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New Brunswick Passamaquoddy leader opposes LNG terminal — WLBZ-TV, Bangor, Maine
New Brunswick Passamaquoddy Tribal Band Governor Hugh Akagi has written a letter to opponents of the terminal urging them continue fighting the proposal to site an LNG facility on the Passamaquoddy's Pleasant Point reservation in far eastern Maine.
Carcieri, Lynch at odds over anti-LNG legal teams — Providence Journal, Providence, RI
The governor has hired a prominent Washington law firm to advise the state in its fight against any LNG expansion in Providence, but the attorney general favors a different firm.
LNG terminals bring out an unlikely green coalition in Louisiana — Times-Picayune, New Orleans, Louisiana
An unlikely environmental coalition has formed among commercial fishermen, sport fishermen and state politicians who are outraged at the thought of the U.S. government allowing companies to build offshore deepwater ports to handle liquefied natural gas. (May 29)
Unsafe site for LNG [Editorial] — Boston Globe, Boston, Massachusetts
As the regulatory commission's environmental impact statement notes, the site's storage tank would be within a half-mile of 1,200 housing units. There are 5,100 housing units within a mile. (May 29)
Editorial: State must get key LNG role — Ventura County Star, Ventura, CA (free registration required)
Given the Republicans' and President Bush's historic support for states' rights, politicians should agree that states have a critical role in the LNG decision-making process. Clearly, folks in Washington, D.C., should not be the final authority on proposals that will directly impact Californians. (May 29)
LB's First Responders -- Police & Fire -- Respond re LNG — LBReport.com, Long Beach, CA
Extended portions of testimony and a report from LB's first responders (LBPD and LBFD) presented at a Long Beach City Council Committee meeting related toLNG...an issue raised by a proposal to locate an 80+ million gallon LNG facility in the Port of Long Beach, roughly two miles from downtown. (May 28)
U.S. official [FERC Chairman Wood] says states can block LNG ports — PowerMarketers.com
"The states, acting under the authority delegated them with any of these three federal statutes — the Coastal Zone Management Act, the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act — can effectively veto any proposed LNG terminal, regardless of this commission's approval of the project," Wood said. tates have the right to reject liquefied natural gas projects, and that right won't change under a new energy bill pending in Congress, according to the chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. (May 26)
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Schwarzenegger, 5 other governors press senators on LNG terminals — SFGate.com, San Francisco, California
In a letter Wednesday to the energy committee's chairman and top Democrat, Schwarzenegger and the governors of Massachusetts, Louisiana, Delaware, Rhode Island and New Jersey said states and local agencies should have shared jurisdiction with the federal government over projects on their coasts.
Coast Guard asking citizens to be on lookout — Press Herald, Portland, ME
"It...is not a question of 'if' but 'when,'" said Portland Coast Guard Auxiliary Capt. Paul Smith-Valley of the likelihood of a terrorist attempt on a coastal target.
Tide turns on LNG debate — Business Report, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
In what could mark a turning of the tide, Gov. Kathleen Blanco last week joined the opposition to open-loop terminals.
LNG Plant Planned for Fall River, Rhode Island — SecurityInfoWatch.com
The proposal to build a new terminal for liquefied natural gas in Fall River got a major boost yesterday from a key report by federal regulators that concluded the facility could be operated safely and would not harm the environment. But a separate report found that a proposal to expand a Providence LNG facility would not meet current safety standards, casting doubt on that project's future.
FERC: LNG plan has bad side — Herald News, Fall River, MA
The FERC final environmental impact report (says) that the Fall River location is the only option for a LNG terminal in the New England region. (May 24)
Bill would give states LNG role — Press Telegram, Long Beach, California
The Feinstein-Snowe bill pointedly counters the bill passed by the House, which amended the Natural Gas Act of 1968 to give unambiguous control of LNG siting decisions to FERC. (May 23)
Racino supporters anxious over LNG — Bangor Daily News, Bangor, ME
Racino fans worry that passage of LNG could mean the death of a bill that is inching through the Legislature. (May 21)
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It may be controversial, but LNG deserves a look [Editorial] — Press Herald, Portland, ME
The project should be carefully reviewed to ensure the tribal land is viable for such a project. (May 22)
Split Rock LNG Terminal Different Than Gleason Cove Proposal — WQDY-FM, Calais, Maine
The Split Rock site is a short distance from the Beatrice Rafferty School and elderly housing. Asked if this would mean relocating Passamaquoddy, Smith said no. "This facility as it stands right now does not require any significant relocation of Passamaquoddy. I believe that there may be a trailer on the Split Rock site, but no significant change in terms of infrastructure, no significant change in terms of schools, or the rec center or anything like that," said Smith. (May 21)
Passamaquoddy leaders OK gas plant — Bangor Daily News, Bangor, ME
The LNG facility will feature a half-mile-long pier where ships will offload their cargo into pipes, rather than tanks as is common at other sites in the country. To move the natural gas from the ships to the pipelines, it will mean ships will have to remain at the dock upward of six days, instead of 24 hours such as in Everett, Mass., where there is an LNG facility. (May 20)
[WEBMASTER'S NOTE: The May 19th 4-3 vote by Pleasant Point Tribal Council in favor of signing the land lease agreement with Quoddy Bay LLC occurred without Tribal public discussion, without the Tribal public being able to read the agreement, and with four Tribal Council members not having read the document. Maine Tribal members are being denied democracy without recourse, and Maine's Governor Baldacci is abetting this travesty by his lack of action to prevent it.]
Tribal council approves LNG terminal — Press Herald, Portland, ME
The opposition group to the project plans legal challenges. It hopes that what opposition coordinator Linda Godfrey described as the secrecy of the negotiations and approval process will lead the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs and other decision-makers to halt the project. (May 20)
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DA: Gas project offer wasn't bribe — Bangor Daily News, Bangor, ME
Although the district attorney said no to the investigation, Maine law allows citizens to seek permission to present evidence directly to a grand jury.
[WEBMASTER'S NOTE: See our News Release in response to District Attorney Povich's decision.]
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In Maritimes, LNG among potent friends — Press Herald, Portland, ME
Voters in Perry last month rejected plans by Maine's Passamaquoddy Tribe for an LNG terminal there, despite the developer's promises of $1 million a year for the community. Developers said last week they'd try again, at a new site on the Pleasant Point reservation. The plan is already running into opposition.
Dominion's energy on the water — Richmond Times-Dispatch, Richmond, Virginia
If it is windy or the pier is socked in by fog, ships are not allowed to dock until the weather clears. (May 15)
Tribe's aviation facility to face Perry voters — Bangor Daily News, Bangor, ME
Although there have been rumors that the town was asking for compensation similar to the $1 million offered by the LNG developers, Perry Town Councilman Jeanne Guisinger said that was not true. “All we are asking is that a referendum vote on Article 40 be specific to this particular project on this particular site, and that all the verbal assurances we have been given be in writing as part of the referendum wording,” she told tribal leaders. “Let us vote on an actual plan, rather than a concept.” (May 13)
[NOTE: During the May 5 Tribal Council meeting, Tribal Governor Melvin Francis falsely told Tribal members that the Town of Perry had told him that they wanted a 50% share in the Tribe's aviation facility, in exchange for Article 40 approval of the project's siting. At the subsequent Perry Selectmen's meeting (reported above), where Governor Melvin was present, he was soundly corrected by the Selectmen, and told that Perry doesn't want anything in return for the Town's approval of the project, should such approval be granted.]
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Quoddy Bay floats 2nd site for LNG — Bangor Daily News, Bangor, ME
The Passamaquoddy Tribe’s exclusive and controversial contract with an Oklahoma developer to bring a liquefied natural gas terminal to the Pleasant Point reservation expires at midnight tonight. Quoddy Bay LLC is proposing a new LNG facility on the Pleasant Point Reservation at Split Rock, which is located within 300 yards of the tribe’s elementary school and 400 yards of the tribe’s elderly housing.
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Passamaquoddy Tribe considers new LNG site — Press Herald, Portland, ME
Craig Francis, an attorney who serves as spokesman for the Passamaquoddy Tribal Council, and Don Smith, president of Oklahoma-based energy-development partnership Quoddy Bay LLC, say they have negotiated an agreement that would allow for a terminal at Split Rock and not at Gleason Cove, as was originally proposed and rejected. Francis and Smith said the eight-member Tribal Council is scheduled to consider accepting the agreement at a meeting Thursday.
"There are a lot of sites along the coast of Maine that could be developed as an LNG terminal," Smith said.
NOTE: On May 5, the Tribal Council voted 6-1 to delay further consideration of the Quoddy Bay LLC project until May 19; therefore, if the negotiations mentioned in the above story have actually taken place, the Tribal Council has violated its May 5 vote, and has also violated its April vote agreement to not hold private meetings on LNG.
BP enters legal fray to protect agreement — Daily News, Galveston, TX
Secret negotiations, executive session meeting, and lack of public notice and bidding result in lawsuit seeking to nullify land-lease contract.
NOTE: This story is ironically similar to the Pleasant Point Tribal Council situation in the previous story above.
Fall River, AG try another legal avenue — Herald News, Fall River, MA
"We are absolutely confident that when the comparative analysis is completed it will be obvious to any decision maker that it would be totally irrational ... to allow (the Hess LNG) project," said Edward Berlin, a Washington, D.C-based attorney for the city, who drafted the motion with two colleagues.
Fall River, Berlin said, is looking for the "establishment of a rational decision-making process for the region." "We believe that it is absolutely important that FERC stop taking these projects in isolation of one another," Berlin said.
LNG, OCS Holding Up Oil and Gas Title of Senate Energy Bill — RigZone.com
Senate negotiations on the oil and gas title of the energy bill are being stymied by two key issues -- jurisdiction over the siting of liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminals and drilling on the federal Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), according to Capitol Hill sources. (May 12)
Spread of LNG terminals sparks debate — Stateline.org
Because there are no road signs, you might easily miss the nation's largest liquid natural gas terminal, which is sheltered by 800 acres of woods and a freshwater marsh along the Chesapeake Bay. (May 9)
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Pipeline firm eyes tripling its capacity — Bangor Daily News, Bangor, ME
It is too early in the process to identify specific sites, but Hanley said the additional compressor stations in Maine would be in Township 35 in northern Hancock County, Brewer, Searsmont, Westbrook and Eliot. The project would increase the capacity of the pipeline from its current 440 million cubic feet per day to 1.5 billion cubic feet per day. The pipeline came on line in 2000.
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Report says proposed LNG security measures not enough to avoid attack — Boston Herald, Boston, MA
The report, prepared by counterterrorism expert Richard Clarke, repeats much of what was concluded in a government study on LNG safety that said a terrorist attack could tear a huge hole into a tanker, with disasterous results. (May 9)
Proposals improving for safe LNG transfers — Mobile Register, AL.com, Mobile, Alabama
TORP Technology wants to put a transfer terminal in the Gulf of Mexico 50 miles south of Dauphin Island. That's farther away from the Alabama Gulf Coast than even the Compass Port terminal proposed to go 11 miles south of Dauphin Island. (May 9)
Carcieri, Lynch squabble over best way to fight LNG — Providence Journal, Providence, RI
Biz Bits & Quips: KeySpan's proposal to expand its liquefied natural gas terminal in Providence has sparked a political squabble between Attorney General Patrick Lynch and Governor Carcieri over the law firm picked to offer advice on the plan. (May 8)
Energy bill's effects on LNG terminals unclear — Ventura County Star, Ventura, CA (free registration required)
Supporters and opponents have analyzed the legislation and come to starkly different conclusions about the impact it would have on offshore LNG terminals. (May 7)
Newport rejects AG request to fund LNG fight; Bristol offers $25,000 — East Bay Newspapers, Bristol, RI
Fall River has responded to the Attorney General's request with a pledge of $650,000 while Bristol, via a unanimous vote of the town council, responded to the request with an offer of $25,000. Middletown is currently considering the request. (May 6)
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Indian council to pursue LNG talks — Bangor Daily News, Bangor, ME
Several tribal members who attended the session said that the developers, Oklahoma-based Quoddy Bay LLC, warned that if the tribe did not act Thursday night there was a good chance the LNG facility would be built in nearby Robbinston.
Gateway to a gas future — OilOnline
Offshore regasification recently became a reality with Houston-based Excelerate Energy reporting the successful first discharge of Malaysian LNG into its Gulf Gateway facility 116 miles offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. (May 5)
Bristol [RI] pledges $25K to fight LNG proposals — EastBayRI.com
Bristol Wednesday night became the first town in Rhode Island to officially put money behind opponents of LNG (liquefied natural gas) terminals in Providence and Fall River, when the Bristol Town Council voted unanimously to give $25,000 to a trio of Washington, D.C. attorneys that plan to file a federal lawsuit to stop two companies proposing the terminals. (Apr 29)
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Petition opposing LNG tax break goes to provincial legislature — MaineToday.com AP Wire
Gumbo Alliance for Safe LNG — KPLC TV-7, Lake Charles - Lafayette, Louisiana
New Twist on Old Technology Yields Ultra-Clean Transportation Fuels from Natural Gas, Coal — US Department of Energy, Office of Fossil Energy
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Labour takes stand against Irving tax break — CBC New Brunswick
The New Brunswick Federation of Labour has passed a resolution asking the provincial government to cancel a controversial tax break given to the Irvings for an LNG receiving terminal.
Anadarko to build LNG plant in Nova Scotia — Houston Business Journal, Houston, Texas
Anadarko Petroleum Corp. has purchased an industrial site — located on a peninsula on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia (which includes 179 acres of land and a 67-acre water lot) for $4.62 million, and will build and operate a $600 million liquefied natural gas terminal and re-gasification plant there.
Town debates plan as hub for natural gas — MSNBC News
ASTORIA, Ore. — Residents here are asking themselves whether they want a liquefied natural gas terminal built across the bay from their peaceful river town. They aren’t alone in wrestling with that question.
Federal Energy Bill: LNG Amendment Raises Concern On LI — Suffolk Life, Suffolk County, New York
An amendment to the large, complicated energy bill passed by the US House of Representatives on April 21, concerning the state and local roles in the siting of liquefied natural gas terminals across the country, has raised the concern of a bi-state citizens group that helps protect the Long Island Sound.
New rules and standards for offshore LNG terminals — DNV (Det Norske Veritas), Oslo, Norway
[Note: DNV is a global provider of services for managing risk.]
The new LNG standards are now included in the DNV Offshore Codes, which were launched in 1999. Over the past few years, these have become widely used reference standards for international engineering and oil companies, yards, suppliers, owners of offshore units and regulators.
Meeting of LNG Exporters About Price Controls Alarms some U.S. Consumers, NGI Reports — Yahoo!Groups LNGsafety
The meeting of officials from Trinidad, Iran, Algeria, Malaysia, Brunei, Libya, Egypt, Bolivia, Indonesia, Venezuela, Oman, Nigeria, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, which are members of the four-year-old Gas Exporting Countries Forum, alarmed some gas industry officials in the United States. (May 3)
Agencies question natural-gas project — Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The DEP said the proposed terminal could block other river users. The Interior Department was not convinced of environmental safety.
The Department of Interior stated that the FERC's report "does not support" the conclusion that environmental effects would be minor. Interior also recommended "reconsidering alternatives to the proposed project, including relocating the facility further downriver or offshore in the Atlantic Ocean." (May 2)
TORP Technology Begins Permitting for U.S.-Gulf of Mexico Offshore LNG Terminal — Yahoo! Finance
The offshore LNG receiving and regasification terminal will be located 50 miles offshore of Dauphin Island, Alabama, and will be the first to utilize the award-winning HiLoad Technology for cost-effectively offloading LNG tankers offshore.
"We believe that the HiLoad technology for regasification is the most economical, environmentally friendly and safe offshore LNG regasification technology available in the market," said TORP CEO Lars Odeskaug. (May 2)
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The LNG is Coming, The LNG is Coming! — Safe Pipelines
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