Feds look for LNG ‘comments’ at open houses

EASTPORT – “Bring on your comments and concerns” was the message delivered Tuesday evening by the environmental project manager that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has assigned to Quoddy Bay LLC’s proposed liquefied natural gas project for the Pleasant Point reservation.

“We will use your comments to develop the draft environmental impact statement,” Robert Kopka told a dozen opponents of LNG facilities being sited in Passamaquoddy Bay on Tuesday evening.

“You folks live here. You know the area better than anyone,” he said.

Kopka, from Washington, D.C., and three others with input into the state and federal permitting process for the Quoddy Bay project had been invited to meet with members of Save Passamaquoddy Bay. The group is a “three-nation alliance” – representing Washington County, the Passamaquoddy Tribe and Atlantic Canada – that has stood up to local LNG development for nearly two years.

The open house – smoked salmon graced a table of other locally prepared foods – was called to clarify and discuss the steps that FERC will oversee during the permitting process for Quoddy Bay and two other companies that also want to bring LNG to the region.

Two of them – Quoddy Bay, with roots in Oklahoma, and Downeast LNG, with ties to Washington, D.C. – have filed applications with FERC to begin the preliminary review process.

This meeting took place amid a week of other open houses. Quoddy Bay had called “informational meetings” for Monday at Pleasant Point; today at Perry; Thursday at Charlotte and Friday at Campobello Island.

Monday’s Quoddy Bay open house was canceled – to be rescheduled – out of respect for the sudden death last weekend of tribal member Jimmy Soctomah.

Downeast LNG is holding a meeting tonight in St. Andrews, New Brunswick. On Thursday Downeast LNG meets with Robbinston’s planning board.

As Tuesday was an open date, and with Kopka and a federal Department of Transportation official in the area to sit in on the Quoddy Bay meetings, Save Passamaquoddy Bay called for its own introductory gathering – this one in a social setting.

It was held at The Commons, a gallery showcasing more than 50 area artists that is jointly owned by several of the Save Passamaquoddy Bay activists.

The Save Passamaquoddy Bay activists state that they are not wholly against LNG as an energy source.

Rather, according to the group’s Web site (www.savepassamaquoddybay.org), they believe that “unspoiled Passamaquoddy Bay is the wrong place for an LNG terminal” and that “LNG facilities belong in industrial, unpopulated areas, or offshore.”

Save Passamaquoddy Bay leadership turned out from Eastport, Campobello, Perry and Robbinston. They asked about transparency, financial accountability and veracity issues within the public process that FERC conducts for LNG permitting decisions.

They questioned Kopka in particular on the timeline that FERC and Quoddy Bay are working on in tandem.

Quoddy Bay’s prefiling status is expected to last through September, according to Kopka. During that time the company will provide 13 research reports that will become the basis for FERC’s draft environmental impact statement. Kopka is largely responsible for producing that document, alongside others.

Quoddy Bay hopes for FERC approval to build the Pleasant Point facility by September 2007, Kopka said. Should that happen, Quoddy Bay intends to bring in LNG tankers in winter 2009, with vaporization of the gas taking place on the ships. Storage tanks on the Perry shoreline would be operational by winter 2010, Kopka said.

Challenged by Perry resident Gary Guisinger – “Tell me that our input counts” – Kopka responded that he welcomed the group’s and the public’s input at all stages of FERC’s oversight of the Quoddy Bay project.

FERC will hold its own meetings in the area for public comment on the Quoddy Bay plan in March and April, Kopka added.