A Massachusetts state lawmaker recently laid on the table a number of safety related concerns that he believes should give FERC pause as it considers the proposed Weaver’s Cove LNG terminal near Fall River, MA [CP04-36].

“It seems that each day brings new information to light that clearly demonstrates that placing an LNG facility near a heavily populated area is wrong,” Massachusetts State Rep. David Sullivan said in a letter to FERC that was recently posted on the Commission’s website.

“It is now apparent that concerns I have raised in the past regarding the risks associated with LNG tankers are very real,” he said.

“I know I have used strong language in the past and within this letter as well, however, it is time that FERC realizes that this is not a NIMBY issue,” wrote Sullivan. “If you allow this project to move forward you are declaring that people and property are expendable in order to reach your objective of siting this terminal in an inappropriate and significantly vulnerable site,” he argued.

“While the president of the United States and the Office of Homeland Security continue to express the need for vigilance because of the times we live in, you will create a soft target never mind an unacceptable risk with the potential for not only an act of aggression, but for mechanical and/or personnel error that could result in a catastrophic incident,” the state lawmaker said.

Sullivan said that now is the time for FERC “to step forward and protect the citizens of this nation. Make the right decision and deny the building of LNG facilities in heavily populated areas.”

Meanwhile, in an Oct. 21 filing, Shell Oil Products US sought to “help clarify the issues before the Commission by elucidating that offshore disposal of dredging spoils associated with Weaver’s Cove’s proposed LNG terminal will not prevent the project from having significant effects on the proposed project site.”

Shell Oil Products said that given the pending consideration of offshore disposal of dredged sediment, “it is important to understand what offshore disposal will not accomplish. In particular, offsite disposal will not prevent serious effects upon the site and the pending remediation at the site.”

Shell Oil Products said that the proposed LNG terminal construction on the site would “significantly disrupt” Shell Oil Products’ ongoing environmental remediation efforts. Even if Weaver’s Cove is required to dispose of the dredging spills offshore, Shell Oil Products wants FERC to order Weaver’s Cove to bear responsibility for the impact of its proposed project on Shell Oil Products.

FERC staff recently issued draft environmental assessment would allow construction of the 4.4 Bcf capacity Weaver’s Cove LNG receiving terminal, conditioned on certain environmental mitigation and safety requirements (see Daily GPI, Aug. 2).

The draft found that the construction and operation of the terminal located on an existing industrial site previously used as a petroleum products storage and distribution terminal would have only “limited adverse environmental impact.” It would take up 68 acres of the 73-acre site on the Taunton River feeding into Mount Hope Bay and Narragansett Bay, about 50 miles south of Boston.

A group of federal lawmakers from Massachusetts and Rhode Island last week called on several federal agencies — including FERC — to review proposals for construction of new LNG terminals based on a regional approach (see Daily GPI, Oct. 20).

©Copyright 2004 Intelligence Press Inc. All rights reserved. The preceding news report may not be republished or redistributed, in whole or in part, in any form, without prior written consent of Intelligence Press, Inc.