Maine Official Unsure if Proposed LNG Sites Can Accommodate Piers
An official with the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands has expressed doubt over whether the proposed sites for the Quoddy Bay and Downeast LNG terminals can accommodate the long piers necessary for LNG vessels to dock. “Given the length of Maine’s coastline and the shallow depth and narrow waterway at the proposed site relative to the navigation and berthing requirements for LNG vessels, it is difficult to imagine that the proposed site is the most suitable,” Dan Prichard said in letters to FERC. According to the bureau’s rules, the piers cannot extend beyond 1,000 feet from the shoreline unless there is no other recourse. Prichard emphasized that his agency was not taking a formal stance toward either project. The Bangor Daily News has the story, and Prichard’s lettersmay be found in the FERC e-Library in the Quoddy Bay and Downeast LNG Dockets, Nos. PF06-11 and PF06-13. [Access to archived articles requires a fee.]