A proposed liquid propane gas (LPG) terminal at Mack Point in Searsport would only add six to eight new ships to a Penobscot Bay shipping lane that already can see more than 175 large commercial vessels pass through annually, according to a recently released U.S. Army Corps of Engineers environmental assessment of the project that was debated at a Searsport town meeting on June 11. The 139-page assessment offers information and analysis about the hotly contested project, which is seen as an economic boon by some in the Midcoast region and a safety and environmental concern by others.
The assessment, a collection of data and recommendations, shows no serious impediment to the project going forward, but it does address concerns and suggests remedies to minimize disruption on Penobscot Bay. It notes that in 2010, some 175 large commercial vessels delivered petroleum, chemicals and goods to either the Mack Island port or the Searsport coast. This count does not factor in lobster vessels and recreational boating trips.
The proposed terminal, a 70-acre site with a 138-foot holding tank, would most likely add six to eight trips, mainly in the winter months. The assessment noted that the Penobscot Bay shipping lanes in question are not jammed to capacity, and each LPG tanker trip would take between 36 to 48 hours from entry into the bay to exit.
“An additional six to eight deep draft arrivals over a year’s time would not alter [the lanes’] capacity,” the study finds.
While a previous proposal for an LPG terminal in Harpswell sparked strong debate within the Maine lobstering community, reaction to this proposal so far has been much more muted, according to Patrice McCarron, executive director of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association.
The Harpswell proposal “was a very divisive issue within the industry,” McCarron said. “I have not heard from anybody from the lobstering industry about this.”
While McCarron has not read the environmental assessment, she said lobstermen are used to keeping their distance from shipping lanes.
“If that’s the purpose of the lane, you’re there at your own risk,” she said.
Because of the magnitude of damage that could be caused by an accident involving an LPG carrier, the study lays out recommendations for precautions. Safety zones most likely will be required when tanker ships move through the bay, but more restrictive security zones probably will not. While no rules are established in the study for these safety zones, the authors suggest they will most likely move with the vessel and be 2,000 yards ahead, 1,000 yards astern and 1,000 yards abeam from the carrier. Fishermen and other boaters will be informed through radio bulletins ahead of time of LPG carrier plans. The assessment predicts the moving zone would disrupt a given space in the shipping lanes for no more than 18 minutes.
The assessment also recommends restrictions on LPG carriers in certain weather conditions. A carrier should not be piloted into port when waves exceed 10 feet, and wind must be below 25 knots to 30 knots, depending on the situation. Also, the assessment suggests that boat operators should be required to work with computer simulations that mimic operating the carriers on Penobscot Bay.
Some regional stakeholders, including selectmen from Islesboro and North Haven, have lobbied the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to do an environmental impact statement (EIS) of the project; these are considered more thorough than environmental assessments. The U.S. Army Corps policy calls first for an environmental assessment before deciding to do an EIS, according to U.S. Army Corps Maine Project Manager Jay Clement. There is no legal obligation to do an EIS for this project, he said.
Currently, the Mack Point LPG terminal plan is still being reviewed by Searsport town officials. The application for the terminal isn’t considered complete at present and the town plans to hire consultants to do studies on the project’s impact on traffic and the local economy. The Searsport planning board will meet again in July, and a new public hearing on the proposal will be scheduled soon.
Craig Idlebrook is a freelance contributor living in Cambridge, Mass.