-cool it into liquid for shipping from producing countries is not a problem — its what the global LNG market says it needs. (Sep 24)
Webmaster's Comments: It's also part of what's wrong with the LNG terminal permitting process: considering terminal locations that are entirely inappropriate and unneeded.
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Experts split on research into heat — Telegraph-Journal, Saint John, NB
Safety: No data exists on a large-scale LNG tanker spill or fire because none has occurred
In Passamaquoddy Bay, where LNG tankers [would] thread through Head Harbour Passage and then Western Passage en route to proposed terminals in Maine, the larger two-kilometre distance takes in a more significant swath of Campobello and Deer islands.
It would include the villages of Wilsons Beach on Campobello Island and Fairhaven, Cummings Cove and Chocolate Cove on Deer Island.
On the Maine coast, the larger distance would encompass the town of Eastport.
Webmaster's Comments: The article omits that almost all of Pleasant Point (Sipayik) and the downtown of St. Andrews would also be encompassed by the hazard zones.
To view the extent of the ships' hazard zones on Campobello Island, Deer Island, Eastport, and Pleasant Point (Sipayik), see our Hazard Zone Communities page. Illustrations on that page show the Hazard Zones for the Quoddy Bay LNG project's ships; however, the Downeast LNG ships would take the same route — with the same Hazard Zones — except they wouldn't dock at Sipayik, but would continue northward to Robbinston.
BEP denies Downeast LNG application withdrawal request — WQDY-FM
Downeast LNG President Dean Girdis told the Bangor Daily News last week the application is missing critical information from the Maine Department of Marine Resources and other additional studies.
"We'll continue with our proposal, we believe it's a good proposal. [It's] unfortunate they didn't let us put that information in because it would have benefited the process.…" Girdis explained.
"…The fact that they have not done their due diligence, that they had not done what was necessary to protect the public is on their shoulders, not on the BEP, not on anybody else other than them," [Save Passamaquoddy Bay coordinator Linda Godfrey] said.
"Downeast LNG has made four [FOUR!!!] previous unsuccessful attempts to inappropriately use the back door in this process." [from a Save Passamaquoddy Bay news release.]
"Save Passamaquoddy Bay does not speak for the people of Washington County. They often act like they do speak for the people of Washington County. I think the 80-percent of the people that voted for the Downeast LNG project in Robbinston speak more for the people of Robbinston, Maine," Girdis said. [Red and bold emphasis added.] (Sep 21)
Webmaster's Comments: Girdis says he believes that 310 people* in Robbinston represent the wishes of the entirety of Washington County — some 35,000 people. Girdis's concept of "democracy" and "public opinion" should be a warning to everyone.
Girdis readily admits that his "application is missing critical information." He's had years to prepare that information, but wants to start working on it only now — now, after the Board of Environmental Protection hearing.
Girdis is crying that he didn't get a fair shake. The obvious truth is that Girdis didn't perform his due diligence in determining…
- Terminal site location;
- Need for the project;
- Political sentiment of the greater Passamaquoddy Bay communitiy;
- Strength and determination of the opposition;
- Access to the waterway;
- Requirements for the Maine permitting process.
Girdis thought he could get by without satisfying the state requirements. Girdis, Wyatt, and Downeast LNG have had several years to make their bed, but are now unwilling to lie down in it.
* The vote in Robbinston was 227 to 83.
LNG importers challenge Algonquin Pipeline nitrogen limit — LNG Law Blog, Washington, DC
Statoil Natural Gas, an importer at the Cove Point LNG terminal in Maryland, challenged the proposed nitrogen limit, asserting in a technical affidavit that such a limit would reduce the amount of global LNG supplies that could enter the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast to under 60%. Similarly, BP Energy argued that Algonquin's nitrogen limit would "limit U.S. access to available supplies" of LNG.
Webmaster's Comments: In other words, the LNG importers want to import "hot" LNG — LNG that has a greater hazard potential to unconfined explosion. "Hot" LNG results in "hot" natural gas. "Hot" means that the gas contains high content of hydrocarbons other than methane, such as propane, methane, butane, etc. These other hydrocarbons burn at a higher temperature and are more prone to unconfined explosion than methane. (Note: Terminology for "hot" hydrocarbons includes "heavy" and "wet".)
To solve this problem, LNG terminals must either remove these hot hydrocarbons, or must dilute the regasified LNG with non-burning nitrogen. Removing the hot hydrocarbons could be problematic: (1) Extracting the hot hydrocarbons presents an additional hazard to the surrounding community, (2) Extraction requires additional investment in facilities, (3) The extracted hydrocarbons then require a customer, or some other means of disposal, and (4) The extraction facility requires additional permitting.
MARAD working hard to develop US-flagged LNG fleet: Administrator — Platts [Free registration required]
US-flagged vessels would not have to be built in the US, but they would have to be entirely staffed by US citizens trained in the US, which would be more expensive than hiring a crew from developing countries.
While the number of LNG tankers worldwide is growing rapidly--from 222 at the beginning of 2007 to an estimated 373 by year's end--the number of qualified merchant seamen is set to plummet, with an estimated 30,000-officer shortfall in the next decade or so. (Sep 25)
Winter weather could affect LNG imports to United States — LNG Law Blog, Washington, DC
A private meteorology firm, WSI, told Platts LNG Daily that it expects most regions of the United States to experience warmer-than-usual temperatures over the next three months….
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Passamaquoddy suit to stop gas terminal finds new life — Indian Country Today, Canastota, NY
BOSTON — A federal appeals court has ruled that a group of Passamaquoddy Indians can move forward with a lawsuit they hope will stop a liquefied natural gas terminal development on tribal land.
In finding that the group has legal standing, the panel said the group's ''concrete and particularized interest is clear: They not only live very near Split Rock, but they also use the land and surrounding waters for a variety of ceremonial and community purposes.''
''The dispute before us is not over the hypothetical construction and operation of an LNG terminal, but the allegedly improper approval of the lease that is the prerequisite to the terminal. While the construction of the terminal is hypothetical and uncertain at this juncture, the approval of the lease is complete. The BIA has made its decision,'' Torruella wrote. (Sep 24)
UNESCO adds 23 reserves to Man and the Biosphere Network — Environment News Service
The 23 new biosphere reserves are: Cape Winelands, South Africa; Noosa, Australia; Western Nghe An, Vietnam; Marawah Biosphere Reserve, United Arab Emirates; Jabal Al Rihane, Lebanon; Manicouagan Uapishka, Canada; Fundy, Canada; Sierra de Alamos - RÌo Cuchujaqui, Mexico; Apaneca-Llamatepec, El Salvador; Xiriualtique Jiquitizco, El Salvador; Andino Norpatagonica, Argentina; Pereyra Iraola, Argentina; Bosques Templados Lluviosos de los Andes Australes, Chile; Agua y Paz, Costa Rica; Podocarpus-El Condor, Ecuador; And Atoll, Federated States of Micronesia; Al-Reem, Qatar; Mongol Daguur, Mongolia; Chebaling, China; Xingkai Lake, China; Corvo Island, Portugal; Graciosa Island, Portugal; Rio Eo, Oscos y Terras de Buron, Spain. [Bold red emphasis added.] (Sep 20)
Bay State may benefit from Canadian LNG — Gloucester Daily Times, Gloucester, MA
Part of the argument against two offshore liquefied natural gas ports southeast of Gloucester, one of which is under construction and to be operational by December, was the prospect of increased delivery from Canada with a company — Repsol, of Madrid, Spain — that is a producer of natural gas. (Sep 23)
Connecticut Congressman raises environmental concerns in letter to FERC on Broadwater proposal — LNG Law Blog, Washington, DC
Citing environmental concerns raised by a recent study of the effects of pipeline infrastructure on marine life near the proposed Broadwater LNG terminal site, Congressman Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) urges FERC to revisit its findings in the project's draft environmental impact statement.
Liquid natural gas plant gets final approval — Victoria Advocate, Victoria, TX
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission voted late Thursday to grant permission for construction to proceed on a new liquid natural gas terminal and supporting facilities at the port, according to the commission's news release.
The operation would involve importing natural gas being burned off as waste in countries such as Trinidad and Nigeria. Ships delivering liquid gas would be brought from the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway through the Matagorda Ship Channel to the port where it would be vaporized and stored. The liquids would become feedstock for the area's chemical plants and natural gas would be transported by pipelines throughout the U.S., officials said. (Sep 22)
BP's Hayward warns of "dreadful" revenue — Energy Current, Houston, TX
Hayward pointed to missing revenues from BP's Texas City refinery, where 15 workers were killed in an accident in 2005, and its Whiting refinery, as well as delays in getting production started at some big projects, as some of the reasons for BP's underperformance.
Webmaster's Comments: BP's dismal safety record — costing numerous workers' lives over the decades — is finally coming home to roost, in language that BP can understand.
Betsy Johnson pierces the sham [Editorial] — The Daily Astorian, Astoria, OR
Last Tuesday, Sen. Johnson did an effective job of challenging the federal bureaucrats to tell us a measure of truth. At the hearing of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Johnson exposed the Alice-in-Wonderland process by which liquefied natural gas terminals are being approved.
In the end, the FERC hearing appeared to be nothing but an insubstantial item on a preapproval checklist, a potentially empty exercise designed to fulfill a requirement for public input. We all know that the chance of FERC saying no to either of the now-pending LNG proposals is nil. At the end of the day, after cosmetic tweaking, the companies will get the go-ahead unless Oregon's congressional leaders and governor actively engage in vetoing their plans.
Flying in to fight pipeline — News-Register, McMinnville, OR
"Our grandfather was very forward-thinking," she said. He felt, for example, that electricity should be available to the public at "postage-stamp" rates.
"He also said we should never become dependent on foreign oil," Saroni recalled. "People laughed, because gasoline was only a penny a gallon."
"There is no way to mitigate the financial loss to our small family-operated business," Saroni told the FERC staff. "The market value we will be forced to accept will not include the future value of timber we will be prohibited from growing on the easement, yet we will be forced to pay forever property taxes on the lost acres." (Sep 22)
Cross-border gas project fuels pollution fear — Union-Tribune, San Diego, CA
Sempra's gas will bring hundreds of tons of additional air pollution to a region already struggling to improve some of the worst air in the United States.
The Sempra fuel is “hot gas” in industry parlance, laden with compounds such as butane, propane and ethane that cause substantially more nitrous-oxide pollution when burned than most gas now used in Southern California. (Sep 23)
Offshore regas terminals pursuing advanced technologies — LNG Law Blog, Washington, DC
Consulting with several LNG companies and independent experts, Platts LNG Daily surveys the dramatic pace of technological innovation that offshore regasification terminal proposals have been pursuing. (Sep 24)
Webmaster's Comments: Offshore LNG terminals are innovative, use newer technology, and are safer than shoreside terminals like Downeast LNG and Quoddy Bay LNG.
NATS: September LNG regas rates in United States similar to last year's — LNG Law Blog, Washington, DC
NATS notes that the U.S. market was affected by a record-level gas inventory build-up in preceding months, similar to conditions last year.
Linde forms global alliance with SBM to build floating LNG liquefaction plants for offshore natural gas fields [Press release] — Market Wire, Yahoo Finance
WIESBADEN, GERMANY--(MARKET WIRE)--Sep 20, 2007 -- Munich, 20 September 2007 - Linde has formed a Global Alliance with Single Buoying Mooring Inc. ("SBM") to develop and market Floating Production, Storage and Offloading units ("FPSO") for the growing Liquid Natural Gas ("LNG") industry, based on Linde's proprietary natural gas liquefaction technology. (Sep 20)
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Maine: Co. can't pull LNG application
The following are versions of the Sep 21 AP story that appeared in the Press Herald
"ST. STEPHEN, New Brunswick (AP) - The Maine Board of Environmental Protection has rejected a U.S. company's request to withdraw its application for a liquefied natural gas terminal that has drawn fire from New Brunswickers and the Canadian government." — AP
— AP, Forbes, New York, NY
Forbes story.
— AP, Netscape Money & Business
Netscape Money & Business story. (Sep 21)
— AP, ForexTV, Plainview & New York, NY
ForexTV story. (Sep 21)
— AP, Houston Chronicle, Houston, TX
Houston Chronicle story. (Sep 21)
— AP, ABCmoney.co.uk
ABCmoney story. (Sep 21)
— AP, Hemscott, London, UK
Hemscott story.
Maine Board rejects company's request to withdraw LNG terminal application — AP, Canadian Business, Toronto, ON
Canadian Business story: The same AP story as in the Sep 21 Press Herald. (Sep 21)
Maine Board rejects request to withdraw LNG terminal application — AP, WCSH-TV, Portland, ME
WCHS-TV story: Abbreviation of story in the Sep 21 Press Herald. (Sep 21)
Bulletins: Downeast LNG rejected in Maine — The Providence Journal, Providence, RI
Downeast LNG, a closely held company backed by private equity investors Kestrel Energy Partners LLC, was blocked yesterday by Maine regulators from refiling an application to build a liquefied-natural-gas plant in the state. (Sep 21)
Maine denies developer's LNG application withdrawal — DownstreamToday.com
Downstream Today: Same story as the Bangor Daily News story. (Sep 21)
U.S. firm ignores Canadian gov't — The Daily News, Halifax, NS
"Canada will not allow LNG tankers to travel through Head Harbour Passage," said [spokeswoman for Federal Minister Greg Thompson], Beverly Desjarlais. (Aug 22)
BP explosion trial ends early with 4 settlements — Houston Chronicle, Houston, TX
Still pending for the company is a resolution to an ongoing criminal investigation headed by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Houston, which began in early 2006.
[T]he U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board concluded after a two-year investigation that a combination of cost-cutting, a lack of vigilance and a lack of investment in training and mechanical integrity put the Texas City plant on a course to disaster.
Parus testified that he looked into the refinery's deadly history after three deaths occurred there in 2004, and found 22 deaths in the previous 30 years. A 23rd death came later. [Red emphasis added.] (Sep 18)
Webmaster's Comments: LNG developers and FERC like to tell the public that companies don't want accidents, so they'll operate safely. BP, one of the world's largest oil & gas companies, is in the LNG business. BP's miserable safety record demonstrates why FERC should stop spreading that falsehood, and why FERC should be more selective regarding what companies are allowed to apply for LNG permits.
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Maine board: Developer can't withdraw LNG application — AP, Portland Press Herald, Portland, ME
The Maine Board of Environmental Protection has rejected a U.S. company's request to withdraw its application for a liquefied natural gas terminal that has drawn fire from New Brunswickers and the Canadian government.
The Board of Environmental Protection, which staged public hearings this year, will be releasing its decision next year as planned.
A member of Save Passamaquoddy Bay, a citizens group in Maine that opposes the proposed terminal, welcomed the board's decision.
"They would be diminishing the significance of permit hearings, while simultaneously creating unreasonable expense and burden to the state, interveners and the public," Robert Godfrey said.
"Even though (Downeast LNG) knew the exact issues and requirements they needed to address long before they filed their permit application, they chose not to answer a number of critical concerns during the application and hearing process."
Maine: Co. can't pull LNG application — Yahoo Finance
[This is the same AP story as in the Portland Press Herald, above, but this link goes to the Yahoo story.]
Canada may ban LNG supertankers — Maritime Executive, Fort Lauderdale, FL
If Canada does choose to ban supertankers, and is successful in doing so, it would render two proposed LNG terminals on the Maine side of the bay useless, as Head Harbour Passage is the only route LNG tankers can physically use to enter the bay.
Webmaster's Comments: The headline should read "Canada has banned LNG supertankers," and the first sentence should be changed to reflect that same reality.
Canadian appeals court upholds Brunswick Pipeline decision — LNG Law Blog, Washington, DC
Canada's Federal Court of Appeal has dismissed a request by a local environmental group to overturn regulatory approval granted to Emera to build a gas pipeline from Canaport LNG to the Canada-U.S. border.
Ocean advocates fight offshore LNG 'island' — Independent, Freehold, NJ
Local officials and environmentalists held a press conference Sept. 7 to voice their opposition to a proposal to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage facility within miles of the coast. (Sep 19)
Broadwater battles critics during debate — Suffolk Life, Riverhead, NY
Broadwater representative Froydis Cameron, who is involved in the project, and Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, presented their arguments to the audience. (Sep 19)
Commission approval of new, expanded natural gas facilities includes LNG, storage, pipeline projects [News release] — Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [FERC]
- Calhoun LNG & Point Comfort Pipeline
The Commission granted authority to Calhoun LNG to construct and operate an onshore LNG import terminal that will have a send-out capacity of 1 Bcf per day.
- Southern LNG, Elba Express & Southern Natural Gas
The Commission authorized Southern LNG to increase in two construction phases the storage capacity of the Elba Island LNG import terminal.
- Southeast Supply Header & Southern Natural Gas
The project will transport gas from unconventional U.S. gas supplies … that will allow service to customers throughout the Southeast, Atlantic Coast and Northeastern U.S. through pipeline interconnections with nine natural gas companies.
Webmaster's Comments: #3 above moots even further the proposed Passamaquoddy Bay LNG projects.
Hearing attendees angry about proposed natural gas pipeline — AP, Statesman Journal, Salem, OR
About 200 people attended a federal hearing on a proposed 117-mile buried natural gas pipeline Oregon LNG wants to build from Astoria to Molalla, and most of them were mad.
Oregon LNG CEO Peter Hansen gave assurances of safety Wednesday night but said, "If you hate our guts, that's not a good start."
It was not a good start.
BP's first explosion trial ends in settlement — Energy Business Review, London, UK
The Texas City oil refinery explosion killed 15 people and injured 170, due to BP management practices and cost-cutting strategies.
BP has incurred around $2 billion in compensation payouts, repairs and lost profit. (Sep 20)
Webmaster's Comments: This is the same safety-challenged BP that is involved in the LNG industry in the United States. FERC doesn't care who builds LNG facilities — even if it were Adolf Hitler or Osama bin Laden.
Proposed Ocean Way LNG lightering site falls within U.S. Navy training and testing range — LNG Law Blog, Washington, DC
The U.S. Navy is urging Ocean Way LNG to reconsider one of its proposed LNG lightering sites as the site falls within the Navy's Point Mugu Sea Range off the coast of Southern California.
Coast residents have eight days to address early LNG concerns — Malibu Surfside News, Malibu, CA
Malibu Mayor Pro Tem Pamela Conley Ulich said she is “shocked, and very disappointed” that the City of Los Angeles forgot to tell Malibu that it unexpectedly scheduled a public hearing on a proposed liquefied natural gas terminal that would sit in the ocean six miles closer to Malibu than to the City of Angels.
The meeting announcement for Woodside’s proposal—marketed as “OceanWay”—was quietly released by the U.S. Coast Guard and City of Los Angeles late last week. The hearing is called a “scoping session,” and gives the public a chance to learn about the project and tell independent scientific analysts what aspects of the proposed LNG terminal should be examined.
SB 412 SHELVED
For the second year in a row, a proposed state law to require an assessment of whether LNG terminals are even
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