PLEASANT POINT – If siting a liquefied natural gas terminal Down East was a horse race, then Quoddy Bay LLC is ahead of the pack.

Project Manager Brian Smith announced Wednesday that Quoddy Bay had filed its first resource report with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

“This is the first of 13 resource reports that are required to be filed during the pre-filing process. This one was due within 30 days of entering the pre-filing process, and we turned it in a few days early,” Smith said Wednesday.

Smith said turning in the report was a major milestone for the company. He said the report described in more details aspects of the proposed facility.

“It is a healthy document that starts a good process,” he said. “This resource report will be given to all state and federal regulatory agencies.”

Last year, Quoddy Bay LLC entered into a lease agreement with the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Pleasant Point to build a $500 million LNG terminal at Split Route, near Route 190. For the past few months, the company has moved forward with its proposal submitting a pre-filing request with FERC.

The company also announced another milestone: It is one of the first to open an office in Washington County and hire a local spokesman. Quoddy Bay has hired Andrea Barstow of Perry as its community relations director.

Barstow is based at the company’s new headquarters on Route 190. “The hiring of Andrea Barstow will allow people to approach a company representative at any hour, all of the time,” Smith said. “She is in the office and going to be as accessible as possible.” Barstow can be reached at 853-6631.

Quoddy Bay’s major competitor, the Washington, D.C.-based Downeast LNG, also is moving forward with its plans to build a facility in Robbinston.

In its newsletter dated January 2006, the company said its FERC pre-filing request was approved Jan. 25, and the company has initiated several assessments of marine fauna, archaeology, air quality, noise, and environmental evaluations of the various pipeline routing options.

The company also has opened an office in Robbinston, after delays in getting its Internet service set up. The office is located on Route 1, about one mile from the proposed LNG site.

“We’ve begun purchasing the office furniture basics and are slowly building up,” the newsletter said.

Downeast LNG President Dean Girdis said his project also remained on track. “We at Downeast are where we want to be in the project,” he said. “We are on schedule to complete 13 resource reports by June-July.”

Girdis said they would be looking to hire local people for the permitting aspects of the project.

The company also plans to hold a meeting at the Algonquin Hotel in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, 7-9 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15, “to present the project description and address impressions that the community may have,” Girdis said. A planning board meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16, at the Robbinston Town Hall.

A third project, the Indian Township-owned Calais LNG is also in the race. Spokesmen for that project said Wednesday they were not trailing the others.

Last week tribal officials, along with Cianbro Corp., unveiled plans for construction of a $500 million LNG terminal between Devil’s Head Park and St. Croix Island in the Red Beach area of Calais.

“Our project is taking a totally different track,” project spokesman and tribal state Rep. Fred Moore said Wednesday. “Our focus is and has been on securing the support of a welcoming community.”

The welcoming community is Calais, the tribal representative said. “After that comes supplies,” Moore said. “So our emphasis at this point has not been on filing letters of intent with FERC. We feel we have a superior site and permitting will not be a problem.”

Moore said that opening an office in Calais was part of Indian Township’s plan.

Quoddy Bay LLC to host open houses

Quoddy Bay LLC, the Oklahoma developers of the liquefied natural gas project at Pleasant Point, next week will host four informational “open houses” at four locations in surrounding communities:

? Monday, Feb. 13, at the Sipayik Boys and Girls Club, Pleasant Point.

? Wednesday, Feb. 15, at Perry Elementary School.

? Thursday, Feb. 16, at Charlotte Elementary School.

? Friday, Feb. 17, at Maple Leaf Hall on Campobello Island.

Meetings run from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time for the first three, and from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Atlantic Canada Time for the Campobello meeting.

For the first hour, the public can visit “information stations” that address environment, safety and economic impact. During the second hour, the company will give a general presentation and an open question and answer period.