The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) last week denied a request by Weaver’s Cove Energy to dredge the Taunton River to a depth to accommodate liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers.

Two rulings, one from the DEP’s Bureau of Resource Protection and another from the Wetlands and Waterways Program, reported that Weaver’s Cove submitted information and statements that were inconsistent with the U.S. Coast Guard’s findings that the Taunton River would not be suitable for LNG tanker traffic, according to the Providence Journal in Rhode Island (see Daily GPI, Dec. 11, 2007).

Despite the rejection, Weaver’s Cove spokesman Jim Grasso said the company remains “fully committed” to building the LNG terminal that is proposed for Fall River, MA. He noted that Weaver’s Cove, which is sponsored by Hess Corp. and an affiliate of Poten & Partners, will appeal the DEP decision.

Grasso said at one time the embattled Weaver’s Cove project had as many as 11 appeals of decisions pending. He noted that the company has since won two of the appeals, although he could not say for sure what issues were involved, and expects to win another one in a few weeks. Grasso told NGI that Weaver’s Cove has not lost any appeals yet.

The Weaver’s Cove project, which FERC approved in mid-2005, has been the target of fierce opposition by local, state and federal officials, who are adamant against building LNG infrastructure in their backyard, although they admit that more natural gas supply is needed for the region (see Daily GPI, July 1, 2005). If built, the proposed terminal would provide 800 MMcf/d of peak sendout capacity, 400 MMcf/d of baseload supply and 200,000 metric tons of LNG storage.

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