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Gold/Mining/Energy : LNG -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Dennis Roth who wrote (495)	6/4/2005 12:45:02 PM
From: Dennis Roth	Respond to of 919

Sabine Pass LNG inches forward Regulatory staff finds no problem THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Posted on Sat, Jun. 04, 2005 sunherald.com DALLAS - Exxon Mobil Corp. moved one step closer Friday to winning approval for a liquefied natural gas terminal on the Texas Gulf Coast in hopes of importing LNG from Qatar by 2008. The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said Friday that a proposed site near the Texas-Louisiana border won't significantly harm the environment. The next step is for commission members to consider the staff recommendation. The project at Sabine Pass is called Golden Pass. Exxon Mobil also has another proposed site, near Corpus Christi, that is awaiting final approval, and a third location off the shore of Cameron Parish, La. Exxon Mobil spokesman Bob Davis said the company expects to build only one terminal and prefers an onshore location. Exxon officials have not publicly stated a preferred site, but the short distance from Sabine Pass to an Exxon Mobil refinery in Beaumont and to other major pipelines gives it an edge over the Corpus Christi location. "We are pursuing three sites just to provide options and flexibility... if we run into a logjam," Davis said. "We hope to begin construction by late summer." Exxon hopes to finish a terminal in 2008, when it can begin exporting natural gas under a recent deal with the Persian Gulf state Qatar. The Sabine Pass site in Jefferson County is designed to receive up to 200 LNG tankers a year and ship an average of 2 billion cubic feet per day of gas into the U.S. market. More than 100 acres of wetlands would be lost to build the terminal and more would be altered by roads and other facilities, the energy commission staff said. Other wetlands would be restored, the staff said. Fisheries experts said the project could affect habitat for red drum, Spanish mackerel and shrimp, but added that dredging for ship berths might create new habitat. The staff said the design considered shoreline erosion and flooding from hurricanes, and said it would not have a serious effect on a local aquifer.

To: Dennis Roth who wrote (495)	6/24/2005 9:27:31 AM
From: Dennis Roth	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 919

FERC to decide on Golden Pass, Weavers Cove, and KeySpan at the next meeting on the 30th. They're on the agenda. ferc.gov Based on staff recommendations for Golden Pass ferc.gov and Weaver’s Cove and KeySpan LNG ferc.gov I think Golden Pass is a done deal, Weaver’s Cove will get Federal approval but still has a fight with the locals, KeySpan may get turned down or get approved with conditions that KeySpan says are project killers.

To: Dennis Roth who wrote (495)	7/1/2005 7:46:41 AM
From: Dennis Roth	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 919

LNG project step closer By Marilyn Tennissen - The News staff writer Posted: 07/01/05 - 12:06:41 am CDT panews.com Two years after it announced plans for a liquefied natural gas facility in Southeast Texas, Exxon Mobil has moved very close to obtaining final approval for the Golden Pass LNG terminal. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission announced Thursday that it issued a record of approval for the Golden Pass project as well as another proposed LNG facility in Fall River, Mass. "This is one more step in the approval process," Kathleen Jackson, spokesperson for Exxon Mobil in Beaumont, said. "FERC has issued its record of decision, and now we are waiting for the authorization to construct. That should take about 30 days. And we are hopeful that the company will choose the Sabine Pass location." Tom Burger, project manager for Golden Pass LNG, said the record of approval is like seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. "We are very happy with the decision," Burger said. "We have been working on the project for more than 18 months and the support of the local community has been very helpful in the process and encouraging to FERC. This approval is an endorsement that the LNG terminal can be designed and constructed in a manner that is safe and environmentally sound." In December 2003, Exxon Mobil made its plans for an LNG terminal at Sabine Pass public in an announcement attended by Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Getting the approval is a major step, but now it is up to Exxon Mobil to choose which of its sites will be the location of the LNG terminal. It is also considering similar projects in Corpus Christi and Mobile, Ala. One of the locations will be selected this summer. "This is absolutely wonderful news that we have all been waiting for," Verna Rutherford, president of the Greater Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce, said. "This facility will have a tremendous positive impact on the area. We have been so fortunate that Exxon Mobil has worked so closely with our community and hope the project will get the final approval of the investors. This would not have been possible without the public entities and the citizens that made so many public comments in support of the project." In a press release, FERC cited the growing demand for natural gas and said the two facilities approved Thursday would bring up to 2.8 billion cubic feet per day of new service to the U.S. The Commission approved the project proposed by Golden Pass LNG for a new terminal and related facilities to be constructed in Jefferson, Orange and Newton Counties, Texas and in Calcasieu Parish, La. The project would be located on the Port Arthur ship channel and would be constructed in two phases. The first phase would provide import capacity of up to 1 billion cubic feet per day. The second phase would receive up to 2 billion cubic feet per day of imported gas. The project would further consist of two new protected berths, five double-walled full containment LNG storage tanks, and 122.4 miles of pipeline that would connect the terminal with up to 10 existing interstate and intrastate pipeline systems. Golden Pass LNG must adhere to mitigation measures detailed by staff and adopted in the Commission's order. Construction has already begun on the Cameron side of Lake Sabine, where Cheniere Energy's Sabine Pass LNG facility will be located. Cheniere filed an application with FERC for a construction permit on Dec. 22, 2003, and was approved on Dec. 14, 2004. Cheniere's facility will include two docks and three storage tanks. Sempra Energy is also planning an LNG facility in Southeast Texas. FERC is conducting an environmental impact study on the project that will entail moving a portion of Texas 87 around Keith Lake. In addition to the on-shore terminals like Golden Pass and those by Cheniere and Sempra, several companies have plans for off-shore LNG terminals that are drawing fire from environmental groups. Governors from several Gulf Coast states have objected to the off-shore sites and critics fear the use of seawater to reheat the liquefied gas will kills millions of fish. But in a move last week, the U.S. Senate agreed that the federal regulators had clear authority to override state objections to the locations of LNG facilities. The other facility approved by FERC on Thursday is the project of Weaver's Cove Energy and Mill River Pipeline by Hess LNG for a new terminal and related facilities to be constructed in Fall River, Mass. But the commission denied an application from KeySpan LNG to convert an existing LNG storage facility in Providence, R.I., into a new LNG import terminal even though it found the project would benefit the New England region because the facility would not meet current construction and safety standards. For the complete press release, visit the FERC Website at www.ferc.gov.