PLEASANT POINT – Federal Energy Regulatory Commission staffers will be on the reservation tonight and in Perry on Thursday to hear comments on a proposed $500 million liquefied natural gas facility at Split Rock.

Last year, the Passamaquoddy Tribe entered into an agreement with the Oklahoma-based Quoddy Bay LNG to build a terminal and tank system on the reservation.

The planning meetings for the Quoddy Bay project are tonight at the Pleasant Point Recreation Department and Thursday at the Perry School. The meetings are scheduled for 7 p.m.

FERC has issued two notices – one for Quoddy Bay LNG, the other for the Washington, D.C.-based Downeast LNG – of its intent to prepare an environmental impact statement for the two LNG developers planning to build facilities Down East. Downeast LNG hopes to build a facility in Mill Cove in Robbinston.

Quoddy Bay plans to build an LNG import and marine terminal near Route 190 that will include a double, staggered berth, 1,700-foot-long pier capable of handling about 90 LNG tankers a year ranging in size from 135,000 to 200,000 cubic meters per ship. The developer plans to build three storage tanks in neighboring Perry. The company also has said it would build a temporary floating bridge at the end of the Toll Bridge Road that, in the event of an emergency on Route 190, could be moved into place in about an hour. Route 190 is the only road into Eastport. Some Eastport officials have scoffed at the idea.

The scoping meeting for the Downeast LNG was held last week. At that meeting, FERC officials asked people to address environmental and safety concerns surrounding the project. However, the majority of those who spoke said they favored jobs and economic development.

Only members of the Roosevelt Campobello International Park commission addressed environmental and safety issues in a letter to FERC. The commission talked about the adverse impact on the island if an LNG tanker sailing through Head Harbour Passage near Campobello Island exploded.

The project is in a pre-filing stage, and no formal application has been submitted to the commission. FERC will be the lead agency on both projects in cooperation with other federal, state and local agencies.

Ultimately, the commission staff will prepare an environmental impact statement for Downeast LNG. The commission will use the statement in its decision-making process to determine whether the project is in the public convenience and necessity.

Although FERC officials will prepare a statement that will address the environmental impacts of the two projects, the U.S. Coast Guard will assess the maritime safety and security of the projects.

Upon receipt of a letter of intent from the owners, the U.S. Coast Guard will conduct an analysis that will result in a letter of recommendation.

Among the issues that will be addressed are:

. The physical location and layout of the facility and its berthing and mooring arrangements.

. The LNG vessels’ characteristics and the frequency of LNG shipments to the facility.

. Commercial, industrial, environmentally sensitive and residential areas in and adjacent to the waterway used by the LNG vessels en route to the facility.

. Density and character of the marine traffic on the waterway.

Under its review process, the federal agency will look at several factors including impact on geology and soils; water resources; fish, wildlife and vegetation; endangered and threatened species; cultural resources; land use; socioeconomic factors; marine transportation; air quality and noise; reliability and safety; and possible alternatives to the proposed project.

The comment period deadline for the Downeast LNG project is April 17. The deadline for the Quoddy Bay LNG project is April 28.