Outer Brewster LNG Approval Process Not Even Begun
WASHINGTON, Oct. 26 – Environmental groups, newspaper editorials and nearby townspeople have all condemned a new proposal for a liquefied natural gas facility on Boston Harbor’s Outer Brewster Island. And the approval process for the facility has not even begun.
AES, the Virginia-based company that proposed the project, has not filed any of the necessary documents with the commission, said Tamara Young-Allen, a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission spokeswoman.
At this point, the battle over the new facility is taking place entirely in the Massachusetts legislature. Outer Brewster is currently park land. AES needs rights to the land before it can submit an application to the commission, and it needs two-thirds approval in both legislative chambers in order to can get rights to the island.
In spite of their very public opposition to a similar proposed facility in Fall River, Massachusetts Senators Edward Kennedy and John Kerry have not commented on the Outer Brewster facility.
“Senator Kerry’s staff has been briefed on this project,” said Setti Warren, Kerry’s press secretary. “Senator Kerry will certainly be keeping tabs on this proposal, paying close attention to the homeland security and environmental implications.”
As for Kennedy, Melissa Wagoner, is press secretary, said,”The Senator looks forward to working with local, state and federal officials and interested parties to determine the project’s potential impact and if it’s the best way to increase our region’s natural gas supply.”
The federal review process allows for comment from the public and from local and state entities as well as from the Coast Guard and the Department of Transportation.
In filing for approval such a project, a company must alert the commission and the public about its proposal at least 180 days before an application is formally filed.
The company must also host open houses in the area where it propose to build such a facility to discuss the project. Commission representatives participate in these open houses and also seek written comments as part of a required environmental impact statement. Then they must hold public hearings on draft versions of the statement.
Young-Allen said the agency must also consider information from a variety of experts in liquid natural gas engineering, anthropology, biology, parks, forestry and law, among other subjects.
“Everyone is equal,” she said. “It is America. Everybody’s comments are considered.” She added that the commission has to consider such things as national security, whether alternative projects exist, how much the project is needed and whether it would create noise pollution.
Concerns of area residents are only a slice of that pie.
“I think some people have the impression that the more signatures we get against a project,” the less likely it is to happen, Young-Allen said. “That’s not the case.”
More information on the review process can be found on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Web site at http://www.ferc.gov/industries/lng/gen-info/rev-proc.asp
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