Critics to seek new vote on LNG
Portland Press Herald
September 11, 2004

By DENNIS HOEY, Portland Press Herald Writer

HARPSWELL A group calling itself We Take Care of the Homeland said Friday that it plans to challenge an August vote that authorized leaders of the Passamaquoddy Tribal Council to negotiate terms with the developer of a liquefied natural gas terminal. The group's spokeswoman, Vera Francis, accompanied by former Green Party gubernatorial candidate Jonathan Carter, met Friday afternoon in Harpswell with representatives of citizen groups that were successful in defeating an LNG project in their community.

Members of Fair Play for Harpswell and Fishing Families for Harpswell spent the afternoon talking with Francis and Carter about strategies to defeat the Quoddy Bay LLC project. Francis said her group will file a petition with tribal leaders seeking a new vote.

"We oppose the destruction of our homeland and our belief system," Francis said. "There just has not been ample time to consider the real cost, the real price that we would have to pay to host an LNG terminal."

In June, Quoddy Bay LLC of Tulsa, Okla., announced that a partnership of energy developers would seek permission to build a liquefied natural gas terminal on a 42-acre site at the Pleasant Point Indian Reservation. At the time, developers said the project could create as many as 1,000 construction jobs and more than 50 permanent jobs.

Quoddy Bay's project surfaced after Harpswell voters decided in March to reject an offer from TransCanada and ConocoPhillips that would have given those companies the rights to lease town-owned land on Middle Bay.

Though the companies were offering $8 million a year in lease fees and property tax revenues, Harpswell residents feared that the terminal, the tankers it would attract and the underwater pipeline needed to convey the gas would destroy fishing grounds and the town's character.

Earlier this year, a proposal for an LNG terminal on Hope Island off Cumberland or Cousins Island off Yarmouth sparked intense debate. Those projects were withdrawn. State officials also denied rumors that they were planning to let a developer build an LNG terminal on state-owned Sears Island on Penobscot Bay.

And earlier this week, Cianbro Corp. withdrew plans to develop an LNG terminal at a former Navy surveillance base in Gouldsboro, after encountering stiff opposition from fishermen.

Although Gov. John Baldacci has said he would support an LNG terminal to help reduce energy costs, he has also said he would not back a project over the opposition of a host community.

"If you want to feed the energy beast (and) if you want to stabilize prices, then LNG is the logical way to go," said Jack Cashman, commissioner of the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development.

Since Cianbro backed off, "my gut feeling is, I don't know if we will see another LNG project in the near future," he said.

Passamaquoddy members voted in August in a nonbinding referendum to support construction of an LNG facility on their lands. The final vote was 192-132.

Craig Francis, legal adviser to the Passamaquoddy Tribe, said tribal leaders regarded the vote as a mandate to negotiate an agreement with Quoddy Bay, a process that began about two weeks ago. Tribal leaders have until May to reach a final agreement.

Francis said that any attempt by the opposition group to block the negotiations would be futile.

"The public opinion is clear. This project is going to happen," he said. "The opposition is a dollar short and a day late. There is nothing they can do now."

Jim Mitchell, spokesman for Quoddy Bay LLC, said negotiations could be wrapped up in a matter of weeks.

As for the opposition, Mitchell said, "People have every right to express their views. We expect that. It's part of the process," he said.

Vera Francis noted that there are two reservations, and that only Pleasant Point was allowed to vote on the proposal. Indian Point Reservation is also mounting a petition drive.

"Our process has always been an open system and nothing is ever a done deal," she said.

Harpswell residents say they are more than happy to help because of their belief that the Maine coast is not an appropriate location for an LNG plant.

"The state needs to start thinking about a one-year moratorium on LNG while we conduct a feasibility study that looks at the entire state," said Chris Duval, a member of Fair Play for Harpswell.

Staff Writer Dennis Hoey can be contacted at 725-8795 or at:

dhoey@pressherald.com