FERC Denies Canadian Province’s Request to Suspend LNG Review
FERC ordered that application reviews can continue for the Quoddy Bay and Downeast LNG terminal proposals on the Maine side of Passamaquoddy Bay. New Brunswick argued that because the Canadian federal government declared that LNG carriers would be prohibited from using Canadian waters to reach the terminals, FERC ought to halt its permit review process. FERC “recognize[d] that such issues of international law are beyond its purview,” but concluded that FERC review should continue “so that the project can proceed in a timely manner” in the event that the diplomatic dispute between the United States and Canada is resolved. The Quoddy Bay LNG and Downeast LNG decisions are available in the FERC eLibrary under docket numbers CP07-35 and CP07-52 respectively. The Telegraph-Journal provides additional details.