FUNDY TIDES

OPINION: Conoco-Philips at Searsport signals more northward movement along our coast?

2012-01-27T13:45:00.000-04:00

WHAT'S YOUR OPINION?

Conoco Philips' plan for the development at Searsport, Calais LNG, Downeast LNG, Saint John Port development, Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station refurbishment, Halifax Port development, Portland Port development, reestablishing rail lines, expansion of the highway system connecting these centers ... these are all part of the Atlantica development which will see the integration of Canada's eastcoast with the Maine-New England coast for the specific purposed of moving Canadian and foreign resources to the huge market along the eastcoast and continental United States. Some worry about the impact on Canadian sovereignty. Others already feel the pressure of development in their home regions. What's your position on all of this?

More about this at: http://www.nado.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/ColeSunATC2011Part3b.pdf

Opposed to the proposed ConocoPhillips LPG tower in Searsport?
Then sign the petition? Click here to add your name, and then pass it along to your friends:
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=268053&id=33315-9344537-tYKRrlx&t=2

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FISHERY: MIGHTY POWER OF SMALL FISH EXPLORED IN NEW TV DOCUMENTARY |

2012-01-19T08:27:00.000-04:00

January 22 on CBC Blacks Harbour - the herring town.

FISHERY: MIGHTY POWER OF SMALL FISH EXPLORED IN NEW TV DOCUMENTARY |

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FISHERY: More bad news for cod fishery

2011-11-27T09:01:00.000-04:00

New cod data shaking New England fishing industry

Image via Wikipedia(AP) BOSTON — A new look at the health of one of New England's most storied fish stocks is troubling the industry, with some saying the findings have got to be wrong.

Just three years ago, a federal study showed the Gulf of Maine cod was healthy and headed toward recovery.

Now preliminary data suggest the valuable species is in dismal shape and won't rebuild within the time set by federal law. In a worst-case scenario, that could mean a broad fishery shutdown to protect the cod. But that step would be drastic and a long ways away.

More ... http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505245_162-57331266/new-cod-data-shaking-new-england-fishing-industry/

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RESTORATION: Good news from the Petitcodiac River

2011-11-20T18:36:00.000-04:00

Tomcod Image via WikipediaStill recovering from the battering it's received at the hands of mankind, the poor Petitcodiac River still has a way to go before achieving anything close to full health.

But judging from the Petitcodiac Fish Recovery Coalition's fish trap results for this year, we are at least starting to make amends for strangling the life out of the river for more than two generations.

The coalition first set up its fish trap last year, just after the gates blocking the river at the Moncton-Riverview causeway were opened for good. Not much changed that year, but then again, since the gates had only just been opened and thus the headpond still existed until a short time earlier, no great results were anticipated. This spring the trap was set up again near the old railway trestle at Salisbury and the improvement in returns of some species was nothing short of striking, especially considering this trap only catches a sampling of the fish travelling upstream, not all of the fish.

No Atlantic salmon were trapped in 2011 after one smolt was caught in the previous year - likely that fish was confused because a smolt should have been going out to sea, not upstream and into the fish trap at that time of year - and those who think that opening the causeway gates was a mistake will seize upon the dearth of salmon so far as evidence of their claim. What those people refuse to consider is that it has always been known that restoring already endangered inner Bay of Fundy salmon to this river will take time, maybe even decades, if it happens at all. The opening of the gates was never about just the salmon; it was always about the passage of all native species of fish upstream beyond the causeway gates, and that is not a subject for debate but rather a raw fact.

Still, one salmon did make it upstream in 2011 even though it didn't land in the trap - its sonar tag's signal was picked up as it made its way to wherever it was going - a good sign indeed, in particular because the fish was one of several that had been released earlier in the year in the Bay of Fundy, and only one in 10 of those fish was tagged, making it somewhat improbable that the tagged fish was the only one of the releasees to make its way up the Petitcodiac River.

Could this - or these - salmon represent the vanguard of the permanent, naturally recurring return of Fundy salmon to the Petitcodiac, where our parents and grandparents used to angle for majestic Atlantics until the 1960s? Only time can answer that question.

Perhaps a better indication of how opening the gates has benefited the river - can there be a better indicator of a river's health than its fish? - is the presence of a much greater diversity of fish this year compared to previous years when the gates were closed. And nowhere is this more eyebrow-raising than in the sudden return of the striped bass. Where not a single striper was detected above the causeway for many decades, two baby bass showed up in early summer with more babies following throughout the season, followed by a stream of two-year-old fish later last summer, in turn followed by more mature fish in the fall, for a total return of 158 fish. And remember, this trap was not designed to catch every fish in the river, so it is quite likely that the number of stripers or any other species mentioned here was actually higher than the coalition's annual report cites.

Of particular note, the stripers seemed to make their way upstream of the causeway during periods when the tides were highest - surely an indication of the importance of restoring the tidal influence above that abominable structure.

Also rebounding in great numbers are the tomcod, and coincidentally or not the tommycod were also considered, like the stripers, to be gone forever from the waters above the causeway.

Where a single tomcod was found in the fish trap last year, the first seen that far upstream for decades, last year 1,316 tommycod were recorded, again with the period of most abundance coinciding with the highest tides of each month.

The news hasn't been as great for some native Petitcodiac species, however. For example, shad used to be plentiful upstream of the causeway but not a single specimen has been seen in decades. A single shad was detected this year, but it was well outside its usual spawning run, so who knows what that means? Likely only that we have a long way to go yet in restoring the river.

The number of gaspereaux fell precipitously this year compared to last, but that could be explained by the annual migration going by the fish trap prior to it being installed last spring. Somewhat similarly, no rainbow smelt were detected last year or this year, but perhaps the smelt passed by before the trap was set up.

And just two trout were counted as well, again demonstrating that there's a lot of work left to do yet.

Thanks to the coalition's efforts, we can see the turnaround that is occurring in the river. We can also see the extent of the damage we've done and that it's going to take some time before the river forgives us our trespasses.

Still, the progress is remarkable given the relatively tiny tidal opening the fish have to work with compared to pre-1968, when we decided to choke the river almost to death. Imagine what might happen if the federal and provincial governments own up to their crime against nature and fully restore the most significant natural feature of this entire area once and for all.

* James Foster is a Times & transcript reporter and avid outdoorsman. His column appears on Fridays.

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LNG: Canada Remains Opposed to LNG in Passamaquoddy Bay.

2011-11-15T17:26:00.000-04:00

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LNG: US Natural Gas Production Obsoletes Proposed Downeast LNG Project

2011-11-15T17:24:00.000-04:00

Dean Girdis

2011 Nov 14

The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) announced new information on November 8 that US domestic natural gas production is expected to reach record highs in 2012. Conversely, it also expects liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports to drop from a 2007 high of 770.8 billion cubic feet (bcf) for the entire year (2.111 bcf/day)[1] to an amazing low of only 0.7 bcf/day.[2] And, LNG imports from Trinidad — the US's closest and greatest LNG supplier — have dropped 66%, due to flourishing US natural gas production according to Trinidad and Tobago Energy Minister Kevin Ramnarine on November 13.[3]

"The proposed Downeast LNG project principals have said for over six years that they planned to build an LNG import facility with a daily capacity of 0.5 bcf/day," said Save Passamaquoddy Bay researcher and webmaster Robert Godfrey. "The government indicates that the entire country is destined to import only slightly more LNG than is being proposed by still-unpermitted Downeast LNG. Downeast LNG's proposed project is completely unreasonable and unrealistic from any business or logical perspective. And, the US already has 13 other nearly-idle LNG import terminals — with a total capacity of 18.835 bcf/day — 27 times greater than the entire country will use next year. "What planet are the Downeast LNG principals and investors on?" asked Godfrey. "Downeast LNG has no permit applications with the State of Maine, having withdrawn their state permit applications in 2007 after going all the way through the process, including formal hearings, before determining permitting would be denied. Downeast LNG is over two years late in responding to questions from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the lead permitting agency. Downeast LNG is also a year late in answering additional FERC questions, and has just notified FERC — on the November 8 date due — that they would be late in answering a third set of questions. The idea of a Downeast LNG terminal in Passamaquoddy Bay is a non-starter.

"The US already has many times more LNG import infrastructure than it can possibly use due to the industry's previous rush to build unneeded terminals. And now, due to the well-documented, decades-long domestic natural gas glut the country is facing, the industry is actually starting a mad rush to export LNG overseas," Godfrey said. "Downeast LNG's bald assertion that their ill-conceived, wrongly-sited proposed project it is still needed staggers the mind. There is plentiful natural gas in the US, the Northeast, New England, and downeast Maine without yet another defunct-before-it's-even-permitted, idle LNG terminal — especially an inappropriately-sited one like Downeast LNG."

On November 8 the US Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources held a hearing on exporting LNG.[4] Representatives from the US Department of Energy, Rice University Institute for Public Policy, and Shell Exploration & Production Company testified that such great quantities of domestic natural gas exist that LNG exports are in the public interest. The Hamilton, Ohio, Director of Underground Utilities testified that the US is in the enviable position of establishing energy independence, and no longer needs to import natural gas. "Regardless of advocating exporting or not," Godfrey said, "the testimony indicates that domestic natural gas is available in massive, decades-long supply, eliminating the need to import LNG."

"What's more," Godfrey continued, "Downeast LNG cannot meet the US Coast Guard's requirements regarding LNG ship safety and security. The Coast Guard has stipulated that Downeast LNG must obtain Government of Canada cooperation and coordination for safe and secure LNG ship transits through both Canadian and US waters.[5] Canada has resolutely and repeatedly indicated it will not do so.[6]

"The Coast Guard also requires Downeast LNG to obtain letters of approval from Native American tribes whose waterway rights would be impacted by Downeast LNG's project. And yet, Downeast LNG has made the offensive, inaccurate claim that Native Americans have no rights in the waterway[7]," Godfrey said.

"It's time Downeast LNG's Dean Girdis and cohorts, and their venture-capital partners, Kestrel Energy Partners and Yorktown Energy Partners, faced reality. Downeast LNG was years-late, inappropriately-sited, and surplus even when first proposed in 2005. It is grossly more so now, with insurmountable obstacles. There is no demonstrable need — in fact, quite the opposite. It's time for Downeast LNG and their venture capitalists to face reality, cease their fruitless delays, stop wasting everyone's time, and go home," Godfrey concluded.

Footnotes:
[1] US Energy Information Administration, http://www.eia.gov/dnav/ng/hist/n9103us2A.htm
[2] Reuters, http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/08/eia-outlook-natgas-idAFN1E7A718R20111108
[3] Bloomberg Businessweek, http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-11-13/trinidad-lng-exports-to-u-s-plunge-on-shale-gas-supply-rise.html
[4] US Senate, http://energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_ID=45ea3a80-f5d7-bfba-b023-31a9da05de0a
[5] US Coast Guard, http://www.savepassamaquoddybay.org/ferc/elibrary/formal_filing/delng_CP07-52/2009/USCG_LOR-WSR_DeLNG_binder_20090106-4001.pdf (PDF file, 12.5 MB)
[6] Bangor Daily News, http://bangordailynews.com/2010/07/01/news/canada-standing-tough-on-lng-tanker-passage/
[7] FERC, Draft Environmental Impact Statement, 4.8--Socioeconomics, page 4-286 last paragraph to page 4-287 first paragraph, http://elibrary.ferc.gov/idmws/common/OpenNat.asp?fileID=12019765
-----
Save Passamaquoddy Bay (SPB) is an alliance of citizens from the U.S., the Passamaquoddy Tribe, and Canada, who oppose siting LNG industrial facilities in Passamaquoddy Bay, and who advocate adherence to world-recognized LNG terminal siting best safe practices as published by the Society of International Gas Tanker and Terminal Operators (SIGTTO). SPB advocates creative-economy, tradition-based, and tourism-based economic development for the international Passamaquoddy Bay area.

Robert Godfrey
Save Passamaquoddy Bay 3-nation alliance (US, Passamaquoddy, and Canada)
PO Box 222
Eastport, ME 04631
(207)853-2922 (Old Sow Publishing)
info@SavePassamaquoddyBay.org

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BIRDS: Remembrance Day Report from Machias Seal Island

2011-11-11T12:25:00.000-04:00

Image via WikipediaFri, 11 Nov 2011 00:45:46 -0400 From: Ralph Eldridge

Subject: MACHIAS SEAL ISLAND REPORT

I left the island late Wednesday morning just as our spell of beautiful weather was coming to an end. Through the early week the land birds were unexciting. Only a pair of friendly MOCKINGBIRDS and 3 PALM WARBLERS were of particular note.

On the water, there was a lot of feeding activity throughout last weekend and into early Wednesday. Several hundred GANNETS, a few SHEARWATERS and lots of GULLS dominated the waters. Numerous KITTIWAKES, RAZORBILLS, COMMON LOONS and MERGANSERS were also evident.

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SHALE GAS: Alternative Fracking Methods.

2011-11-11T12:03:00.000-04:00

As a matter of interest, there are alternate methods for fracking that do not have the same environmental impacts as the traditional methods. The following was brought to my attention by Bob Godfrey, Researcher at Save Passamaquoddy Bay.

******************************

GASFRAC Energy Services Inc. (Trading on the TSX-V as "GFS") GASFRAC Energy Services Inc’s. proprietary LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) Fracturing Process utilizes gelled LPG in place of conventional fracturing fluids. The unique properties of the LPG fracturing process result in significant savings on material expenses and fracture clean up, as well as increased well productivity.

The gelled LPG used in the fracturing process has the ability to both generate the necessary fracture system, carry the proppant through the wellbore and place into the oil and gas reservoir being stimulated.

The LPG used in the process is highly soluble in formation hydrocarbons. As a result, the LPG process results in less damage to formations than conventional hydraulic fracturing. And unlike conventional treatments where as much as 50% of the carrier remains in the reservoir and hinders well performance, virtually 100% of the LPG can be recovered.

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FUNDY ACTION GROUPS: The Fundy Bay Keeper

2011-11-11T11:36:00.000-04:00

Image via Wikipedia

The Conservation Council of New Brunswick (CCNB) has been working to protect our critical marine environments.

Fundy Baykeeper, part of our Marine Program has been working to defend
the Bay of Fundy since being founded in 2003. Through active
patrolling in the Baykeeper boat, Fundy Baykeeper assesses the threats
to the bay and works toward solutions with wide ranging partners. Our
founding Baykeeper and long time member of CCNB, Dave Thompson,
retired last month but remains active in CCNB on our board of
directors. Matthew Abbott, the Marine Project Coordinator, has moved
into the role of Fundy Baykeeper.

Over the past year we have been active members in a number of
campaigns with wide ranging partners including a call for a halt to
the use of eco-toxic pesticides in the open netpen salmon aquaculture
industry; a campaign to stop the approval of genetically modified
Atlantic Salmon; and the ongoing campaign to restore gaspereau
(alewives) to the St Croix River.

In the summer of 2010, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans quietly
released its assessment of the health of Canada’s major marine
ecosystems. The key findings were blunt and chilling; marine food webs
are crumbling and ocean waters are acidifying. Conservation Council
worked to shine the light of public attention on the report card and
build awareness about its findings among national environmental
organizations and parliamentarians. We encouraged Tides Canada to help
convene a three oceans summit to develop a course of action in
response.

CCNB was the driving force behind the establishment of the Musquash
Estuary Marine Protected Area (MPA). Estuaries are some of the most
productive ecosystems on earth, their preservation is critical. As the
last intact estuary in the Bay of Fundy/Gulf of Maine and the largest
remaining salt marsh in the Bay of Fundy, the protection of Musquash
is essential. CCNB has continued to defend Musquash by serving on the
Advisory Committee for the MPA, stopping the development of an
aquaculture site just outside the borders of the MPA, and carrying out
regular patrols at key sites to clean up marine debris and curb
illegal dumping. We host an annual Musquash Paddle to allow citizens
to fully experience Musquash from the water.

Baykeeper was instrumental in organizing the Atlantic Coalition for
Aquaculture Reform (ACAR) and continues to serve as co-coordinator of
the coalition. This coalition of fishermen’s associations,
environmental organizations, and concerned coastal citizens from both
New Brunswick and Nova Scotia has banded together to highlight and
address the environmental damage and threats to traditional fisheries
caused by the salmon aquaculture industry. Given the ongoing expansion
of salmon aquaculture into Nova Scotia, ACAR has served as an
important forum to organize coordinated regional activities to
highlight the folly of industrial feedlot aquaculture and put real
pressure on federal and provincial governments to appropriately
regulate the industry. ACAR has also served as a critical venue for
collaboration with groups on the West Coast also highlighting the
impacts of salmon aquaculture.

Despite abandoning plans for a second oil refinery in Saint John in
2009, Irving Oil continued with the provincial and federal
environmental assessment processes for the associated marine terminal.
Fundy Baykeeper was an official intervenor and provided expert
evidence of the damage the construction and operation of such a marine
terminal would cause in the coastal ecosystem.

While it remains critical, partly because of the monitoring,
reporting, and advocacy work of Baykeeper, the marine debris problem
in the Quoddy Region, in the outer Bay of Fundy has improved
considerably. For instance, we have secured the clean-up of several
more large debris sites through our work this patrol season.

To learn more about CCNB’s Marine program and Fundy Baykeeper, contact
Matthew Abbott, Fundy Baykeeper: marine@conservationcouncil.ca; (506)
529-8838

For further information, please contact us at:

CCNB
180 St. John St.,
Fredericton, NB
E3B 4A9
Tel: 506 458-8747
Fax: 506 458-1047
Email: info@conservationcouncil.ca

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OFFSHORE DRILLING: Breaking News from Conservation Law Foundation

2011-11-10T18:34:00.000-04:00

Lessons for us in Fundy to learn?

No New Drilling in New England

Posted: 10 Nov 2011 09:54 AM PST

Fire Boats Attempt to Control Fire on BP's Deepwater Horizon

Earlier this week Secretary Salazar announced the Department of the Interior’s five-year proposal for oil and gas leases in our nation’s oceans. Much to the relief of New England’s fishermen, beachgoers, and coastal businesses, the Obama Administration’s proposal keeps the oil industry out of New England’s ocean and the rest of the Atlantic coast. CLF has long opposed oil drilling off of New England’s coasts and joined with the Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association to block drilling 30 years ago when test wells were being drilled on the rich fishing grounds of Georges Bank.

CLF opposes offshore drilling for the very simple reason that a healthy, thriving ocean free of oil spills is worth far more to our region than the oil that potentially lies beneath the waves. From fishing to recreation to coastal tourism, a healthy ocean contributes more than $17.5 billion to our economy every year.

Just over a year ago, we watched in horror as the BP Deepwater Horizon rig burst into flames, unleashing what would become the nation’s greatest environmental disaster. But for the efforts of CLF, our allies in the fishing industry and environmental community and champions such as Congressman Ed Markey, that oil could very well have been washing up on the beaches of Cape Cod’s National Seashore or on the rocky coasts of Maine.

The fact is that unless we get permanent protection for our ocean and coasts oil drilling off of New England’s coasts remains a real threat. Congress has failed to reauthorize a congressional moratorium on drilling on Georges Bank introduced by Congressman Ed Markey, and earlier this summer the House passed legislation that could require drilling off of New England’s coast and in other sensitive areas around the nation.

Given the importance of the ocean to New England’s economy and last summer’s stark example of the danger drilling poses to jobs, the economy, our beaches, wildlife and our quality of life you would think that New England’s representatives to Congress would oppose such legislation, and many did. Unfortunately Representatives Charlie Bass and Frank Guinta, both of New Hampshire, supported the House legislation which passed. Most of New England’s Republican Senators, Brown of Massachusetts, Ayotte of New Hampshire and Collins of Maine all supported similar legislation in the Senate. Senator Snowe of Maine joined all of New England’s Democratic Senators to reject the drilling requirement. Fortunately, this time, the Senate voted down this legislation.

Yesterday’s decision by President Obama and Interior Secretary Salazar to keep New England’s ocean and coastal economy oil rig free should be applauded as the important step forward that it is. However, New England’s ocean is far too important to our lives and our economy to face such constant threats. It is time for Senators Brown, Ayotte and Collins as well as Representatives Bass and Guinta to stand with the rest of New England’s delegation and support permanent protection from drilling off of New England’s coast. If your Representative or Senator is on that list, you can contact them by calling the Congressional switchboard at 202-224-3121.

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MEDIA ADVISORY-BAY OF FUNDY PARTNERSHIP RESPONDS TO NEW7WONDERS OF NATURE ANNOUNCEMENT | Votemyfundy.com

2011-11-10T11:15:00.000-04:00

MEDIA ADVISORY-BAY OF FUNDY PARTNERSHIP RESPONDS TO NEW7WONDERS OF NATURE ANNOUNCEMENT | Votemyfundy.com:

'via Blog this'

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NUCLEAR: Unanswered questions about Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station.

2011-11-10T11:03:00.008-04:00

Dateline: Bay of Fundy, November 10, 2011.

As the 7 natural wonders hype about the Bay of Fundy begins to die down with the closing of the 7 wonders contest, it is time for all Canadian citizens to address the darker issues of the Bay of Fundy and to move towards greater protection of Canada's number 1 natural treasure. Among those darker concerns is the Bay of Fundy's nuclear presence.

As the refurbishment of the Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Stations continues to plod along while sucking up millions more of the taxpayers money, the media seems strangely quiet even while the lobby for decommissioning of this facility continues ... unfortunately with little apparent public support. It is odd indeed that the most sinister development in the Bay of Fundy draws little or no concern from the average citizen.

With the continuing nuclear disaster in Japan and the horrendous impacts globally to our air, earth, and water, don't Maritimers have the slightest concern about the refurbishment of a rickety old Candu reactor that sits right on friable shale on the Fundy fault block? Do we not, at least, have questions that need to be answered?

Well, Willi Nolan of the International Institute of Concern for Public Health (IICPH) has been asking these questions for some time now. Addressed to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) during a “CNSC 101 Information Session for Stakeholders” which was held on June 23, 2011 at the Hilton Convention Centre in St. John, New Brunswick, the questions were sent to the CNSC Directorate of Nuclear Cycle and Facilities Regulation in July, 2011. CNSC responded to some of these and other questions on November 9, 2011. They are all listed at http://nb.referata.com/wiki/FAQ_Canadian_Nuclear_Safety_Commission . You will note with interest I am sure, that many answers remain pending.

IICPH provides information about the dangers of Point Lepreau and is fighting for the decommissioning of this old and dangerous plant. You can learn more at: http://iicph.org/tag/lepreau

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LNG: LNG remains on LePage's lips as he targets natural gas for the future.

2011-10-13T18:40:00.000-03:00

LePage looking to expand natural gas in Maine

Bangor Daily News file photo by Kevin Bennett

Gov. Paul LePage speaks before signing a pair of bills along the Bangor Waterfront in July. Buy Photo

By Mal Leary, Capitol News Service

Posted Sept. 18, 2011, at 2:02 p.m.
Last modified Sept. 19, 2011, at 9:47 a.m.

LNG: Save Passamaquoddy Bay petitions FERC for closure of Calais LNG's application.

2011-10-11T16:18:00.000-03:00

Image via Wikipedia
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
888 First Street, NE Room 1A
Washington, DC 20426
eFiled on 2011 Oct 11
Re: Calais LNG, Docket Nos. CP10-32, CP10-31

Dear Ms. Bose,
On 2010 December 17, Accession No. 20101217-5072, Calais LNG filed to the docket
admitting having lost its title, right, or interest (TRI) to the bulk of its project site on the
previous August 31st. The company also admitted having lost its financial backer, GS
Power Holdings, even earlier, on the previous July 21st.

It has been well over one year since Calais LNG became incapable of continuing its
permitting due to lack of financial capacity and loss of project site. In the interim, the
applicant has made no progress in reacquiring either of those losses. Plus, sometime
prior to 2011 July 13, Calais LNG shut down and vacated its offices.

On 2008 October 17, after Quoddy Bay LNG (PF06-11) had failed to provide technical
answers to FERCʼs questions for one year, FERC dismissed the project from permitting,
without prejudice. Calais LNG is in a similar situation; it is incapable of fulfilling FERC
permitting requirements.

Calais LNG has made no postings to the FERC docket since December, and that
December posting was an admission of its incapacity that had occurred several months
earlier. Meanwhile, the domestic natural gas supply has burgeoned to a decades-long
surplus.

Calais LNG, having remained in a state of incapacity for well over one year, Save
Passamaquoddy Bay asks that FERC dismiss Calais LNG from permitting, without
prejudice. Should Calais LNG find financing and a project site in the future, it would be
free to reapply as a new project.

Very truly,
Robert Godfrey
Researcher & Webmaster
Save Passamaquoddy Bay
A 3-Nation Alliance
(US • Passamaquoddy • Canada)
PO Box 222 • Eastport, ME 04631
(207)853-4123
info@SavePassamaquoddyBay.org
www.SavePassamaquoddyBay.org
cc: FERC Calais LNG Service List

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OCEAN POLLUTION: Well it's now official. Our energy policy is destroying commercial clam beds in Maine.

2011-10-07T16:09:00.000-03:00

Posted Oct. 07, 2011, at 11:51 a.m.
Last modified Oct. 07, 2011, at 12:42 p.m.

Bangor Daily News

Seth Koenig | BDN

Elizabeth Thompson, a researcher for Friends of Casco Bay, tests the pH levels of the mud in Mill Cove in South Portland, across the harbor from downtown Portland. Buy Photo

SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — They’re called dead muds.

Rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere combined with unregulated nitrogen pollution are having a deadly effect on Maine’s shellfish, some researchers say.

Scientists are starting to measure the impact of increasingly acidic waters on coastal organisms, and what they’ve found is alarming. Formerly fertile shellfish flats are becoming uninhabitable wastelands of dreck.

The phenomenon is another threat to Maine’s shellfish industry, estimated to be worth about $60 million annually.

“They call them dead muds,” said Mark Green, an oyster grower and marine science professor at St. Joseph’s College in Standish. “The darker muds and sulfur-rich muds don’t have any clams, and those are the flats that have lower pH levels. Places where historically there have been great harvests that supported clammers for decades, you now see water quality changes that are reflected in the mud.” The more acidic the water, the lower the pH.

In these places, researchers aren’t finding dead or unhealthy shellfish. They’re finding nothing at all. It is a complete eradication.

“If you put a larval shellfish in a mud flat that has a pH level of 6.8 or 6.9, you won’t find it 24 hours later — it’ll totally dissolve,” Green said. “It’s well documented now that we see pH levels that are causing larval shellfish to die, and in relatively large numbers. And the pH projections in the future are [much more acidic than] what’s been seen in laboratories to cause massive die-offs.”

Dean Doyle is a longtime shellfish harvester based out of Phippsburg. He said clammers are quick to promote practices that sustain their industry, such as seeding clams in the mud flats to cultivate future populations for digging. But Doyle, who said he has turned to foresting for additional income in the absence of reliable shellfish harvests, said muds like those described by Green are hopeless. And they’re growing.

“We’ve lost huge amounts of area,” Doyle said. “We can’t even keep areas that we seed. They just disappear. They just dissolve away. Areas where I used to dig two or three bushels, I can’t find a single clam now. [Clamming] is not even a full-time job anymore in my town. It’s not like it was 10 or 12 years ago.”

Denis-Marc Nault, a biologist with the Department of Marine Resources, said he’s aware of the concern over high acidity in clam flats, but with a staff of just two people to watch over nearly 150,000 acres of intertidal flats, the state hasn’t been able to map out acidic trouble areas or conduct enough studies to be sure acidity is causing the die-offs in places where clammers are seeing them.

“We are looking at it,” Nault told the Bangor Daily News. “We’re interested in it. I do have areas where I can set clams and they grow just fine, but I have other areas where the clams struggle with shell erosion or a loss of larva. Is it acidification? Is it a drop in the pH in the mud itself? I don’t know.”

Nault said changes in salinity can be deadly for young shellfish as well, and said he and the one other department biologist assigned to monitor Maine’s flats are stretched too thin to do the comprehensive research necessary to determine how pervasive the dead muds are.

“It’s something we think about,” he said. “It’s definitely a concern.”

Acid oceans

Conversationally, the notion that Earth’s oceans are becoming more acidic is often lumped into a larger discussion about climate change, said Joseph Salisbury, a researcher in the University of New Hampshire‘s marine program and a South Portland resident. But unlike the politically volatile subject of global warming and its potential causes, Salisbury said, there’s no such debate about ocean acidification.

“We’ve seen carbon dioxide in the atmosphere go from 200 parts per million up to 392,” Salisbury said. “It’s almost doubled. Some people may argue that this does not affect global warming, but there’s no question there’s an increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere — and it has caused an increase in the ocean’s acidity.”

Adding carbon dioxide to the ocean adds to the water’s concentration of hydrogen ions, increasing its acidity. Green said the Earth’s oceans absorb more than 21 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each day.

“There may be controversy surrounding global warming, but there’s no debate about the fact that the ocean is becoming more acidic,” said Paul Dobbins, former oyster farmer and co-founder of the Portland-based kelp grower Ocean Approved LLC. “It doesn’t receive all that much coverage, because it’s not controversial, but [the ocean's acidity is] what has all of us who are working with ocean organisms and shellfish worried.”

Casco Baykeeper Joe Payne said the pH of coastal ocean waters has decreased by .02 over the past few decades.

“I’ve had people say to me, ‘Well, that’s just .02, that’s tiny,’” Payne said. “Your blood and sea water are 98 percent the same. If your blood pH changed by .02, you’d be comatose. That’s what it does to the ocean.”

What Payne described as a “major problem” in the form of worldwide ocean acidification, though, isn’t the only problem for Maine’s shellfish flats.

The double whammy

There are currently no limits on how much nitrogen can be discharged into Maine waterways.

“If you have a very productive ecosystem, which the Gulf of Maine is, and you add a little nitrogen, it gets even more productive,” said Salisbury.

The environmental advocacy group Friends of Casco Bay, to which Payne belongs, has launched a campaign urging Mainers to keep an eye out for “green slime” — thick carpets of algae covering shallow coastal waters. The green slime is a sign of excess nitrogen, Friends of Casco Bay warns, and excess nitrogen carries a host of consequences for an ecosystem aside from bad aesthetics.

The same nitrogen that causes a freakish bloom in algae causes an explosion in the microscopic phytoplankton populations. Those massive numbers of phytoplankton then die, fall to the mud at the base of the water and decompose, releasing more concentrated carbon dioxide to the fragile mud ecosystem and driving the pH further into acidic territory.

“Only now are we considering the effects on shelled organisms,” Salisbury said. “This is a big concern, and it’s only recently been studied. People have always known about the chemistry, but the effects on the organisms [are just being researched].

“There may be adaptations that some organisms can make, but we do know that things are changing probably faster than most organisms can keep up with,” he continued. “It could be that these factors are conspiring to make survival difficult for commercially valuable shellfish, but really the jury is out.”

Controlling nitrogen

A 2008 resolution of the state Legislature, promoted by Friends of Casco Bay, directed the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to develop limits for the amount of nitrogen allowable in Maine waters.

Angela DuBois, who works in the department’s Bureau of Land and Water Quality, is in charge of drafting those numeric limits in time to meet a July 2012 deadline, after which the Legislature will review and consider implementing them.

DuBois said setting those limits is “the first step” in a longer process to control nitrogen pollution. When the numbers are set, the DEP will try to maintain them by regulating the amount of nitrogen discharged by identifiable sources, such as sewage treatment plants.

The department also has programs set up to educate the public about controlling “nonpoint sources” of nitrogen pollution, such as residential and farm fertilizers and road runoff. But DuBois acknowledged the nonpoint sources will be “more difficult” to control.

That could leave dischargers like factories or sewage treatment plants shouldering much of the burden of curbing nitrogen levels.

“Plants our size are looking at [$500,000 to $750,000] to build tertiary treatment chains,” said Christopher Higgins, head of the Boothbay Harbor Sewer District. “That’s going to make an impact on sewer fees, especially when [the cost is spread out] over 1,200 users.”

For his part, Higgins is partnering with Dobbins to experiment using kelp to control nitrogen. The saltwater vegetation absorbs nitrogen from the water, and Higgins has a Department of Marine Resources permit for two kelp beds, one near the the district’s primary treatment plant and another near Bayville.

“A nice benefit of this is that kelp eats nitrogen, and there are places on the Maine coast where there’s excess nitrogen because of runoff and other pollution,” Dobbins said of the sea plant, which is popular in many parts of the world as a food and fuel source. “He’s looking to use nature to take excess nitrogen out of the water — it’s called ‘bioremediation,’ using nature to help clean itself.”

Bill Mook, head of the Walpole-based Mook Sea Farm, said his Damariscotta Riveroyster farming operation has taken note of dropping pH in the water and chooses to refill its nursery tanks during times of day when the waters are tested to be less acidic.

“We did see the incoming pH levels were oftentimes a little lower than we would have expected, running down below 8 consistently, and even down as low as 7.7 and 7.8,” he said recently. “We also found that if we’re able to maintain pHs a little higher, we’re able to maintain higher larval populations.”

Finally, Green’s research suggests that one of the best controls for pH in mud is the return of clam shells. While harvested clams are typically taken upland, shucked and eaten and the shells are tossed in the garbage, Green advocates for the shells to be saved and spread back over the flats from which they were harvested.

The shells provide doses of calcium carbonate — acting like “Tums” in the mud, he said — to combat the lowering pH.

“Putting clam shells back seems to, at least in a couple of places where I’ve done it, create a three- to five-fold increase in the number of juvenile clams,” Green said. “It doesn’t tackle the root of the issue, but it does help ameliorate the problem.”

Green said the various localized attempts at slowing the creep of acidity into coastal marine life will only help for so long.

“The ocean has plenty of buffering capacity for carbon dioxide, but we’re injecting it too fast for the ocean to keep up,” he said. “The only way to stop it is to curb carbon dioxide emissions. This is really, in my mind, still a looming catastrophe.”

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POWER: Remembering the Art of Protest - will nuclear and shale gas be a repeat performance?

2011-10-04T14:35:00.000-03:00

Images contributed by various protesters.

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ECONOMY: Cap'n John's Seafood, Chamcook, then and now.

2011-09-29T09:45:00.000-03:00

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My first “solar shutter” is pumping heat today.

2011-09-28T16:18:00.002-03:00

I replaced two big old windows that left space on either side. So … I decided to create 4 passive solar “shutters” (That’s what I’m calling them … well … because that’s what they look like. Anyway, lots of heat today!! Hopefully 4 more will heat my little office when the sun shines in the winter. Hope to add some solar hot water later and that will do it for sure. Stay tuned!

ENERGY: Under Chinese ownership, one of the dirtiest of USA's mills will convert to natural gas.

2011-09-19T13:12:00.000-03:00

Long designated as among the 10% dirtiest operations in the US of A. the pulp mill located in Baileyville/Woodland, Maine on the international St. Croix River was recently purchased by interests from China and Taiwan. This announcement that they will convert to natural gas may be good news for those who have been pushing for this operation to control its airborne and waterborne pollution which is known to have contributed to the collapse of nearshore fisheries in Passamaquoddy Bay, fisheries estimated to have been worth $10 - $20 million dollars before 1964. A cursory review of clear-cutting in the area still leads one to wonder where or not the forests of Maine and New Brunswick can continue to absorb this abuse. Certainly the collapse of similar operations make one wonder just what will happen over the next few years. Or is there another reason? Perhaps to exert influence here at the nexus for all energy and products flowing to the US from Canada.

"May you be born in interesting times"!
**************************

Baileyville pulp mill to get natural gas with $12M conversion
By Sharon Kiley Mack, BDN Staff
Posted Sept. 18, 2011, at 5:36 p.m.

BAILEYVILLE, Maine — The Maine Bureau of Protection recently approved the linkage of Baileyville’s mill — formerly Domtar and now Woodland Pulp LLC — to a natural gas pipeline. The conversion is expected to cost $12 million but will save millions in fuel costs for the company.

“The pipeline is under construction, as of last week,” Scott Beal, mill spokesman, said this week. “We expect it to be active by the end of the year. This an absolutely amazing project for us.”

The former Domtar pulp mill in Baileyville was bought a year ago by Grand Investment Corp. of China and Taiwan for $64 million and renamed Woodland Pulp LLC. The new owners are investing $12 million to convert the oil powered facility to natural gas.

Earlier this year, Beal said, the project was given a huge boost when the Maine Legislature approved allowing the mill to be regulated by the Maine Public Utilities Commission rather than federal agencies. This move will allow the project to be completed a year earlier than otherwise.

Beal said the legislative action filled a statutory gap. Usually, the Maine PUC can only regulate utilities and not private companies. With the change, the PUC now will regulate the project, which Beal said ensures the mill’s future growth.

Beal said the primary reason for the conversion is to save fuel. “Last year, we used 10.3 million gallons of No. 6 oil,” Beal said in an interview at the time of the Legislative approval. “Because the price fluctuates, we cannot precisely say how much we will save but we estimate that there will be a one-year payback of this investment in avoided costs.”

The mill, which makes hardwood pulp used in manufacturing paper, will be linking with the Maritimes and Northeast Pipeline that runs through Maine about 4½ miles north of the mill.

Maritimes and Northeast’s natural gas transmission main originates at Sable Island in Nova Scotia and crosses New Brunswick into Maine, continuing through to Westbrook where it interconnects with the Portland Natural Gas Transmission System. The pipeline crosses the border at the St. Croix River north of the Baileyville pulp mill and was installed in 2000.

Beal said this week that the economic benefits of the project are clear. Woodland Pulp LLC employs 310 people and is an important economic engine in Washington County.

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HISTORY: Christian Larsen keeps Pennfield history alive.

2011-09-17T10:07:00.000-03:00

Christian Larsen keeps Pennfield history alive.

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POWER: Japan disaster kick-starts green energy law.

2011-09-17T09:38:00.000-03:00

Time for New Brunswick and Nova Scotia to get serious about this ... before a disaster here?

******************
Image via WikipediaEDITORIAL
Kick-starting green energy

The Upper House on Aug. 26 unanimously enacted an electricity feed-in-tariff scheme law under which Japan's 10 power companies, in principle, will be required to purchase all of the electricity generated through renewable energy sources for long periods at prices advantageous to operators of green energy facilities. The law will go into effect on July 1, 2012.

As Japan is suffering radioactive contamination and power shortages from the ongoing crisis at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, it should fully make use of the law to develop a social system that reduces both reliance on nuclear power and greenhouse gas emissions. Global warming is blamed for the latter.

Some 80 countries and regions have already introduced an electricity feed-in-tariff scheme. In the past decade, there was a move among Diet members to enact such a law. But the power industry and the trade and industry ministry resisted and prevented the enactment. Their move hampered the promotion of electricity generation from renewable sources.

As a result, except for electricity from hydraulic power, electricity from renewable sources accounts for only about 1 percent of Japan's total power generation. The power industry and the trade and industry should be reminded of its responsibility for causing this situation.

Under the law, the power companies will be required to purchase all the electricity generated through such means as photo voltaic systems, wind power, small-scale hydropower, geothermal power and biomass at prices advantageous to operators of these renewable energy sources.

As for electricity generated through solar panels installed at homes, the power companies will only buy surplus power. The scheme of purchasing all electricity from renewable sources does not apply to that generated by existing windmills.

The power companies will be allowed to pass on the cost for the purchases to consumers as a surcharge. A five-member committee will be set up within the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy of the trade and industry ministry to set the prices at which the power companies will purchase electricity from renewable sources. The appointment of the five committee members needs Diet approval.

Although households and enterprises will have to shoulder higher electricity bills, they should regard the surcharge as investment by society as a whole in efforts to lay the foundation to build a society living on sustainable energy supply. (The law includes a clause that will help companies that use a large amount of electricity. The surcharge for them will be reduced.)

Electricity users have to pay attention to the fact that because the prices of fossil fuel will rise in the future, it is reasonable to promote renewable energy sources at home.

The Institute for Global Environmental Strategies estimates that in terms of long-term cost, promoting renewable energy sources will be cheaper than relying on fossil fuel if a country phases out nuclear power.

One of the reasons for promoting renewable energy sources is that they can be developed and established in various parts of Japan, helping to increase employment and revitalize economic activities in the countryside.

Electricity users should realize that relying on fossil fuel means doling out Japanese money to foreign countries, while paying for electricity from renewable energy sources means helping to increase employment and improve technology used in green energy generation.

At a time when the international community is trying to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increasing reliance on fossil fuels would only damage Japan's reputation.

The price-setting committee must set the purchase prices of renewable electricity so that they will enable grassroots entities generating such electricity to flourish.

It should not adopt a policy that will benefit only the large capitalized companies that enter into the business of renewable electricity generation.

The government must help promote power generation methods that will fully take advantage of Japan's geological and other features, such as geothermal sources in volcanic areas, timber biomass from forest thinning, fallow agricultural fields and rice paddies, waves and tidal currents along coasts, rapid river streams and deep snow packs.

It also should help improve the technology to store renewable electricity for stable distribution, since electricity supplies from renewable sources, especially solar and wind power, have demonstrated instability.

The government also should financially help small and medium-size firms entering into green energy business and scrap various regulations hindering quick establishment of facilities and systems for green electricity generation.

But the law has a loophole. It allows the power companies to reject electricity connections from renewable sources if doing so hinders the smooth supply of electricity in their power lines.

Users and the government should strictly watch the power companies so that they do not abuse this provision.

The central government and the power industry should develop a smart grid that can cope with voltage changes in renewable electricity. Wide use by households of smart meters also should be promoted to help flatten the peaks of electricity demand. Management of power lines also should be changed so that renewable electricity can be transmitted to remote communities and cities that use a large amount of electricity.

More important, the government should break the collusion between bureaucrats and those close to the power industry when decisions are made on the nation's energy policy.

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LNG: So you think LNG in Passamaquoddy Bay is okay?

2011-09-16T16:01:00.000-03:00

Well that's what they said about Gladstone Harbour in Australia in spite of the very real concerns expressed by the UNESCO ( see: http://lockthegate.org.au/media/display/4654) Now it looks like their worsy fears are coming true according to this story that appeared in my inbox today.

Gladstone Harbour contaminated
16th September 2011

Aerial photography of Gladstone region taken February 27th, 2011: Coal stacks and Mt Larcom. Chrissy Harris

GLADSTONE Harbour has been closed to all fishing temporarily.

Fisheries Queensland put in place the temporary closure while Biosecurity Queensland does testing on a condition affecting some local fish.

Late yesterday, The Observer learned a contamination scare had prompted the closure of waters from Turkey Beach to The Narrows. It came as two fishermen were believed to be in Gladstone Hospital receiving treatment for serious infections.

Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI) director-general Ian Fletcher said fishers had reported barramundi being caught in the area, some with cloudy eyes and lesions.

"Public health is the number one priority," Mr Fletcher said.

"Fisheries Queensland has determined the boundaries for the temporary closure will be between Deception Creek at the top end of The Narrows down to Rodds Peninsula and to the outer edge of Facing Island."

Safe Food Production Queensland said the closure ensured fish that were potentially unsuitable for consumption would not enter the food chain.

FACTS
Temporary closure between Deception Creek down to Rodds Peninsula and to the outer edge of Facing Island.
Seafood that shows signs of damage, deterioration or disease should not be handled or consumed.
Anyone who has concerns about their health which might be attributed to the handling or consumption of seafood should seek medical advice.

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FUNDY LIFE: Rare sand tiger shark caught in Petitcodiac River

2011-09-16T07:32:00.001-03:00

CBC News
Posted: Sep 16, 2011 6:57 AM AT
Last Updated: Sep 16, 2011 6:50 AM AT

Jay Edgett caught this sand tiger shark in the Petitcodiac River last Friday.

Jay Edgett of Dorchester, N.B., has been fishing for many years but a lifetime of angling did not prepare him for what he saw on the end of his line last week.

Edgett and his friends were fishing for bass off of a pier in the Petitcodiac River in southern New Brunswick when he hooked a fish. When the fish came to the surface, he quickly realized it was not a bass but instead a rare sand tiger shark.

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Areva suspends some uranium production after Japan quake

2011-09-15T20:04:00.000-03:00

Image by Sterneck via Flickr

PARIS — French nuclear giant Areva is suspending uranium production at two plants because of low demand from Japanese power stations in the wake of the Fukushima disaster, a spokeswoman said Thursday.

Production at subsidiary Comhurex's Malvesi and Tricastin sites will be suspended for two months because of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan and swamped a nuclear site six months ago, the spokeswoman said.

"This decision is based on the events in Japan, which today has led to a drop in deliveries to Japanese power producers and short term downward pressure on prices in this market," Areva said in a statement.

"A certain number of orders placed by the Japanese have been cancelled," Areva chief executive Luc Oursel told AFP from New York.

Comurhex, which is 100 percent owned by Areva, uses a two-stage process to transform mined uranium into uranium hexafluoride, the raw material for the enrichment process that eventually produces reactor-grade fuel.

Areva said there were no plans to suspend or lay off the less than 600 workers from the plants, who will be asked to attend training sessions or use up holiday allowances while their plants are taken off-line.

Before the March 11 earthquake and tsunami -- and the ensuing disaster at the flooded Fukushima Daiichi power plant -- Japan was planning to use nuclear power to generate around 50 percent of its energy needs by 2030.

But opinion shifted after the disaster crippled the plant's cooling systems, sparking reactor meltdowns that spewed radiation into the environment, forcing tens of thousands to evacuate from a 20 kilometre (12 mile) radius.

A number of other plants were shut down following the Fukushima accident and currently on 11 of 54 are currently operating.

"You have seen that Japan is in a particular situation as a certain number of plants have stopped" but "I think that... most of them will be restarted and will allow us to reestablish normal commercial relations," said Oursel.

On Tuesday, Japan's new Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda pledged to draw up a new energy policy and to reduce Japan's reliance on atomic power, threatening a major export market for France's world-leading nuclear industry.

However, he did not rule out future use of nuclear power -- something his unpopular predecessor Naoto Kan had aimed to do -- and said reactors that are currently offline for maintenance would be restarted.

Some other countries have re-examined their nuclear policies in the wake of the Japanese disaster, but France -- which relies on atomic energy for 75 percent of its power -- has vowed to stick by and support the industry.

Areva is majority state-owned and Paris has long considered nuclear power a strategic asset, despite power shortages last winter caused by labour disputes and delayed refuelling in some power stations.

On Monday, an explosion at nuclear waste reprocessing site in southern France killed one worker and injured four more, but regulators said there was no danger of a radiation leak and the area was declared safe within hours.

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Vermont Yankee Trial in Federal Court

2011-09-15T19:56:00.000-03:00

Image via Wikipedia

Vermont Yankee Trial in Federal Court

Posted: 15 Sep 2011 12:02 PM PDT

The State of Vermont and the owners of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power facility squared off in Federal Court this week. It was a three day trial. The days were long. The testimony was often technical. The lawyering was skilled. Vermont Yankee’s owners say everything is about safety and only the federal government can regulate safety so Vermont’s laws are invalid. It is a convoluted argument. The dots don’t connect.
Vermont’s able lawyers went toe-to-toe with the owners every step of the way. The State has a strong case. Vermonters by nature are frank and direct. Our laws say what they mean and mean what they say. There is no decade-long grand conspiracy to hide intentions. The Vermont Legislature acted well within its rights.
CLF has joined the case as a “friend of the court” and has filed legal pleadings supporting the state. We are also representing Vermont Public Interest Research Group whose representatives joined me at the hearings, and logged daily accounts of the trial.
The trial is over. A decision is expected before the end of the year. Stay tuned.

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