There are three proposals to build LNG terminals on the Passamaqauoddy Bay at Split Rock on the Pleasant Point Indian Reservation north of Eastport, at Mill Cove in Robbinston, and just above the St. Croix Island historic site within the boundaries of Calais (not shown on map below). To access any of these sites, LNG supertankers would have to transit Head Harbour Passage, which is Canadian water separating the Canadian islands of Campobello and Deer Island.
The Fundy Baykeeper has been working with Canadians, Americans and Passamaquoddy people to oppose such industrial development in this spectacular area. The banner under which the opposition is organized is called Save Passamaquoddy Bay: A Three-Nation Alliance. Recently, the Canadians who have been involved as "Save Passamaquoddy Bay Canada" have incorporated as a legal organization of the same name. Fundy Baykeeper staff is serving as secretariat for the group, and FBK program director Janice Harvey is serving as volunteer co-chair, along with Dr. Lesley Pinder of St. Andrews.This group will be a formal voice for Canadians who oppose these developments, and will participate as an intervenor in the upcoming US regulatory hearings.
The US regulatory approval process is now underway under the auspices of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, and the US Coast Guard. FERC has ordered environmental impact statements to be prepared for two of the three projects -- the Split Rock site (Quoddy Bay LLC ) and the Mill Cove site (Downeast LNG). Documents filed during the preliminary scoping process can be viewed at www.ferc.gov. Search for Docket PF06-13 (Downeast LNG) and Docket PF06-11 (Quoddy Bay LNG) or by company name.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper, MP and Veterans Affairs Minister Greg Thompson, and Premier Bernard Lord have all said Passamaquoddy Bay is no place for LNG terminals or tankers. Save Passamaquoddy Bay Canada has asked the federal government to exercise its authority under the Canada Shipping Act to prohibit the transit of LNG tankers through Head Harbour Passage.
For more information on Save Passamaquoddy Bay Canada contact:
save-bay@mail.com or phone: Fundy Baykeeper office, 506-529-8838
Send letters (preferably), faxes, or e-mails to Prime Minister Harper and his Cabinet
