Deepwater Port Workshop Speakers Stress Collaboration
At a workshop yesterday in Washington, DC, sponsored by the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) and the Center for LNG, Maritime Administrator Sean T. Connaughton emphasized the importance of collaboration by offshore LNG developers with the multiple federal and state agencies involved in the review of the deepwater port projects. Speaking about the importance of “air-tight” due diligence, Daron Threet, Counsel at Sutherland and formerly Legal Counsel to the MARAD Deepwater Port Program, encouraged developers to understand that the complex regulatory approval process is a “negotiation that begins earlier than most applicants realize.” Other speakers at the conference included representatives from the Coast Guard, CLNG, EPA, NOAA, PHMSA, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, Excelerate Energy, Suez, and Woodside Natural Gas.