Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”)
In December of 2006 Quoddy Bay LNG became the first developer in Maine to submit a formal application to the FERC. The FERC is the lead federal agency that oversees the permitting of onshore LNG terminals in the United States.
The FERC application submitted by Quoddy Bay LNG contains what are known as “Resource Reports” that cover every aspect of the facility ranging from environmental impact to safety and security. Quoddy Bay submitted Resource Reports 1 – 13 to the FERC in December for the Commission to review (excluding No. 12 which doesn’t apply to this project). This review process will take approximately 12 months. The Commission will release a DEIS, or Draft Environmental Impact Statement, very soon for the public to comment on in the coming months. This will give an indication as to what will be contained in the final decision but will also give both the company and the public further opportunity to discuss and modify the project to ensure it is safe and in the public’s interest. By early 2008, Quoddy Bay expects FERC to issue an EIS, or Environmental Impact Statement, that will essentially state whether or not Quoddy Bay can construct its facility. We expect a positive result and encourage you to review what has been submitted to the FERC so far and to keep updated on our process by searching for updates at the FERC website (www.ferc.gov) under our docket numbers of CP07-35 for the Pipeline and CP07-38 for the Facility.
Please note that some Resource Reports contain Critical Energy Infrastructure Information (CEII) and can therefore not be released to the public for safety and security reasons. For more information on CEII material please visit the FERC website (www.ferc.gov).
You can access Quoddy Bay’ FERC application here:
Quoddy Bay FERC Application
Maine Department of Environmental Protection
Quoddy Bay has many permits it must apply for before it can construct its LNG facility. As part of that permitting effort, Quoddy Bay submitted applications under the National Resource Protection Act (NRPA) and the Site Location of Development Act (SLOD). The Maine DEP has jurisdiction over these applications. The Board of Environmental Protection (BEP) just recently stated that it will be overseeing Quoddy Bay’s applications given the size and scale of the project. This is was expected and will inherently result in the public having greater knowledge of the project. The NRPA and SLOD applications focus on the environmental impact of the Quoddy Bay project. Issues regarding safety, security, socioeconomics and cultural impacts are under the jurisdiction of the federal government and are reviewed by FERC. The BEP focuses on regional and area environmental impact of the project. Quoddy Bay has made these applications available online.
Intervener Status – Similar to the FERC process, members of the public, companies and any other entity with a “direct and substantial” interest in the Quoddy Bay project can apply for intervener status with the BEP. This will allow the individual or entity to become a legal party to the proceedings. As a result the intervener will receive regular updates and any information or data produced during the proceedings so that it can be reviewed. The intervener can provide testimony, provide witnesses, cross examine witnesses and take advantage of a number of other privileges. We encourage those who whish to become interveners to do so and contact the Maine DEP if they have any questions (http://www.maine.gov/dep/)
You can access the Quoddy Bay DEP applications here:
Quoddy Bay DEP Application
