Quoddy Bay's floating bridge idea draws skepticism

A proposal for a temporary, floating bridge to allow people to get off Moose Island, if an accident at the proposed Split Rock liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal blocked Route 190, raised questions during a presentation by Quoddy Bay LNG to the Eastport City Council. About 30 people attended the March 27 council meeting to listen to Quoddy Bay LNG Project Manager Brian Smith explain the proposed project.

Smith stated that he didn't see any reason why there would be a halt to traffic on Route 190 if the facility is built at Split Rock at Pleasant Point. However, if there was an incident at the road, he said a temporary floating bridge could be placed at the former toll bridge site between Eastport and Perry so that residents could leave the island. Also a ferry between Eastport and Lubec could be started, and Quoddy Bay would have a helicopter available.

Councillor Brian Schuth said the proposal for a temporary, floating bridge was "going over like a lead balloon" because the road is the only exit route for the residents of the city, and he and councillor Kathy Lewis both expressed doubts that a temporary bridge would work.

Merrill Morris suggested that a permanent bridge be constructed for both vehicles and the railroad at the toll bridge location, but Smith said that it would take years to receive approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for a permanent bridge. "We don't want our facility contingent on that," he stated, adding that perhaps a temporary bridge could be used until a permanent one is built. He estimated it would cost $50 million to rebuild the bridge, and Quoddy Bay might provide some seed funding for such a project.

Councillor Schuth also raised a question if an accident occurred near the "choke point" at Dog Island, since an LNG vapor cloud, which could become ignited, would be near residences in Eastport. Smith commented that such an accident had never happened before and that the industry is heavily scrutinized.

Councillor Larkin McGarvey asked whether local communities would be able to benefit from natural gas availability. Smith said that it's possible a distribution company might come to Eastport, but he didn't know if it would be economically feasible for a company to install gas distribution lines into the city.

Smith mentioned several possible economic development initiatives in Eastport for which Quoddy Bay is considering providing assistance, including rail transit to Eastport, improvements to the airport, ferry service to Lubec and Campobello, local museums, a marina, tugboats for scenic tours, kayaking activities, an antiques market and renovation of historic houses. It has also been suggested that the company could assist with restoring the seabed for scallops or providing a nursery for sea urchins and kelp. The Perry Improvement Association has negotiated an agreement with Quoddy Bay for financial benefits for the town, and Smith said the company would like to do the same with the city of Eastport.

Councillor McGarvey asked if the agreements that Quoddy Bay signs concerning its commitments to local communities would still be in effect if the facility is sold to another company. Smith said they would be and noted that Quoddy Bay expects to sign an agreement with the Perry Improvement Association within the next few months.

According to Smith, there would be 400 construction workers, on average, over a period of two to three years, with 60 to 70 workers employed when the facility is completed in 2010. He said the company hopes to employ a large percentage of local workers during construction and once the terminal is in operation. He estimated that the company would be spending $30 million to $35 million a year in Washington County, including payroll, property taxes and services.

Explaining the project proposal, Smith said there would be a 1,500-foot pier with two berths, and a cryogenic transfer line from the terminal to the storage tanks would be 30 to 50 feet under Route 190. The facility would have a maximum output of 2 billion cubic feet a day, with three 160,000 cubic meter storage tanks. There would be no cogeneration facility for electricity.

He expected the safety zones around the ships to extend 750 yards ahead and 250 yards behind the vessels as they transit to the pier. While the ship is berthed, the exclusion zone might be 150 feet around the vessel and would not be intended to exclude local fishermen and boaters. During the first year of operations, before the storage tanks are completed, an LNG ship would be unloading at the pier all of the time.