These were just a sample of the questions thrown out on Monday night by those concerned about the Virginia based AES Corp and its intention to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) pipeline through The Bahamas.
Monday’s poorly attended town meeting with an estimated 20 individuals at the Kendal G.L. Isaacs Gymnasium, was the first of two meetings held three weeks after the $4 million Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Management Plan for AES Corp was released for public viewing at the BEST Commission.
The four-week period began on October 27 and is expected to conclude on November 28. The second town meeting hosted by BEST will be held today (Wednesday) in Bimini, upon which the Commission is expected to submit its final technical report to Cabinet on November 30. The report will incorporate all concerns from the public and other interested parties.
AES Corp wishes to build a gas pipeline between Ocean Cay, Bimini and Dania Beach, Florida. It proposes to construct a terminal to receive liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) via ocean tankers, store the liquid gas, re-convert it to natural gas through warming and send it to The United States via pipeline. The $600 million project has undergone extensive review and analysis in both The Bahamas and the United States, with ICF Consulting of Washington D.C. offering technical assistance.
The EIA was reviewed by four technical professionals from the BEST Commission, six additional local experts hired by the BEST Commission and some 15-20 experts from ICF Consulting.
Meanwhile, the town meeting on Monday night consisted of a handful of concerned citizens and environmentalists including some members of the conservationist group Re-Earth. Panelists answering questions included: Mr. Donald Cooper, Senior Technical Expert of the BEST Commission, Paul Schulte of ICF consulting and Rochelle Newbold, a technical expert at the BEST Commission.
Director of Re-Earth, Sam Duncombe, pointed out that in the United States, there are over 12 regulatory bodies that are still reviewing the EIA of AES Corp, and they have taken some two years to ensure that when the pipeline is built, there would be minimum damage to the environment. She therefore questioned how BEST was able to evaluate the EIA of AES Corp within a six month period.
“I have spent 30 hours looking at the EIA and I have come up with 135 questions and in six months, the BEST Commission has come up with 188 questions” she commented.
Margo Blackwell, another concerned citizen, outlined that 20 working days was not enough time to review the heavily compiled EIA. She queried whether the ministry would be extending the length of time that the EIA would be reviewed and whether the document would be available on the Internet.
Mr. Donald Cooper, Senior Technical Expert of the BEST Commission responded that extending the 20-day evaluation period would be taken into consideration. He also said it takes time to go through the various steps of the project, to ensure that all environment controls, financing and personnel structures are in place.
Mr. Paul Schulte of ICF consulting pointed out that the review process of any LNG project requires quite a bit of time and technical expertise. He said that compared to other projects in the world, the AES project is not taking longer or is any shorter than normal.
Mr. Schulte told the small gathering that through the EIA review process, ICF Consulting recommended a number of revisions and amendments to the EIA. The purpose, he said, has been to minimise the potential negative impacts to the Bahamian and global environment. He pointed out however, that some of the most pertinent issues, included improving the health and safety of: All personnel engaged in the construction, operation and monitoring of the proposed LNG facilities at Ocean Cay and local residents who may be directly or indirectly impacted by the proposed project.
Mr. Schulte also highlighted that ICF Consultants believe that with continuing focus on developing local Bahamian technical expertise and developing effective control regimes, the government can efficiently and cost effectively meet additional challenges posed by proposed LNG projects on an as needed, incremental and sustainable basis.
He said in the event that the government approves a proposed LNG project, the EIA should become a document for reference purposes and the Environmental Management Plan would become a dynamic operating tool that is updated and maintained over the life of the project.
“Government personnel charged with implementing the control regime will utilise the EMP in close cooperation with project personnel to effectively undertake environmental management and control over the life of the project,” Mr. Schulte said.
Project Director of AES Mr. Aaron Samson who was also attending the town meeting, opined that non-governmental organisations may have many questions for the Commission, but they cannot expect for the Commission to give a response to every question posed.
“They won’t hold another meeting or send back a letter to answer their questions. There is nowhere in the world that this process exists, but I think it’s a great step that BEST is taking to have a public consultation process,” he said.
“It has been an exhaustive study, but it will never be good enough for everybody.”
Some two weeks ago on November 13, Chairman of BEST, Koed Smith, called on the government to move “very slowly” before it grants any energy company approval to construct an LNG pipeline in The Bahamas.
Mr. Smith said at the time, there is no existing gazetted environmental policy or legislative regime that adequately addressed environmental protection and conservation, let alone how The Bahamas will govern LNG re-gasification plants. However, Mr. Smith was not present at Monday’s town meeting to reinforce his views.
Meanwhile the EIA from Texas El Paso has been submitted to the BEST Commission, of which work began on this project some three weeks ago. El Paso Corp wants to construct an LNG pipeline on Grand Bahama from a re-pressurization facility near South Riding Point on Grand Bahama, to Martin Country in South Florida οΎ– about 40 miles in Bahamian waters and 20 miles on Grand Bahama itself.
The EIA from Tractebel, another energy giant, has not yet been submitted to the BEST Commission for review. The company wants to build a 100 mile pipeline from Freeport Harbour on Grand Bahama to Port Everglades, also about 50 miles in Bahamian waters. The Tractebel project will use an existing deep-water port.
By Tamara McKenzie, The Nassau Guardian
