Many questions remain about the prospects for liquefied natural gas facilities in Washington County. Some of them may be answered this week when officials from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Coast Guard come to Calais for a public information session. It will be helpful to hear from regulators with no affiliation with LNG developers about safety, navigation, environmental impacts and other review criteria.

Gov. John Baldacci recently requested that the New England states conserve electricity to avert possible shortages of natural gas after hurricanes Katrina and Rita reduced supplies. About 40 percent of the electricity used in Maine is generated by natural gas. Of course, new facilities in Maine could not be built in time to help the current situation, but increasing supplies of natural gas, which is cleaner burning than oil or coal, should be part of our state’s and nation’s energy policy.

Two out-of-state developers and a company recently formed by two state lawmakers have proposed to build LNG terminals on Passamaquoddy Bay. The first proposal came from Quoddy Bay LLC, an Oklahoma company that is working with the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Pleasant Point to build the facility on their land.

The second proposal came from Downeast LNG, a Washington, D.C., company that wants to put a terminal in Robbinston.

Passamaquoddy Rep. Fred Moore and Republican Rep. Ian Emery of Cutler recently formed BP Consulting LLC and proposed an LNG terminal in Calais.

A fourth proposal to build a facility in Lubec is also expected.

None of the developers have filed an application with FERC or announced that they have an agreement with a company that would supply the natural gas to be offloaded in Maine. Both are steps that would indicate a project is viable and moving forward.

Meanwhile, a terminal in Saint John, New Brunswick, has received preliminary government approval and is far ahead of any of the proposed Maine projects.

Because of the flurry of activity and recent changes in federal law that give FERC more power to site LNG facilities, Sen. Olympia Snowe asked that the federal officials hold an open meeting to provide information, answer questions and hear from local residents. That meeting will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26, at the Washington County Community College gymnasium in Calais. Representatives from FERC and the Coast Guard will be there.

One issue that the Coast Guard should help clarify is that of the potential navigational dangers of routing an LNG tanker into Passamaquoddy Bay through the narrow passage between Maine and Campobello Island. Local residents and Canadian officials have said such a transit is too dangerous. Two companies have brought in experts to quell concerns about navigation and safety. To be convincing such information must come from an impartial source.

If any of the proposed projects moves forward, this meeting should be the first of many that state and federal regulators hold in Washington County to gather suggestions from local residents and to keep them informed.