Coastline near Lubec suitable for LNG

By now, everyone in Maine knows the Passamaquoddy Tribe, the scientific community, fishermen and those involved in aquaculture and tourism are currently fighting developers of liquefied natural gas. Others, who feel LNG would provide much needed revenue and ongoing investment in Washington County, are pitted against them. Add to the mix Canadians who are being blamed by pro-LNG groups for ruining Washington County’s chances of economic progress, and the battle lines are drawn.

After several Washington County communities voted no to terminals in their area, there are currently four LNG sites under consideration. The first site on a tanker route through Passamaquoddy Bay is at Lubec right beside the international bridge to Campobello, New Brunswick. The second is Pleasant Point by Eastport on native land which has upset the majority of Passamquoddy who do not approve despite their leaders’ recent yes vote.

The third, and currently most contentious as regards cross border relations, is at Robbinston, opposite the picturesque Canadian tourist destination of St. Andrews, New Brunswick. A fourth is near Calais at Devil’s Head, a spectacular promontory located up on the historic St. Croix River.

The above sites require tankers to forge their way through the Bay of Fundy which is a prime feeding ground for whales of many species, including the endangered right whale, as well as porpoises and seals. To reach Passamaquoddy Bay, LNG tankers then would have to navigate Head Harbor Passage which, at its narrowest point, is only 2,000 feet wide. This passage cuts between the populated Deer Island and Campobello Island, passing extremely close to many homes, and here lies a further bone of contention between Canadians and some Americans.

Permission is required from the Canadian government for LNG tankers to take this route because Head Harbor Passage is Canadian, not international, water. The Canadian government is naturally unwilling to deal with the situation on a “what if” basis, and until the U.S. Federal Energy Regulation Commission studies and approves a proposal for LNG in Passamaquoddy Bay, a formal request is not likely to be made by the U.S. government. The possibility of permission not being granted down the road has further fueled accusations of Canadian meddling in Maine affairs.

With so much scientific attention focused on the ecology of Fundy and Passamaquoddy bays, no one has yet raised the issue of earthquakes (one, in late September measured 3.5 on the Richter Scale) that occur along the St. Croix fault line, especially with regard to any proposed underwater pipelines. Surely this is something that should be addressed.

Washington County is situated on the northeast corner of Maine, sandwiched between the shared waters of Passamaquoddy and the Gulf of Maine. Any terminal sited in an area that requires tanker access through Passamaquoddy Bay is going to seriously impact thousands of jobs that exist in tourism, fishing and aquaculture on both sides of the border, while providing only a few hundred jobs to replace them on the American side. This is why so many Mainers have rejected terminals along this route and those on the Canadian side have been thrown into a panic over their future.

Anyone who can read a map may well shake his or her head in wonder because it is plain there is a solution to this messy problem. South of Lubec there exists an unrivaled opportunity for people in Washington County to have LNG and at the same time replace the impact such high-profile industrialism brings with it. This whole area is sparsely populated all the way past Cutler, a U.S. naval communications base. Moreover, this entire coastline has sovereign access to the Atlantic Ocean through the Gulf of Maine.

So the question has to be asked: Why are some people dead set on siting LNG terminals in highly populated areas, accessed only through an ecologically sensitive site, where they will have the maximum negative impact on a great many people on both sides of the border, and the American government is forced to request permission from the Canadian government?

Perhaps developers want an existing infrastructure to save investing in new one, but in the unlikely event of an industrial accident (experts say LNG is incredibly safe), the underpopulated coastline below Lubec offers a much safer option than crowded Passamaquoddy Bay where an accident involving either a tanker or terminal would require massive evacuation. The one downside is that any service pipelines would have to be longer. But then, that would increase the temporary job market in construction, so perhaps it’s not a bad thing after all.

The residents of Charlotte County, New Brunswick, have a lot in common with the resident of Washington County, Maine. A great many of them are related to each other by marriage. Once upon a time, they all lived in the same country! Canadians want Washington County to have economic progress. They want to encourage it, not stand in the way because such prosperity will be for the good of everyone in the long run.

The people of Washington County deserve to reap the benefits of LNG and the chance to keep Passamaquoddy Bay untouched; it is not the developers who should have their cake and eat it too. Passamaquoddy Bay is a special place. We owe it to our children and their children’s children to preserve this unique area and its surroundings. It does not have to be sacrificed on the altar of progress.

If LNG developers take a closer look at viable options, everyone will win and the people of Washington County need only look forward.

Mary Louise Kane lives in St. Andrews, New Brunswick.