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Posts: 186
Registered:
November 2002
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LNG defeated--again!
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Mon, 28 March 2005 22:06
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Today, Monday, March 28, 2005, residents of the town of Perry voted against the proposal to build a Liquified natural gas terminal on Passamaquoddy Tribal land on the shores of Gleason Cove on Passamaquoddy Bay. The vote was 279 to 214.
The proposal surfaced after Harpswell voted down a similar proposal a year ago, and after suggestions of locating the terminal on Hope Island or Yarmouth in Casco Bay were strongly opposed. Rumors then spread that the state was considering using Sears Island in Penobscot Bay to locate a LNG terminal. Cianbo Corp. then proposed building a LNG terminal at the former Navy survellience base in Gouldsboro, but they withdrew this idea after vehement opposition from local fishermen.
The proposal to build on reservation land in Perry included an annual payment to the town of Perry of $340,000. That amount was later revised upward to $1,000,000 per year for the 30 year life of the plant, virtually eliminating all town taxes for the period. The proposal was voted as a non-binding resolution in August. It passed by a vote of 192-132.
The plan was a gamble of high stakes, both economically and environmentally. It would involve bringing explosively laden ships through the exceptional tidal currents of Western Passage, banning acres of fishing ground, and having unknown consequences (such as blocking evacuation of Eastport) in the event of an accident or terrorist attack. The plan has been promoted by the Passamaquoddy Tribal Council who lost their bid last year to establish a Casino in Maine. Ironically, when opposition to the LNG terminal was mounting, the Tribal Council hired the same Portland-based PR firm, Savvy, Inc., that was instrumental in defeating their casino proposal.
For more details of the plan and its opposition, see http://www.fishermensvoice.com/perrylng.html
The developer's website: http://www.quoddylng.com/
The opposition: http://www.savepassamaquoddybay.org/
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