Proponents Speak Up for LNG
WASHINGTON, Sept. 29 – “Because we’re the oldest fishing port in the United States, we’re very vocal and proud and full of legend and lore and romance of the sea, but we shouldn’t be scared of this hypothetical monster,” Gloucester fishing Captain Lyle R. Chamberlain said about the $200 million liquefied natural gas unloading facility proposed for 12 miles off Gloucester’s shore. “If we want to bury our heads in the sand, then shame on us. I say let’s capitalize on this opportunity that’s on our doorstep.”
Chamberlain, 58 and a Gloucester fisherman since 1964, said he and hundreds of other people, from fishermen to taxi drivers to hotel and restaurant owners, favor the facility.
Chamberlain, who described himself as deeply concerned about conservation and preservation of the ocean, said the facility would offer a great economic opportunity for the people of Gloucester.
“We have to look into the future and the viability of our community,” Chamberlain said. “This is definitely the energy of the future, so let’s be a part of something that is inevitably going to happen.” He also predicted that such facilities will eventually end up off the coasts of Maine, Connecticut, or Rhode Island and that Gloucester would lose the economic boost they could create.
The Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association, on the other hand, argues that the proposed facility would “disrupt the ecosystem.” But Chamberlain called the association “a very small group that claims to represent an industry in a region, when they only represent a limited amount of people. The Fishermen’s Wives have never represented any of my views, and I’ve been a fisherman since 1964.”
Kathleen Eisbrenner, president of Texas-based Excelerate Energy LLC, which intends to build and operate the facility, said she welcomes an open dialogue and suggestions for new and better ideas on how to promote the project, which she said would bring a unique opportunity to Gloucester.
The company hopes to be able to handle as much as 400 million cubic feet per day at the facility.
“So far our project is just a picture on a map,” Eisbrenner said in an interview. In the next three months, however, the company expects to have a report documenting the safety of the project, she said. The company’s first such facility is under construction in the Gulf of Mexico, 116 miles off the Louisiana coast.
Resistance to construction of these facilities on land has increased in recent years, because of safety fears, including the possibility of terrorist attacks. Some advocates say offshore facilities are safer because they are farther away from large populations.
Chamberlain, who said he was “disgusted” with what he called an outdated movie the Fishermen’s Wives showed to document the evils of liquefied natural gas, agrees with Eisbrenner that an open, informed dialogue is necessary. “I’ll be the first to say if this isn’t intelligent, but I’m not going to be a doubting Thomas,” he said. Opponents say the facility could harm the Gloucester fishing industry, and they warn of the danger of a gas leak or a terrorist attack on the facility that could cause an explosion harmful to the community.
“Our intention from day one was to involve everyone interested in weighing in,” Eisbrenner said. “I welcome the opportunity to continue the dialogue with everyone involved, including the fishermen.”
Eisbrenner said the location, which she called “ideal,” would avoid two state marine sanctuaries, the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary and two shipping lanes. The facility would connect to the already existing HubLine, a 35-mile link, most of it under water, connecting two natural gas pipelines that supply the fuel to the Northeast. It was put in service last November.
The environment is nearly identical to that of the company’s first offshore project in the Gulf, according to Eisbrenner, who said the water depths and tides of each location mirror each other despite the differing distance offshore.
The Gulf terminal is set to be completed by the end of this year, while the Gloucester project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2006, if all goes according to Eisbrenner’s plan. “The people of Gloucester will have a year and half to watch and learn from the offshore terminal in the Gulf,” she said.
Despite the negative press about the Massachusetts project, Eisbrenner said, “I have personally received about six to eight personal letters from fishermen in the area offering support and willingness to go out and be proponents for the cause.” Captain Chamberlain was one of those fishermen.
As to the possibility of an explosion, Eisbrenner noted that liquefied natural gas is chilled to 260 degrees below zero, shrinking the liquid to 1/600 of its volume as vapor and allowing it to be more easily and thus more economically transportable. If a container leaked, she said, “the gas would leak or pour out and the water would naturally heat it up and it would most likely dissipate into the air.”
Flammability, Eisbrenner explained, can only occur with an exact ratio of oxygen to methane. “Methane, the main component of LNG, burns in gas-to-air ratios between five to 15 percent,” according to a Congressional Research Service report last May.
Eric Dawicki, president of the Northeast Maritime Institute, a college specializing in marine activities, said fears regarding liquefied natural gas are overblown. “Whoever thinks liquefied natural gas explodes is creating a false sense of fear,” said Dawicki, an expert on liquefied natural gas. “It is probably the safest fuel source we could use in the U.S.”
If a leak were to occur, Dawicki said, the only chance for an explosion would be if there was no wind at all. In Gloucester, he added, the chance of zero wind in combination with a catastrophic leak is “probably one in a billion.”
Moreover, the containers are designed to protect against such leaks she said, and have been successful in the several safety tests Excelerate has conducted. Unlike the Exxon Valdez’s disastrous oil spill in Alaska in 1989, the liquefied natural gas tankers are double-hulled, making them “more robust and less prone to accidental spills,” according to the Congressional Research Service report.
The report also acknowledged, however, that some experts question the suggestions by federal regulatory agencies that the risks are significant but not as serious as widely believed. In addition, the report noted that some experts say that a large fire on top of the water is the most serious liquefied natural gas hazard, although an Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory concluded in 1998 that “transitions caused by mixing LNG and water are not violent.” Dawicki agreed that the gas “truly dissipates into the atmosphere” and “no gas cloud would hover over the city.”
Patrick H. Wood III, chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, noted at a briefing in April that “in the past 40 years, there have been more than 33,000 LNG ship voyages without any significant accident or cargo spillage.”
Regardless of the safety of such facilities, the need for an alternative form of energy is strong. By 2010, at least two LNG plants proposed for New England and Canada must be built to ensure New England of adequate supplies of gas for heating and power generation, Wood III said on Sept. 13 at a conference on New England power issues.
Congressman John Tierney, however, disagreed with Wood’s statement. ” He’s premature in making that kind of assessment , ” Tierney said in an interview. “Wood has no solid basis or facts to make that kind of assessment.” Tierney said he listened to Wood’s testimony before the House’s Energy Policy Subcommittee, of which Tierney is the ranking member, and concluded that Wood has not considered a lot of factors, including other possible energy sources and other areas that could service New England. Tierney continued to insist that nothing would happen in Cape Ann or anywhere until more information is gathered about the safety of and need for liquefied natural gas. He said he is still pressing the Department of Energy to research fossil fuels needs in various areas of the United States as well as alternative energy sources. Tierney said he and his committee are laying out for the Department of Energy the research that needs to be done before approving more liquefied natural gas facilities. “No decisions will be made until that is done,” said Tierney.
But others argued that there is no time to wait.
“The U.S. absolutely needs liquefied natural gas to be introduced into its energy policy,” Dawicki said. He noted that fossil fuels are disappearing and argued that the idea that the United States needs to be dependent on the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and Saudi Arabia is unnecessary when enough natural gas exists in the U.S. to provide 80 percent of the energy supply.
“The rising gas prices affect people’s overall budgets,” Eisbrenner said. “By diversifying natural gas we’ll be able to bring down the cost of gas and electricity. This will help keep the U.S. competitive and also bring a unique opportunity to Gloucester.”
Not only would Gloucester be spared the transportation costs of natural gas, Eisbrenner said, but the facility could also open a new economic opportunity for Cape Ann.
“There is actually a very unique opportunity for Gloucester seamen to take a leading role in providing needed support services to our Northeast Gateway activities,” she said. “In the Gulf of Mexico, we have contracted with a marine-based shipping firm, which has built its activity and reputation on serving the offshore energy industry.”
If offshore energy grows in importance in New England, Eisbrenner added, the new facility could enable Gloucester seamen to develop a very important new line of services. If the terminal succeeds, Chamberlain believes it would result in well-paying jobs that include medical benefits and pensions. “At one time,” he said, “we were able to fish 365 days of the year. Now, on average its 56 days. These fishermen may be able to get four to five months a year with high pay with this facility while they’re not fishing. We shouldn’t shy away from this. We should take a look at it and see what it’s all about.”
