Save They Bay has launched an aggressive multimedia campaign against a proposed LNG terminal in Mount Hope Bay. (Source: SaveBay.org)
NEWPORT, R.I. – Save The Bay has recorded 2,500 signatures in its online petition to stop a proposed “off-shore” liquefied natural gas terminal in Mount Hope Bay.
Part of a broader multi-media campaign launched in Novemebr, the petition is aimed at drumming up public opposition to a plan by Weaver’s Cove Energy LLC, which they say could have major environmental and economic implications for Narragansett Bay.
The estimated $700 million proposal, which would require dredging in both Narragansett and Mount Hope bays, has drawn vociferous opposition from residents who claim that the tankers pose a safety hazard, as well as from the state’s maritime community, who say that bay and bridge traffic would have to be shut down any time a tanker enters the bay.
According to Save The Bay, Hess, which has a leading interest in the project, has demonstrated a “self-serving and dismissive approach to serious environmental and economic concerns” that they say “underestimates our common resolve and ignores the history of Bay stewardship and protection that defines the people who live, work and play here.”
“The Hess LNG terminal proposal for Mount Hope Bay is ill-conceived, unnecessary and wrong for the Bay,” the petition reads. “It will become a dominant presence from the East Passage of Narragansett Bay to Fall River that is out of balance with the mixed uses we all enjoy today. Year-round LNG tanker traffic will cost jobs as it disrupts our marine and tourism industries. Required dredging will destroy critical habitat in Mount Hope Bay — habitat that citizens have spent millions of dollars and more than two decades restoring.”
The debate over LNG has heated up in recent months, beginning first with a Coast Guard ruling that unlike a previous on-shore plan, Weaver’s Cove’s proposed off-shore facility does not represent a significant safety threat to the area. That decision was followed by a ruling in the First District Court of Appeals in Boston that decided that Rhode Island’s Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) had missed out on an opportunity to hold hearings on the project.
Now, with a critical Environmental Impact Statement expected to be released in the coming weeks, followed by federal hearings on the proposal, the debate has hit a fevered pitch.
The public will be able to weigh in on the project once the EIS is presented to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) expected some time in February. FERC had approved an earlier version of the Weaver’s Cove project for an on-shore facility in Fall River in 2005.
To sign the petition or voice your own concerns over the proposed LNG terminal, visit www.savebay.org.
Loading ...
Newport, RI
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Where is the 4 foot fence to provide security. Where is Homeland Security on this. Maybe someone should look northeast to Boston to see what their concerns are.