ROBBINSTON, Maine – Dean Girdis, president and founder of Downeast LNG, said today that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) release of a favorable draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) for the company’s LNG import terminal in Washington County, Maine, means that the project has taken a major step forward in the regulatory approval process.
“The DEIS is validation that this is a viable, responsible, environmentally sound project, which is what we have been saying all along,” said Girdis. “As expected, there are some conditions that we need to address, but nothing that is insurmountable or unreasonable as we continue to move forward through the approval process.”
In releasing the report, FERC said that its staff “concludes that construction and operation of the Downeast LNG Project would result in some adverse environmental impacts. However, most of these impacts would be reduced to less-than-significant levels with the implementation of the applicants’ proposed mitigation measures and the additional measures we recommend in the draft EIS.” (http://www.ferc.gov/industries/lng/enviro/eis/2009/05-15-09-eis.asp)
The DEIS provides a comprehensive review of the engineering, environmental and socioeconomic details of the project and identifies any issues that need to be addressed before final approval can be given.
Girdis said that issuance of the report gives significant momentum to Downeast LNG. Last month, FERC said that according to its planned schedule, a “Notice of Availability of the final EIS” would be issued on September 18, 2009, and the “90-day Federal Authorization Decision Deadline,” essentially final approval for the project, would be December 17, 2009.
In January, the U.S. Coast Guard issued a favorable Waterway Suitability Report (WSR) for the Downeast LNG project, which is included in the DEIS. In a letter transmitting that report to FERC, the Captain of the Port for the U.S. Coast Guard’s Sector Northern New England said that he had “determined that the Passamaquoddy Bay Waterway is suitable for the type and frequency of marine traffic associated with this proposed project... provided that all of the recommended risk mitigation measures…are fully implemented by the applicant.”
Now that the DEIS has been released, FERC will initiate a public comment period and hold a public meeting in the local community for the purpose of receiving comments from area citizens. After receiving comments, FERC will issue a final environmental impact statement, the last step in the federal approval process.
According to Girdis, the release of the DEIS also means that Downeast LNG likely will move ahead soon with its state permit applications, which were withdrawn in 2007. Support for LNG in Maine is stronger than ever, he said.
“Maine’s leaders and the general public are increasingly aware of the importance of natural gas to the state’s economy and the need for new sources of supply here in the state,” said Girdis. “Our project is going to create many news jobs in Washington County and fuel economic growth throughout Maine.”
About the Downeast LNG project
Downeast LNG is proposing to build an LNG import terminal at Mill Cove in Robbinston, Maine, on an 80-acre site on Passamaquoddy Bay. The proposed facility will consist of two storage tanks, a re-gasification plant, and a pier to receive LNG carriers. The project also includes a natural gas send-out pipeline that will connect the facility to the existing Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline that runs from Nova Scotia, Canada, through Maine to southern New England. The terminal will have a storage capacity of 320,000 cubic meters, with an output capacity of 500 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd) and peaking capacity of 625 mmscfd. The Robbinston site was selected by Downeast LNG after carefully evaluating more than 27 different sites in New England. In January of 2006, the people of Robbinston voted 227 to 83 in support of the Downeast LNG project in a special town election. The project subsequently received approval of its land use permit applications from the Robbinston Planning Board.
