Coast Guard blocks Fall River (Mass.) LNG terminal - Boston Globe

[Eugene]

Source: Boston Globe

Coast Guard blocks Fall River LNG terminal
Span was factor in ruling; developer plans an appeal

By Stephanie Ebbert, Globe Staff | October 25, 2007

A proposed liquefied natural gas terminal that had incited
public fears about an explosive accident or terrorist attack
on Fall River's waterfront was blocked yesterday by the US
Coast Guard, which ruled that the Taunton River is unsafe
for frequent trips by LNG tankers.

Barring a successful appeal by Weaver's Cove Energy, the
decision appeared to bring to a close a tumultuous chapter
in Fall River, whose residents and political leaders had
waged an aggressive campaign against a project they
regarded as a dangerous intruder on their shores. The
city's two congressmen aided the cause by getting federal
legislation passed that prevented the long-planned demolition
of the structurally deficient, 101-year-old Brightman Street
drawbridge, which is not large enough for the large ships
to pass through.

"That bridge may be responsible for saving the city of Fall
River from this horrible fate of having an LNG facility
planted right in the middle of it," said US Representative
James P. McGovern. "That bridge deserves a lot of credit."

After the congressional vote, Weaver's Cove Energy proposed
circumventing the bridge problem by using smaller vessels,
roughly 750 feet long and 85 feet wide, to make deliveries
twice as often, up to three times a week. But the drawbridge
is only 98 feet wide.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/10/25/coast_guard_blocks_fall_river_lng_terminal

[BayouBengal07]

1. If I remember correctly

LNG doesn't really collect in water and may not create the huge doomsday fireball scenario. There haven't been conclusive tests.