Palm Beach County and Martin County commissioners vowed Tuesday to fight the proposed construction of a natural gas pipeline from the Bahamas to a power plant in Indiantown.
Commissioners said they will follow the city of Palm Beach Gardens’ lead and pass resolutions officially opposing the pipeline. Construction is set to begin next year.
Palm Beach County Commission Chairwoman Karen Marcus said two natural gas leaks this month have heightened concerns about the safety of a pipeline through populated areas.
The 162-mile, $260 million Seafarer pipeline would be 3 feet underground along a 100-foot swath through northern Palm Beach County and southern Martin County. Originating in the Bahamas, the pipeline would run along the ocean floor through the Lake Worth Inlet, under Peanut Island, then along State Road 710 and the Beeline Highway to Martin County.
The pipeline would cross nine miles of four different Palm Beach County nature areas, said Rich Walesky, director of Palm Beach County department of environmental resources.
The pipeline’s operator, El Paso Corp. of Houston, has applied for approval from the federal Energy and Regulatory Commission, a process that could take up to two years. It also must be reviewed by the state. If approved, the counties would be virtually powerless to stop the project, Walesky said.
“We know they’re going to go around us,” Palm Beach County Commissioner Burt Aaronson said. “We have to take a tremendous stand on this.”
El Paso representatives have said construction of the pipeline would create 170 jobs and provide fuel to meet the state’s energy needs for the next decade. The company owns 3,377 miles of pipeline in the state and about 58,000 miles nationwide.
Although problems are rare, an El Paso pipeline ruptured in New Mexico two years ago, killing a dozen people.
Commissioner Mary McCarty isn’t worried about the pipeline because she said it will never be approved by state environmental regulators.
“They won’t be able to show there’s a need for this,” McCarty said. “There’s no need to get everybody hysterical about something that has no hope of happening anyway.”
But worried Martin County commissioners also agreed to pass a resolution.
“It’s important to take a proactive role whether it’s going to happen or not,” Martin County Commission Chairman Michael DiTerlizzi said. “If you don’t want it in Palm Beach County, then neither do we.”
By Alexandra Clifton, Palm Beach Post
