The Boston Herald, 11/7/03
Copyright 2003

By JAY FITZGERALD

Opponents of huge liquefied-natural-gas tankers docking in Fall River hope a forthcoming government study will finally blow away the controversial proposals.

Fall River Mayor Edward Lambert said he intends to use data from the yet-to-be published report - prepared by researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - in his fight to keep LNG tankers from unloading in his city.

"If you're not 100 percent sure about the safety, then why locate these (LNG) facilities in densely populated areas?" Lambert said.

"This (study) shows it's a big risk," said state Rep. David Sullivan (D-Fall River).

A summary of the NOAA study says a large liquefied gas spill would, if ignited, set off a huge "pool fire" and shoot off dangerous electromagnetic radiation, burning people and igniting fires in a half-mile radius. The study is undergoing peer review.

A NOAA researcher said many of the report's findings confirm studies by a former Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor, James Fay, who has long warned about the perils of catastrophic LNG accidents.

But a spokesman for Weaver's Cove Energy LLC, which has proposed a $ 250 million LNG depot in Fall River, took aim not at the NOAA's findings - but at Fay.

"I have not known of any of his studies being credible," said James Grasso, a company spokesman. Fay could not be reached for comment yesterday.

The NOAA report comes at a sensitive time for the LNG industry, which is pushing to build more storage facilities across the nation. There also have been proposals for new LNG depots in Somerset and Providence.

Carmen Fields, a spokeswoman for Keyspan Corp., which is pushing a Providence LNG port, said the industry has an excellent track record. KeySpan has worked with natural gas for decades and never had a serious accident, she said.

Fiery scenario
A strike on a liquefied natural gas tanker passing under the Tobin Bridge would likely send intense flames and thermo radiation into nearby neighborhoods, according to a study by MIT professor James Fay.

The area immediately around the tanker would be engulfed by intense fire.

Searing electromagnetic waves would shoot out about a kilometer, causing second degree burns and sparking secondary fires. SOURCE: James Fay

LOAD-DATE: November 08, 2003