Lambert says LNG proposal changes rules

The Fall River mayor says approval of the plan would reverse long-standing policy to site facilities away from residential areas.

01:00 AM EDT on Friday, June 10, 2005

BY TIMOTHY C. BARMANN
Journal Staff Writer

If federal regulators allow developers to build a proposed liquefied natural gas facility in Fall River, it would signal a major change in standards used to site LNG facilities, according to Fall River Mayor Edward M. Lambert Jr.

Such a decision by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission would reverse the long-standing policy of siting LNG facilities away from population centers, Lambert said.

"This case will set a precedent for national energy policy," Lambert said yesterday at a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

"If [the FERC] can shove down the throats of a city like Fall River, a project that its citizens vehemently oppose, . . . it can and will happen elsewhere in America."

Lambert took his campaign against a proposed LNG facility to Washington hoping to grab the attention of the national media.

Weaver's Cove Energy and Hess LNG have proposed building a new terminal on a 73-acre industrial site in the northern section of Fall River.

About 12,000 people in 5,100 homes live within a mile of the proposed LNG storage tank, according to a federal report examining the impact of the proposal. About 1,200 of those units would be within a half-mile of the tank.

Lambert characterized the Weaver's Cove proposal as a "security and economic-development disaster" for Fall River.

"We come here today to seek the help of our government in preventing a tragedy of major proportions," he said, according to a copy of his speech.

The FERC is preparing to vote on whether to approve the Weaver's Cove proposal. A voluminous report by FERC staff members issued last month concluded the project would "meet federal safety standards, can be operated safely and would have limited adverse environmental impact."

The FERC could vote on the proposal, as well as an LNG project proposed in Providence by KeySpan LNG, at an open meeting on June 30.

Lambert was accompanied by Richard Clarke, a former White House counterterrorism adviser, and Jerry Havens, a University of Arkansas professor and chemical engineer. Both have raised concerns about the dangers of siting an LNG facility in a populated area. They also delivered remarks.

Afterward, Lambert said in an interview that he delivered documents to the FERC that present some of the safety and terrorism concerns that have been raised by experts. He also sent a request that the FERC hold hearings before making a decision.

Later, the delegation met with members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation, including Senators Edward Kennedy and John Kerry and Representatives James McGovern and Barney Frank, at Kennedy's office. All oppose the Weaver's Cove proposal.

In an interview, Lambert said he was pleased with the attention his visit received from national media outlets, including CNN, National Public Radio, the Associated Press and Reuters.

"I think that's going to help us, possibly shaping the energy bill and applying pressure to FERC before they make this tragic mistake."

Timothy C. Barmann covers energy issues, utilities and technology. He can be reached at tbarmann@projo.com