SEARSPORT, Maine — Residents overwhelmingly rejected a proposed moratorium on a liquefied propane tank terminal at a town meeting Saturday.
Nearly 500 residents packed the Searsport District High School gymnasium to act on 40 warrant articles, but it was the moratorium that generated the bulk of the debate. The meeting began shortly after 9 a.m. Following an hour-long lunch break, debate on the moratorium did not start until 2 p.m. and concluded around 3 p.m.
Town Manager James Gillway noted after the meeting that DCP Midstream of Denver has to file an application with the town. The company has submitted an application to the Army Corps of Engineers, which is reviewing the proposal.
The DCP proposal for a 138-foot-tall propane storage tank at the Mack Point industrial zone has divided the town.
Resident Phil Wooley said that opponents of the tank proposal were basing their arguments on fear. Wooley noted he lived through the Great Depression and paraphrased President Franklin Roosevelt in opposing the moratorium.
“FDR said the worst thing is fear itself,” Wooley said.
Resident Jeff Ryan also argued against the moratorium.
“We don’t have enough jobs. We’re in economic hard times. We need jobs so our children do not leave here,” Ryan said.
He also disputed the impact on tourism from having the large storage tank in town.
“They don’t do the breathing, living and dying in the town,” Ryan said about tourists.
Darren Philbrick, who represents the town on the RSU 20 board, urged residents to nix the moratorium to attract businesses and help the school district. He noted the school district is facing an approximately $2.2 million revenue gap and that this project would generate property tax revenues for Searsport.
But the group that organized to oppose the tank, Thanks But No Tank, countered that the moratorium simply gave the town time to make sure its ordinances were adequate to protect the community. The group’s concerns centered on the safety of such a large tank in the community, environmental worries and increased traffic from propane trucks.
Jeannie Lucas noted that DCP has yet to provide a full-scale model of its tank project.
“I am a proponent of propane and a proponent of economic development,” Lucas said, but added that the moratorium would give the community time to analyze ordinances.
Under the moratorium, a nine-member review committee would have been established to review existing town ordinances and the town comprehensive plan to see if they “sufficiently protect the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of Searsport from the development of LPG terminal and-or storage facility.”
If the committee found the ordinances and plan were inadequate, the panel would have developed proposed new ordinances that would be presented to the town for a vote either at a special town meeting within 60 days from when they are submitted to the Board of Selectmen or at the regular March town meeting.
Three members of the committee would be appointed by the board of selectmen, three from the group Thanks But No Tank and three from a randomly drawn pool of volunteers who are registered voters of the town.
Zaven Koltookian noted that he spent 25 years developing the Searsport Shores campground into one of the best in the country and that shouldn’t be threatened by the proposal from the Denver company. He said the campground, which he no longer owns, attracts 3,000 people a a year to Searsport.
Before the debate on the moratorium began, residents voted to limit debate to 20 minutes, equally between the two sides.
Residents sailed through the budget, approving the spending package as recommended by town officials.
I hope Judy Kaiser’s walls shake all the way in Waldo when this things blows.
“Three members of the committee would be appointed by the board of
selectmen, three from the group Thanks But No Tank and three from a
randomly drawn pool of volunteers who are registered voters of the town.”
That’s not the democratic way to do things. The tank opponents are put in the lead before the race starts with 3 seats. They just need 2 more of the remaining 6 seats and they are in control. Even if I was opposed to the tank I could never vote for anything this lopsided.
The biggest good economic news !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“Tanks” for for voting for the tanks!
Good job citizens of Searsport! Good Jobs for Maine citizens!
Is a coincidence that 61% favored actions that will create jobs putting Mainers back to work? Maybe that stolen LePage “Open for Businees” sign could be be placed on Route 1 entering Searsport.
Perhaps environmental critics should head north to the proposed Quimby-Herpes National Park. That idea is “too big, raises traffic and environmental concerns, and will hurt the region’s forest-based economy.”
Tanks, but no tanks.
We’ve got enough of those envirowhackjobs up here now.
Tanks but not jobs.
Great to see that the working man is taking this town back from the environazis and nimbys that flock there.
Searsport would be better off with more cormorants and gulls than the nutjobs that drift up the coast to settle.
And…….you, of all people , are an expert on Nimby’s. ? You are sending accolades toward what your ever present, god in honor Governor desires? And the same person is putting the screws to……you? I hope it feels good.
Nimby, now thats an acronym I haven’t heard for awhile. Not In My Back Yard? but it’s a great idea to do it in someone elses?
Babble much, Rusty?
It’s been a while since we heard the cream cheese and olive story, can we se it again?
What a hoot! The doctor is in. E xenophobic raving, 5 cents. In case you hadn’t noticed you’re about the nimby poster child of the great northern fringies.. Nanu the Nimby come again.
I think I hear a donut calling your name, birdwatcher!
I agree that everyone who is non-native should leave Maine. Someone who lives in Searsport should only purchase all goods and services that are issued from Searsport, by Searsport natives. All businesses that do not issue from non-natives should leave. All who “summer” here should sell or abandon their property. Set up a fund to relocate all non-natives who could not, otherwise leave.
Eat nothing that was not grown by a native Mainer, nor introduced by one. Read nothing not written by native on paper, or any other medium, that was not created or invented by a native Mainer.
Wear no clothing not created from fabric grown and processed by native Mainers. Think no thoughts that were not originally thought by native Mainers.
You forgot one.
Native Mainers should not pay any attention to out of state moonbats that preach for environazi causes.
I need write nothing more. You prove the point.
Take heed anyone thinking of moving to Maine or starting a business here. Even if you are 100% for trashing every living thing, do you want to be trashed by this not uncommon type of present-day native Mainers. Certainly, this was not true in the past.
The perception is, very wrongly, that people not native have “taken over.” Look at any town officials and see if you find this to be true. If you find non-natives there, they were elected by the citizenry. There are always people who will take control if they can no matter where they are from. Sometimes this works for the benefit of many, sometimes it is only self-serving. But getting off the cliche wagon would help remove the veil of self-deceit.
just leaving would be good enough,good idea’s though.
The vote was 297 to 165…not even close. Good job Searsport!
Now, if we could only get this Keystone Pipeline going…
Bringing propane to the mid-coast of Maine will be of great benefit to all who live in the area. The pipeline will only benefit Canadians and the owners of the refinery’s in Texas and do so at potentially great expense to the mid-west aquifer. A great deal of our national agriculture is located where this pipeline will be located. The GOP wants approval for a national project that doesn’t even have a plan yet! Good grief!
Here’s a current map of all major pipelines in the USA. Tell me how one more is going to harm the squirrels and butterflies….
http://www.theodora.com/pipelines/united_states_pipelines_map.jpg
Amen these Liberals all they care about is protecting trees, birds none of us even heard of , certain animals that Maine doesn’t even have and bugs nobody cares about. It’s about time Mainers took our state back from these moonbats who are heck bent on destroying our economy, our quality of life and our beautiful state. We need more jobs, new sources of energy instead of the Wind Power Scam that these Libs are imposing on us.
Nope, that pipeline is going to run through one of the biggest underground drinking water source, which if damaged could effect a lot of people. There has to be a balance between money and the planet. If we ruin it were else are we going to go?
Access to, and the availablility of drinking water, is a life and death matter. Monopolies already “own” drinking water; this amounts to unthinkable power. Those people fortunate enough to have wells, should consider that what occurs not in their ‘backyard’, can kill off their water supply.
If you care about the environment so much move to the Left Coast where the moonbats come first. The Enviros have controlled our state for decades and they have ruined our economy, quality of life and the beauty of Maine. With their stupid land buys, wind turbines and Quimby’s park proposal all coming from use of our tax dollars. The Maine people spoke loud and clear the election and the last few referendums that Liberals supported. We voted for change, we voted for Job Creation, Lower Taxes, Lower Spending and making Welfare Bums get a job. We voted to put the people living off of our tax dollars including environmentalists at the back burner where they belong.
You wait for someone else to come in to create the jobs. You are ‘victimized’ by the people who come in with the jobs you claim you want to take. You cannot, or you are unwilling to, stop this cycle of victim mindset. You vote for “Job Creation, Lower Taxes, and making Welfare Bums get a job,” as long as somebody else does it.
Even your beer requires potable drinking water. Where are you going to get it when it’s gone.
were are we going to go when we,re broke and have no industry at all. I want jobs and if I gotta claw some green party freaks eyes out and send them back to mass. to get one I’ll do it.I’m all for wind tidal and solar i’m also into making hydragen to run our vehicles all those field’s are big for the future and we should invest in them. Yet you can’t invest what you don’t have, work with what you have now, and put people to work. take the tax dollars and invest in them field’s.You might want to think about cutting pay for politician’s by 60% and remove those forever pension’s they have, they haven’t earned their pay in a decade now.
Obvious there is going to be a balance. But we have to make sure we are not totally sacrificing the land to create some jobs. The land has to last a lot long then that job does, because if the job outlast the land then we are all screwed.
You should think twice about posting threats of violence.
Clarify this for us, would you? Describe what you need in your life to make it worth living, and, indeed, possible for you to live. Is all you want a job of any kind, and heat and fuel.
No what I want is to stop having my hard earned tax dollars going to those who should be earning it themselves just like working people which we do every day. We are tired of the Liberals , Welfare Crowd, Environmentalists, Special Interest etc. telling us we can’t have anything. We can’t have LNG terminals, Casinos, Coal Gasification Plants, Manufacturing plants. They get angry when people try getting these shutdown mills going. I am fed up of these folks controlling Maine not one of these folks has ever created a job. They all continue to live off us taxpayers and not being held accountable. Well time for them to go. The people in Searsport spoke yesterday loud and clear, just as Mainers did in 2010 and the last few referendum elections. We don’t want anymore of what the Leftist Democrats are selling.
You didn’t answer my question, but apart from that, you are playing the victim. “these folks controlling Maine…” Also, you’re wrong in stated that “not one of these folks has ever created a job.” Very, very wrong.
What would you say to the fact that many non-liberal, welfare, environmentalist, special interest -type people, don’t want to support things that are not good?
You speak in sound bites. I know it can be hard to open one’s mind to a the fact that your thinking is wrong, but it doesn’t hurt for long. Try omitting even one of your cliches from your thinking, like, “Leftist Democrat,” and make your argument.
You evidence a victim mentality otherwise.
Tell me when has any Environmentalist, Welfare Bum, Liberal Special Interest Group, Ex Liberal Democrat Politician etc. , all of which has lived off of our money ever created one job for the average working citizen. They have not they instead have destroyed our economy by doing everything they can to drive out businesses, good paying jobs, our young people and long time Maine residents. No Unlike you I and the rest of the Maine people don’t support people being on Welfare forever and other people getting who we have no interest in getting our tax dollars through wealth redistribution. The cold hard facts is the Maine people are getting fed up with the status quo and we are slowly taking our state back from the horrible Liberal policies which have ruined our state. Liberals think we want their agenda sorry but no thanks they can keep it. We like slowly having our rights and freedoms restored after being taken away by Democrats. We like the fact that someone is finally putting a stop to lifetime welfare benefits. We like the fact that jobs are starting to be created, that the EAST-WEST highways that been studied to death for 50 years may finally be built. That is something that is driving the Liberals nuts that they claim to be for progress but its not them making that progress its Republicans, Independents, Tea Party folks etc. doing the progression of moving Maine foward. The Democrat Party is stuck in the alternate reality in a stuck in the past and want to continue the failed past moving Maine towards complete socialism and bankruptcy.
I think you and cleanearth should get together and have dinner sometime.
Hey, I’d do that. I’m willing to sit down and talk with anyone, even you, Deah.
I am supportive of the tank in Searsport but against the (no plan yet) pipeline through the agricultural center of our nation. I think that is a well thought out and measured response to these diverse projects. I shall refrain from remarking upon your own response which doesn’t seem very well thought out at all. Just partisan.
So the tar sands oil from Canada can be shipped to China? Keep up!
Why should the US oil refineries on the Gulf Coast refine tar sands oil just to send it to China anyway?
Besides, this had NOTHING to do with tar sands oil.
M-O-N-E-Y………………same reason that corporation wants to plant a huge, dangerous, flammable bomb right near where people live.
M-O-N-E-Y is the only reason corporations are in business. And that’s the bottom line.
Tar sands oil, even after being refined at the huge new port arthur refinery to which Keystone wants to connect, doesn’t meet U.S. carbon emission standards so it cannot be used in the United States.
Most of the “new oil” being produced in the U.S. can’t be used in the U.S because it is too dirty and emits too much.. In fact it can’t be used in most markest. Only a few greedy countries who don’t care about carbon emissions will take it like China for example.
The whole rationale for the Keystone piepline was to try and prop up the value of tar sands oil by bringing it to market via a refinery that could process it t a level of useable fuel. An ordinary refonery can’t process tar sands oil. Without the specialized port aruthur refinery ( to which other people are bringing their dirty oil for processing) the canadian tar sands oil is worthless on wolrd markets.
The keystone pipleine from the outset has been about making the Canadian tar sands project profitable and making the investment in the port arrthur refinery profitable..it has never been abot U.S. energy needs
Obama wants to get ahead of the energy curve but he doesn’t want anything to do with energy sources that we currently have. He wants to be the George Jetson of the energy sector. Why doesn’t he lead a charge to put our money into building US gov’t owned refineries that will produce our own oil. The simple act of the US gov’t constructing huge refineries would would send the speculators scrambling, in our favor.
Don’t tell me it can’t be done. Obama wants to invest in renewable energy. He could want to invest in what we have while letting science figure out the rest. If the US is refining oil that is being shipped to China we should refine our own that we can keep for our own use.
How does it not make sense for US people to invest US money in US fuel for US use. Build a huge US gov’t run refinery that links to the keystone pipeline. None of it goes to China. It all stays here at home where we flood the market with cheap gas. That would lead big supply that wouldn’t meed demand, hello lower prices. In the end China would benefit because there would be more demand for their garbage products. It is a win win for the USA and for Obama as his model country would also benefit in China.
That sounds great and I wholeheartdly agree, but you will have every republican in the country screaming Socialism!
Most of the major oil producing countries have nationalized their oil industries to some degree: Statoil-Norway, Gazprom-Russia, Petrobras-Brazil, etc. etc. If you try that here they will accuse Pres Obama of being Hugo Chavez. You see nationalized oil cuts into profits and we can’t have that!
Okay, here’s the big secret – the USA is EXPORTING oil. See this article from USA Today just a couple of months ago which has statistics, graphs and charts.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/story/2011-12-16/us-oil-boom/52053236/1
Have to tell you, though, I don’t trust the industry-owned scientists to come up with technology that’s good for us, only for their bosses’ bottom line.
Some of what science does these days shouldn’t be done, like inserting toxic, tumor-causing bacteria (Agrobacterium Tumefaciens) into the DNA of corn, soy, and other foods (unless they’re organic, you’re probably ingesting them every day).
First, we need to conserve on energy and then see what we really need, instead of allowing topsy-turvy anarchy by corporations to use it all up as quickly as possible.
We need some common sense in the energy field, not huge grants of taxpayers’ money, like Baldacci did for the windmill scams.
There’s so much that could be done right if We, the People, held lots of public discussions like we’re doing here – with everyone’s thoughts heard. Also we need to hear from experts who aren’t tied (by money) to the industries. Then, once we’ve got all the facts, we, the people, can vote for what we believe to be right and good.
I do trust people’s thinking, once they know the facts and what that would mean for us all.
That the US is exporting “oil” on a net basis is a secret, mainly because IT IS A LIE!
Read that article you cited carefully. I quote: ” It’s [the USA] producing more crude oil and, for the first time in decades, has
become a net exporter of petroleum products such as jet fuel, heating
oil and gasoline.”
This sentence takes two separate facts and combines them in one sentence to create a very deceptive misconception. First, it’s true that for the first time in decades, the US’ crude oil production has reversed its decline. However, that is FAR from saying that it is ANYWHERE near the nearly 10 Mbbls/day it produced in 1971. The current total is closer to 6 Mbbls/day. Meanwhile, we are continuing to consume about 16 Mbbls/day.
Yes, we are exporting some finished, refined, “product”, but much of that refined product is actually made with Canadian and Mexican crude oil. Refined “product” is NOT, I repeat NOT crude oil. We are mainly just manufacturing diesel, jet fuel, and gasoline, out of others’ crude oil because up and coming new car owners in developing nations like China are more willing and able to pay for the gasoline and diesel than we are, so that’s where the gasoline flows. The market is merely responding to a bit of excess oil refining capacity in the US, relative to the rest of the world (especially excess refining capacity when one looks at state of the art, high sulfur, refining capacity.)
On the whole, we are still net IMPORTERS of petroleum and refined products, when it’s all combined BY FAR.
This USA Today story is part of a set of misinformation articles that have been making the rounds over the past several months.
I was going to include a graph, but even the USA Today’s own graphs show us being way off the peak, albeit in terms of annual bbls versus daily bbls produced.
Their graph, entitled, “Monthly trade in petroleum products”, meaning refined products, does in NO way point out that much of this excess is refined using Canadian or Mexican oil.
What a masterful, lying piece of disinformation.
The real truth is that the Oil Age is largely over, despite a small bump in recent US crude production and a quirk in short term, refined markets. All these stories are designed to appease people’s very justified fears, of high prices as the easy, world oil production, disappears.
Lastly, any story that mentions “oil expert” Daniel Yergin is a scam. Yergin, back in the early to mid 2000’s predicted $20 to 30 a bbl oil about now.
How’d that prediction turn out?
(See “The Sad Record of Daniel Yergin and Cambridge Energy Research Associates” for more: http://home.entouch.net/dmd/cera.htm )
DO NOT BELIEVE THE THRUST OF THIS USA TODAY ARTICLE!!! It has cherry picked facts and very convoluted sentences at best.
In any case, it’s clear we need to get off our dependence on oil. How to do that is the question.
I think conservation would be the first way to cut our usage of coal and oil and their derivatives, which are dirty and contributing to the greenhouse effect of global warming.
Oh, NOOOOOOOOO, now I’ve introduced the topic of global warming………..it’s a hoax, no, it’s not, yes it is………………
I agree with you clean earth. I am also a great believer in the common wisdom.
Tell me exactly what you think should be done with regards to energy? Transportation, automobiles in particular? Electricity? Home heating?
Okay, can’t do it in 25 words or less. but here goes:
First, we go with conservation.
Shut off unnecessary street lights (saving money, too), have government buildings shut off lights in all offices where windows can supply enough light, charge extra for those large yard lights in homes and businesses (they ruin drivers’ night vision and give evil-doers a way to see their way in), encourage business and industry and banks, etc., to shut off lights that aren’t needed during the day, and shut off advertising signs at night. etc.
More conservation: instead of subsidizing the oil and gas companies to heat homes, towns could organize volunteer (hopefully) teams to
(1) install insulation either inside or outside people’s homes,
(2) put timers on people’s electric water heaters so they can be set to run for, say, 1/2 hour per day or whatever is necessary and lower the water temperature, too
(3) hang clothes outside on a clothesline or inside in winter to help humidify house,
(4) install windows on South side of homes so winter sun can help heat the whole house
(5) plant evergreens on North side of houses to block winter wind, maples and fruit trees on E. and W. sides, and leave South side open to winter sun.
Use an air-tight woodstove for primary heat, since wood comes from here, not shipped halfway across the earth like oil by ships burning (and spilling) oil, install a small propane wall space heater for backup when you’re not there, don’t use pellet stoves as they need electricity to run and won’t work in power outage, heavy curtains on windows at night in winter to keep heat in, have propane stove for cooking with electronic starter rather than burning a pilot light continuously,
and so on. I could go on, but I’m sure you could add lots to this list, as could many others out there.
When we had a power outage a few years ago, and in NYC the electric utility asked certain customers to voluntarily turn off certain sections of their lighting, the amount of lighting in Times Square on those buildings that have advertising moving lights on their exteriors was enough electricity – just from them alone – to supply the entire State of Maine.
So much waste! We can all do better. Then we won’t (perhaps we don’t now) need to be constantly building new “energy” infrastructure.
Oh, yes, rather important – grow some of your own food and/or buy from local farmers you know don’t use oil-based pesticides or fertilizers.
This saves you money, trips to the store, saves the fuel burned getting that supermarket “food” to you from thousands of miles away, and you will be ingesting good, healthy food insted of the genetically-engineered with toxins “food” you buy in the supermarket.
You didn’t address my question about transportation and automobiles in particular at all.
Have you actually priced those large outside lights and seen what the power company charges per month already? That is why i have my own outside, energy efficient lights and they are on a switch so they are on only when I need them. But you seem to want government to mandate that the price be raised to a point where no one can afford them. I do not like the light polution myself but I prefer to try and convince people with logic rather than more government regulation.
What ever gave you the idea that burglars, (evil doers), want those outside lights?
Your solutions for conservation with regard to housing are mostly based on popular myths or misinformation and in other cases cause new problems that may be worse than the “cure”.
(1) Your solution is bad in SO many ways. Installing insulation, basicly retrofitting an older home, is not a job that can be properly done by any old amateur volunteer without causing massive new problems. Adding to the outside requires residing the entire building because of the added dimensions. It requires meticulous detail to frame and trim out the windows and doors or there will be water infiltration that will rot out the structure in a short time. There is a lot more to consider as well. Adding insulation to the interior is equally difficult. You have choices. The best being to completely gut the exterior walls. the best replacement insulation is SPRAY FOAM, very expensive. You can just add another layer on the inside walls, usually foam again, but this will result in condensation within the walls and again will rot out the structure unless done perfectly. Not to mention the expense of all new sheetrock, trim, moving electric outlets, etc. In many cases the cost to do this in materials alone will take decades to recover from the energy savings, if EVER.
(2) On a modern, properly installed, electric hot water heater the use of a timer does little in itself to conserve energy. Standby losses are much lower than they used to be because of better insulation. Lowering the set temperature can actually result in using more hot water to make up for that lower temperature. The one way your idea will result in significant conservation is because the household will run out of hot water in a hurry and cannot use more until the next day. Everyone in a household will be limited to 3 minute showers, no baths. Wash dishes quick and nothing like the buildup of stains and dirt in clothes washed in cold water only. You are advocating for a form of FORCED rationing.
Something that works better, saves more energy, and requires less disruption to everyday living is a heat pump electric hot water heater. I’ve got one.
(3) Hanging clothes outside works at times. But in your newly insulated house, IF the added insulation was done correctly, drying the clothes inside will result in excessive humidity in the home resulting in condensation, water damage, rot, and MOLD.
(4) Many houses do not have suitable southern exposure. Just adding windows does not do the job properly. Without also adding suitable thermal mass the house will overheat. To properly and effectively use any solar gain without actually using more energy over an entire year requires careful engineering and usually cannot be done as a retrofit to an older house. As a rule the heat loss from the added windows will negate the heat gain. And in the summer you will spend a LOT more on air conditioning because of the overheating. I’m sure you feel air conditioning is unnecessary as well. People should just have to swelter in their now overheated houses.
(5) Again, not every house has suitable southern exposure. If a house is properly insulated, especially superinsulated, the effect of your tree plantings will be negligible at best. This did help back in the days when houses were build of individual boards and infiltration was a major factor in heat loss.
Air-tight wood stoves are no longer available. The EPA made them illegal years ago because of the amount of pollution they produce. I won’t even get into the logistics of producing, transporting, and storing all that fire wood. The amount of air pollution that would be produced. The expense of retrofitting houses properly to burn that wood. The number of increased house fires that would result….
I heat my entire 2000 sq foot SUPER-insulated house with one of those propane wall heaters. I only burn about 350 gallons of propane a year. And I keep my house comfortably warm.
I didn’t know they still made gas ranges that use pilot lights. I know mine doesn’t. They do save a LOT. One little thing, you have to have electricity to run the oven. You can light the top burners with a match.
You really need to back up that statement with facts that the outside lights on the buildings in Times Square use enough electricity to supply the entire state of Maine. That has got to be the most rediculous exaggeration I have ever heard.
For most people the expense of growing their own food, never mind the labor and time, does not make sense. And yes, I should drive to a local farmers place, buy some limited variety of food from him at excessive high prices, and I would STILL have to drive to a supermarket to get the other items the farmer does not have. Makes sense to you maybe….
We’re doing a-okay down here in Texas…
google post peak oil..that is what is keeping global oil prices high..it means that the easy clean stuff on the top is all used up and now extracation and refining are much much hiher. Globally we are at post peak oil Tar sands wouldn’t even be going into the market place in the few countries with no carbon standards if we wer not post peak oil. All of Americas oil fields became post peak 41 years ago, iei not profitable to extract and yet we allowed our ecnomy to become more and more dependemt on oil . Oil price will remain this high ad keep increasing driving up the costs of all food and most consumer prducts at a much higher rate than wages.
This is not opinion. This is fact. Now well known and well documented and written about in the industry, by those who make and track commodities markets..
You do not the keystone pipeline will not create that many jobs right? about 5,000 to 10,000 temp jobs. Also once its complete it will be another 4 to 5 years before oil is flowing? Also it will not have that much if any effect on gas prices.
Funny Ultra Liberal CNN and MSNBC says this pipeline could create anywhere from 25,000 t0 50,o00 jobs. That it could help bring in more oil than what is being sent here from Communist Iran. I watch these networks very little don’t trust what they say, but if they say it could bring in more oil then it says how much about how out of touch Democrats are.
Well if you don’t trust them then you should do you own research. 20,000 jobs is a highest best possible estimate, its also including jobs in stores that might be needed because of the influx of people building the pipeline, also it included hiring more strippers because of more builders. Also a lot of these jobs are going to be Canadian. The most reasonable estimate of American jobs is about 5,000 temp jobs. Also we don’t need more oil in the USA, guess what is the USA #1 export?? you guessed it, oil. We are exported more oil then anything else.
Iran is Communist? When did that happen?
It’s sad that seeking information, caring for one’s neighbor, and listening with an open mind have been replaced with misinformation (or no information), fear, distrust, and hateful speech.
Members of TBNT are the brave – not fearful – ones. They asked intelligent, caring questions and stood up for their beliefs in a nonviolent way. We all have the right to our opinion. They deserve respect not ridicule.
Any liberal who doesn’t resort to torching cars and destroying public property to get their point across when rejected should be commended for their incredible restraint.
The best comment of the day…hands down.
You may think you’re being clever, but the two of you – and all those who hit the like button for your comments – are just proving my point…
Funny but all I did was say the same thing, they deserve respect and not ridicule for being non violent. I assume you wrote that they were being non violent for the same reason I did, the rarity of it.
Otherwise why are you pointing out that THESE people should be patted on the back for not being violent if there wasn’t some level of expectance of them being violent?
Thanks for your coverage , Stephen. While the folks in Searsport rejected the moratorium on the DCP Midstream Gas tank it is important to recall that:
1. The gas company’s only acquired permit so far – a state one – is tied up in Maine Superior Court, for being a comically lopsided “review” of the project by petroleum-lobbyist -temporarily-turned-DEP-commissioner PattyAho.
2. The town of Searsport has not voted on the development project itself at all. There has been a vote on whether to allow the company to apply to the town. That ‘s all. There may now be a speedy rejection of the application should DCP submit one.
3. The federal agencies – notably the US Army Corps of Engineers -has yet to issue a permit or even to decide whether or not to require a public hearing and creation of an Environmental Impact Study.
4. Penobscot Bay’s lobsters – at the other end of the Penobscot Bay – are far too important for the region’s and Maine’s Maine’s economy to sacrifice by stimulating the return of heavy industry to upper Penobscot Bay, merely for an uptick in gas import wannabee DCP Midstream’s profit margin See http://www.penbay.org/dcp
Thanks for facts and sanity, Ron.
The “we hate everyone who wasn’t born here” people don’t care about facts and common sense, only “getting even” with people born elsewhere who had the temerity to move into the area.
This is just the beginning. As you and I know, these struggles can take years.
I’m sure many local people are also concerned with safety concerning this potential monstrous fireball, and understand it would destroy the entire town and wreak havoc far and wide if it ever blew, which is why safety measures need to be mandated by law.
– N.
The sky is falling ,the sky is falling!!!!! Perhaps you could present your case without fear mongering???
Okay, Deah. LPG is no problem, you could drink it for lunch, it won’t catch on fire even if you hold a match to it, and your children can stand right next to it breathing its fumes and it won’t scar their lungs a bit.
Bettah?
Now—there’s the best comment so far. OMG.
Native Floridians — native Mainers. I heard most, sadly, not all, of your interviews with fishermen broadast yesterday. This is important work. Thank you. In the richness of these interviews, it became apparent that, without prompting, these native pros well understand the effects of questionable environmental practices. In view of this:
The only job I ever took that was ethically reprehensible to me was in Florida, (needing to pay rent and eat was no excuse), where I was to work on a gated-community’s access database. On the property, was what little remained of a native Cracker fishing concern. Just a shack left. A boat or two. He owned that little piece of land. The development had not yet taken it, but it was going to win, ending the last remaining native Floridan’s way of earning a living.
The fisherman, rightly, knew that the development, and everything associated with it, was destructive on all levels. Associating my presence, rightly so, with the developers and the destruction, it took many attempts, (and my decision to quit the job because I knew I was contributing to a bad plan), before he would talk openly to me.
That fisherman, and others, didn’t anticipate the swiftness of the plague of development. There was no fighting back. He, and the others, fully knew what posters here attribute to “tree huggers,” and “liberals.” This man was about as liberal as a rock. If he could have stopped the destruction, he would have done so.
The irony of “jobs” being created by construction, the influx of people who wished to purchase local fish, and fish for local fish, but were contributing directly to the demise of fishing by buying into the gated community concept, — the very real bad impact of this kind of development on the health of the gulf and the fish, were known to him. It was obvious.
It is hard to fathom that native Mainers would be devoid of this Florida Cracker fisherman’s insight and wisdom, and, of course, native Mainer fisherman know this as well. People seem content to rest on the laurels of the practical, innovative, broader view thinking of our ancestors.
The moratorium would have delayed the application by only two months that would have provided an opportunity for careful consideration of important concerns. It baffles me why the voters would not vote for that … it seems like poor and reactive judgement.
Glad to hear they are getting the tank.
Just a thought, if the sight of this one big tank is the main objection, wouldn’t it be possible to build two tanks of half the hight an volume? Out of sight out of mind.
They didn’t buy a lot big enough for a 22 million gallon terminal..that’s what forced it to a one tank mega tank design. According to an MIT engineer, Jim Fay, who is an expert in siting facilities of this type, the site would need to be 2,400 feet bigger all the way around to meet the federal containment standard. His testimony to the Army Corps is publicly available. On a much bigger lot ( which isn’t available there it wold be possible to have a much lower profile facaility. Howver it is not clear that the proposed cofiguration meets aother federal regulatory standrds on ,emergency response and access etc.
Thanks for the response.
Now build the tank.
Sorry Tom Gocze, you lose.
yea for searsport and the state of maine!!!!
Yes, and isn’t that an ignorant way to decide important matters.
A moratorium would not stop the tank, but simply come up with ways to ensure the safety of residents.
These tanks are extremely dangerous so every step should be taken to ensure people will be safe.
However, in the simple-minded prejudice of “us” vs “them” – “them” being people who were not born right there – the “us” have precluded the idea of taking some time to make sure that safety comes first.
Really, people who haven’t seen these things in other places will be very sorry once it’s built – if it does pass the so-called monitoring agencies.
Jobs? You’re kidding, right? Don’t believe what they promise about how many jobs will be created. If it gets built, you’ll be lucky to get a handful of jobs – if that – for local people since this is specialized work and those corporations bring in their own people.
So for now you can say – “Take that, you from-aways. We gotcha!”
But if this thing is built, you will find that not ensuring safety laws will have done a “gotcha” on yourselves.
What is ignorant is moratoriums. There should be a moratorium on moratoriums. State wide.
If some hazardous waste dealer came in and wanted to build a nuclear waste dump (dangerously radioactive for thousands of years), would you say,
“Hey, come on in, we don’t need safety rules – all we care about are 2-3 jobs and we’ll put everyone’s lives at risk for that handful of shekels.”
You may not know it but some years ago a few of us “from-aways” fought the big, bad boys from New Jersey and stopped a nuclear waste dump from being built right here in Maine at the headwaters of our Salmon rivers and near the coast.
Maybe we’re a bit more primitive up here in Washington County, but people here do care about our woods and waters, especially local people.
We did the research and learned what they were really going to do – – all in the name of corporate profits with no care for people who lived here – – and we fought them with Public Hearings, in courts, with rallies, etc., for three years and we, the people, did finally win.
People are very glad we took that on and that we won with the help of lots of local people who understood what it would mean for the way of life and the health of our children.
This is important stuff, not to be treated as a “gotcha” game.
So you won by enacting a moratorium on nuclear waste dumps?
No, didn’t think of a moratorium, actually. Would have been a good idea.
But we did manage to ask a lot of questions of DEP and LURC about the waste guys’ sloppy proposal. We were able to expose errors and downright lies about the area they wanted to destroy. For example, they left entire streams off their maps so they could say it wouldn’t impact the water, etc.
This delay of some months (they had to re-do their proposal because it was obviously bogus) gave us time to research the waste they meant to bring in and from where, and to look up the corporations they were entangled with so we knew what we were talking about before we got into the DEP and LURC Public Hearings.
At those Public Hearings, about 150 WC residents spoke against the proposed hazardous waste dump…..and we got enough support around the State that we were able to convince the DEP and LURC boards – with the wonderful help of volunteer real experts – that this proposed dump would be extremely harmful to our Atlantic Salmon rivers and much else in Washington County.
Fortunately, they finally agreed with us, since it was clear no one in WC wanted the dump, so they voted against it. Took three years and lots of citizens’ time, energy, and fund-raising, but we did not want to be the hazardous dumping site for the entire Eastern half of the USA.
Speak for yourself cleanearth. Not everyone in WC wants it to be a national park. Some of us would enjoy new jobs, new industry, new opportunity coming to the area. Do you seriously believe that the developer who is building the tanks won’t take the necessary safety precautions (that are already in the law books) to protect his/her own investment???
Well, now, all one has to do is read the newspapers to find out that developers do not care about us or our drinking water, etc., only the money they can make.
No, they don’t care much about the laws on the books, either. If they did, and if those laws were followed, we’d all be better off.
If corporations followed the law, Maine’s inland and coastal fisheries wouldn’t be poisoned with toxic pesticides and industrial chemicals in our lakes, rivers, streams, and coastal waters.
“Don’t eat the fish,” IF&W warns in their booklets, “don’t eat lobster tomalley,” Maine’s Health Dept. warns (contains dioxins from paper/pulp mills chlorine), have your water tested for arsenic (lead arsenate was used as a pesticide for decades before being stopped), and so on.
No, we don’t need a national park to live well in Maine. But you talk about jobs – – what Maine really needs are thousands of small farmers just to feed Maine people, since so much of our food now comes from away. (From away, just like those people you like to ridicule.)
Now there’s a good, honest way to make a living. Yes I do know about being a small farmer; I am one. Raising your family on a farm that grows diverse crops for yourselves and to sell is a great way to live. No worries about your home or food – it’s all right there.
Not everyone can or wants to be a small farmer, but it’s one idea of a good livelihood. There are many others, as well, which don’t depend on large corporations that can stop your paycheck at any moment. Just think of those 56 people laid off permanently by the newspapers in your area……..now what will they do?
Guaranteed no LPG tank will create more than a handful, if that, of jobs for local people.
Let me ‘splain sumpin tah yah.
Adds $40 Million to your tax base.
At the Mack Point Industrial Zone.
Exactly where Everyone said such development “Had” to happen.
This ain’t on your Sears island froggy “refuge”.
(that’s where I collect my bass bait.)
More traffic equals More Commerce equals more Wealth spreading around the Whole Area!
Construction jobs of ALL disciplines.
Permanent operation jobs.
Clean burning fuel.
Helps keep other fuel prices in balance due to competition.
“Dangerous”? Well yes & no. That’s why only well trained individuals will work there. If something “drastic” should happen, it would be only to the poor souls working in close proximity to the tank. Townsfolk might get their windows rattled with a few breaking.
Good way to Quit smoking.
The NIMBY crowd is at it again, stalling Progress, driving costs Up.
BUILD The TANK !
—-
So now you are an expert on natural gas?
Do your own research. All you have to do is Google the words “dangers of natural gas” and you’ll get plenty of research by scientists not owned by the natural gas companies.
One does not have to be an “expert” to know that extremely flammable substances are dangerous – and the larger the quantities, the more dangerous.
That’s simple common sense, and you know it’s true.
Insulting and ridiculing me are of no use to the discussion.
It’s propane…….
Yes, it is propane.
Propane fumes are poisonous, deadly even. If you turn on the oven in your propane stove without lighting a match to burn it, then stick your head in the oven, you will die.
Relatively common method of committing suicide.
Pardon me. So now you are an expert on propane after having read a few articles? FYI, if you displace all the oxygen with any gas you will suffocate and die.
Yes. That’s the point.
I’m glad you two clarified this because in and of itself, propane is non-toxic. It’s the oxygen displacement that can be a problem.
Please demonstrate for us how the oven method works.
I’d say that’s deranged or stupid not dangerous.
I would not recommend you try it to find out.
Years ago, gas appliances were particularly dangerous because part or all of the piped in gas they ran on, was so-called producer gas, also called town gas, or coal gas. It was made in places called gas works where workers distilled burned coal incompletely and collected the fumes. A significant part of producer gas is carbon monoxide, which of course is poisonous, but it’s also flammable in and of itself. Only during and especially after the 1940s or so did piped in natural gas start making its way into city gas grid networks in the Northeast – much of the same pipe network that had been supplying coal/producer gas.
Producer gas thus is very toxic, never even mind if it displaces enough oxygen to cause suffocation.
I’m not saying natural gas and propane aren’t dangerous too, in an oven, because they can displace oxygen and cause suffocation, esp. propane, which is heavier than ordinary air, but they aren’t wildly toxic like producer gas with its CO content was.
Interesting. Guess my age is showing since I grew up hearing about people sticking their heads in ovens to commit suicide, or people threatening to do it to others. Could still be done, of course, but there are easier ways if one is so inclined.
I certainly am not — still too much nagging to do……….{~;>
Please take a moment and look up the dangers of mercury fallout from midwestern pwer plants, and why we can’t eat freshwater fish in Maine.
Yes, you’re right, but it’s also dioxins from chlorine use by pulp and paper mills, like the Chinese-owned pulp mill (no morepapermaking) in Baileyville where their chlorine residues are in the St. Croix River and in the fish and lobsters downstream.
Absolutely false Ask the DEp You are spreading lies
You cannot reason with cleanearth. She does not listen, she only lectures.
I do my research watchdogME. I do not post untruths. What would be the point?
Are we now to worship ignorance and prejudice, rather than discuss and debate all sides so we can come to common sense, logical, and sensible conclutions?
Trying to insult the messenger does not change the truth.
I do read your posts on this forum and occasionally agree but do not post unless I feel people need to know facts I have discovered during my years of trying to protect our clean drinking water.
We, the People of Maine, need to have more public hearings where all sides are heard so that people can make up their own minds.
A project like this needs more public hearings, and I believe they ought to be forthcoming so area people are better informed. Then the public ought to be allowed to vote on a project of this magnitude.
If it turns out to be a bad decision, well, then, people have only themselves to blame. But I would go along with what people who live in the area decided – – after full, open, public discussion and debate for at least a few months.
It will be quite some time before this thing gets built, even if it gets its permits, so the discussions can continue apace.
This project has been out in the public for a year now, why do we need “more time” to “look at it”?? Seems to be that Tanguay, Tabor and Huber are pretty proficient at Google, we’ve all seen that. So why couldn’t they have been putting their efforts to good use and actually finding information that was relevant to THIS project? Instead they resorted to spread terror and fear.
I can’t comment on what’s gone on so far since I’m not there. The BDN’s Downeast edition doesn’t carryt much from your area, but I have followed this project in some online discussions.
I believe there’s a good amount of information out there – but perhaps it hasn’t reached enough people yet.
In any case, public meetings where everyone can speak and be listened to – moderated by someone able to keep things orderly like Town Meeting – can be really useful in a case like this.
People might even find they agree more than they think they do.
Did I say something you didn’t want to be made public? Anyone can look at DEP files and learn the truth, or at least as much as they allow to be known.
Why has the Maine Dept. of Health issues a health warning for years now that says no one should ever eat Lobster Tomalley because it contains dioxins? And where would those dioxins come from? We all know – why deny it?
It’s difficult to argue against someone saying, “You’re lying,” so that people need to look these facts up themselves.
You deny that the Chinese who own the pulp mill in Baileyville, aka Woodland, use chlorine-based chemicals to bleach the pulp before it’s shipped out of Eastport to China and other foreign lands?
Don’t want to tell us who you are, yet you address me by name. Who’s not telling the truth here?
Mercury IS a big deal, as well as the other noxious compounds such as SO2, NOx, CO, CO2, U (Uranium), and Th (thorium). The US Department of the Interior and the EPA have determined that coal fired power plant emissions are the single largest source of Hg contamination in the country. I believe it is the SO2 and NOx compounds that have turned so many of Maine’s lakes acidic to the point of killing all/most of the life contained within. Propane doesn’t even come close to causing this much havoc environmentally. That said, I’m not knowledgeable about the fracking process.
that’s funny I caught several fish from a maine lake couple weeks ago.
It isn’t funny at all my sarcastic friend. The reason you were able to catch fish is because the liberal left you disdain so frequently went to bat for you and everyone else when they demanded that the fallout from coal fired power plants to the west of Maine be regulated. As it turns out the prevailing westerly winds bring it all down on us and Maritime Canada. In fact eastern Canada suffered even worse than most of New England. You know darned well I wasn’t saying that ALL ponds and lakes were rendered lifeless. However a great many were. Oh, and here is the kicker. Do a little research on the internet and you’ll find out that those “several fish” you caught from a Maine lake contain Hg and other contaminates at levels considered hazardous to your health. Hope you didn’t feed any to your children. Really.
The next biggest contributor to mercury contamination will be those new CFL lightbulbs that will be thrown in the trash. Or to escape the foolish fee of properly disposing them will be roadside.
—-
Amoung many, many other things.
Agronomist
Nuclear Physicist
Political science expert
Social planning expert
Hydrocarbon Engineer
Chemical Engineer
Marinelife expert
Freshwater Fish Expert
Global Finances Expert
Food Expert
All this from the few years she has been up here with us after moving here from NEW YAWK CITY !
—-
I believe noparkforme is remarking upon the many fields of study that cleanearth is an expert in.
another Urben Jungle hero.your saying?
—-
You’ve got the wrong person. I’ve never lived in any part of New York.
I was born in Jersey City, which is a lot worse, actually, and where I could clearly see what “development” did to a place. Dirty air, dirty water, dirty streets, lots of crime, etc.
That’s why our parents (9 of us kids) got us out of there when I was still young and we moved to rural Michigan to a tiny town on Lake Michigan, not that different from towns in Washington County, where I’ve lived for 33 years.
As the oldest, I was taught to speak out if I saw wrong-doing, and to try to set an example for my younger siblings. And I’ve always tried to do that.
So, you may disagree with what I’ve learned by personal observation and by reading extensively, but there’s really no point to insulting me because that doesn’t add anything to the discussion on this issue.
I can’t BELIEVE you would admit to being from Jersey City!
Just the truth, sir. But I must also admit that when I was 2 years old, we moved to a leafy suburb 10 miles from NYC, still in NJ, where I played in the woods and fields during my childhood before we moved to rural Michigan
—-
clean earth = nancy oden
Yes, this is not a secret…………….I take responsibility for whatever I post or say.
I didn’t know that, so thank you.
The “individual” from down east who believes everyone should have to
live just as she does. For their own good of course. Back to the earth. Utopian
fantasy.
Maybe because the goal of moratorium proponents was not to “study” the safety, but to stop the tank. They were being disingenuous, and it was obvious to all.
Just like on the news, the TBNT people are already saying that they are already looking at ways to stop it. According to the pre-vote info from them the moratorium was to slow down the process to make sure it was safe. Now they are looking at ways to stop the project. Was that not the intent from the start, the moratorium was just a way to get more voters to agree with them.
Yes, I see your point.
Perhaps now that the moratorium issue is out of the way, public meetings can be held where people can discuss and debate facts, not just “we hate from-aways so we’ll oppose anything they’re for.”
You all live in that area so whatever is done affects everyone. With a good moderator, and fashioned on Town Meeting, good discussions could be held so everyone has a true grasp of the project and what it would mean.
Get industry people there, too, to respond to questions, and then check up on their answers……..
The State has left Searsport and adjoining towns with no belt and no suspenders on this. Last uear the State totally de refulated LPG, rolling out the red carpet for this enormous termnal ad creating a virtually unlimited liability exposure for the citizens of Maine. The deregulation of LPG our State Legislators effected last year is straight out of the national lobby of the National Propane Gas Association.
Most states who would be considering a regional LPG terminal this large would have an industry funded LPG Board to receive and process an application like tis and coordinate inut and review by stakeholders. The LPG Board would have the know how and best practices knowledge as well as thorough knowledge of all applicable federal regulations to make infirmed judgments that no one in Seraport is capable of making like the very basic question of how big a site should be for a 22 million gallon tan that is 14 stories high ( Is there anything else in Maine 14 stories high??) The State should set up a site specific LPG Board for this project and DCP should pay for it.
MIT Engiineer James Fay, an expert in this area, wrote to the Army Corps of Engineers that this project must have a full EIS and that the full containment area for this tanl does not meet Fedeal Safety Satadards. Dr. Fay wrote that a facility this size requires ownership of a clear space significantly larger than the State owned lot to be used for this facility. His statement is a matter of pubic record.
The State has failed not just the people of Searport and nearby towns but the people of the State of Maine in completely deregulating LPG.
How many gallons of explosives are already there? The locals know that and they have felt safe for years.
All the more reason to have lots of public meetings where people can discuss and debate whether the new proposal would be safe or what would happen if it exploded or leaked a good deal of propane into the town.
Best to have all the facts at land, so people really ought to start listening to one another, rather than just calling names and ridiculing one another.
Yes, that’s a lecture, sort of, but at my age I’m now rather free with advice, which has come from many years of life.
You all live there – find out everything and put industry representatives on the spot by asking the hard questions and make sure you check out their answers.
Dear Junker,
First as a risk manager I can tell you that feeling safe and being safe are two different things.
Secondly the level of risk represented by 22 million gallons of LPG is exponentially greater than the level of risk there now and LG is inherently more dangreous than anything stored there now.
Moratoriums can and, in many cases, do stop construction in their tracks. Most moratoriums are done well in advance of construction of a project and or the purchase and design phase of a project. In the Searsport case the company (DCP Midstream) had purchased the property and started the initial planning and permitting process. It wasn’t until the company had spent a significant amount of money that a moratorium was presented to the Town.
Thanks but No Tank’s (TBNT as they call themselves, most likely members of the Sierre Club) plans were to stop the project period. They say that they only wanted 2 months to review the project and make changes, if necessary, to all of the ordiances to assure that all safety measures are in place. (That’s BULL-ONY)… If they only wanted 2 months, why did the moratorium, which was presented by TBNT, have provisions within in itself to extend it for up to a year (or more)? And with a name like “Thanks but NO TANK”, does that really sound like a group of people that only want 2 months to look over the towns existing ordinances? Give me a break. NO TANK mean NO TANK, period!!!!
This is the way that TBNT and the Sierre Club do business. They try to tell you one thing and then end up doing another. And they wonder why the residents of the Town don’t trust them? Obviously the residents of Searsport have great memories, (must be the fish oil) and remember all the harm that the Sierre Club put them through when they tried to develop Sears Island.
Well, I’m glad that the folks in Searsport finally stood up, joined forces, and put the anti-development groups in thier place. I’m sure that this is not the last step for TBNT as stated on the Channel 5 news by a gentlemen named Chris Topher (who certainly looked like Christopher Hyk to me, who I recognized from other TBNT articles) as they are most likely going to appeal the whole permitting process. MY, MY – how this sounds so much like the Sierre Club.
Well, good luck Searsport. I’d recommend writing those letters to the Army Corps of Engineers as well as to your State Representatives and the Governors office as you will need to continue your support for the LPG project. I’m sure that we will all be watching your progress.
lol
OMG … I feel sssooo much safer already just knowing the Army Corp of Engineers is involved in this project… That should put everyone’s worries to rest for sure..
“Jeannie Lucas noted that DCP has yet to provide a full-scale model of its tank project.” Does she (or the reporter) possibly mean an accurate scale model? I rather doubt a full-size ‘model’ would be welcome in Searsport.
Whether you agree or not, all folks followed the law on this, and did not resort to something stupid like “Occupy Searsport”.
I don’t have an opinion on the tank itself one way or the other, but how would this be a “job creating” project? Warehousing a commodity is not a job intensive sort of thing, whether you are storing toilet paper or propane. A few temporary construction jobs, most likely by a big contractor using very little local help, and maybe a couple of jobs for locals that man the facility. The jobs argument, common in lots of things these days, many times overblown and exaggerated, doesn’t hold a whole lot of water when you actually take the time to think it through. THAT is the problem is so many ways now a days, thinking problems through. Not offering knee jerk reactions because you are supposedly “business friendly” or “environmentally conscious.” The two things are NOT mutually exclusive…
Searsport overwhelmingly rejects propane tank. A wise decision democratically made by a consensus of informed residents. Thankfully it is up to the residents to decide the destiny of their town and not the NIMBY’s who have migrated there. It is strange that the reporter neglected to publish the vote tallies. I’d like to know for the record just what overwhelming is defined as for this vote. It would certainly give the reader an idea just how many people live in Searsport who favor jobs and lower living costs over misinformed scare tactics. Thank you Searsport for considering the future of rest of the state as well, when you voted.
We did not reject the tank…. Please re-read the article.
Yes, that is the way I read it. I still would like to know the vote. Was it secret ballot or show of hands?
We rejected the moratorium that would have stopped the tank. Providing the proper permits are issued, the project will continue. The vote was 165 in favor of the moratorium (stopping the project) and 297 against the moratorium (allowing it to continue). The votes were cast by written ballot.
Meant to post propane tank moratorium…sorry.
TBNT said all along that this was a “local Searsport issue”. Well, the “local” (native life long residents) people of Searsport came out in force and voiced their opinion! Folks in this town have quietly got along with each other for years. It was the people sending a message that they were tired of people from away pushing out anything other than another tourist business. The antics that TBNT used in their “rallies” and their attempts to collect signatures for their petitions were laughable at best. Dressing up in costumes, wearing masks to hide their faces (were they afraid that the “locals” would recognize them?), harassing people in front of the local grocery store and on their doorsteps to get them to sign their petition.
The people of Searsport have spoken, let the project continue!!!
No, we here in Washington County won that hazardous dump fight, and another some years later, too.
I didn’t vote on the Searsport LPG tank because I live in Washington County, but these industrial developments affect all of us.
USA is not only exporting natural gas these days, but is also exporting oil.
If we would just step back and conserve what we have, then have public discussions on what makes the most sense for Maine people, I believe we can do better than huge industrial zones which are dangerous their entire lives and even when they’re finally shut down.
Who, then, pays for the destroyed fisheries, poisoned land, and huge, rusting tanks? Maine taxpayers.
O M G.
I have no dog in this propane fight, but let’s be clear about one modern myth going around the Internet these days, the US is NOT a net oil exporter by any stretch of the imagination. Our oil production peaked 41 years ago and now stands at about 60 percent of the peak. We still import over half of the oil we use, on a daily basis.
It is true that Bakken oil from North Dakota and some from the Gulf of Mexico has caused a little bump up in what has been otherwise a long, slow slide in US crude oil production (declines esp. evident in Alaska), but it’s only a bump.
We are exporting some finished gasoline and diesel these days, mainly because we have a bit of excess refining capacity and the rest of the rapidly developing world is hungry for gasoline and diesel. But a good deal of our “excess” gasoline and diesel is actually made with Mexican and Canadian crude oil, not US crude oil and even then, we still IMport a fair amount of refined gasoline and diesel too.
By the way, I’m all for using less petroleum products, regardless of the Searsport issue.
The U.S. has 2% of the wolrd’s oil reserves and consumes 20% of all oil..I was very happy to see the President finally stating this long known fact.
The U.S is at the moment at net exporter of LPG..everyome everywhere is looking for places who will buy LPG which is a by product of gas (60%) and oil(40%) refining. Growth in demand for LPG globally is projected to be lower than growth in supply.
DCP will be bringing this LPG from the North Sea when gulf refineries are exporting U.S. LPG. That makes no sese at all to me.
Even the LPG industry refers to LPG as a “transition fuel” whose utlity and relevance in world energy markets will keep shrinking and disappear in 10 to 15 years.
It’s really very sad that the good folk of this small town don’t understand how they are being manipulated and used by DCP..that they really believe this will bring jobs and prosperity to Searsport and poses no significant public hazards. That’s what happens when people make decisons based on opinion and misinformation.
What is sad here is that the corporation played the devisive, “place card” (not unlike race card), which devides residents based upon place of birth. Local residents were played by the corporation that stoked the coals of raw xenophobia. While I personally withold judgement on the merits of the tank, mainly for safety reasons, I don’t buy the tourism/traffic arguement. This also may be the case of a bridge to far for the opponents who killed off development of Sears Island. Opponents need to remember that Searsport is an industrial harbor and a port of commerce. It has been for centuries.
Matters of this magnitude must not be decided by towns. The effects are too far-reaching.
Here’s an interesting perspective on development in rural America by the Gov of North Dakota. They have the healthiest economy in US and luckily, common sense. Saddest part in relation to keystone pipeline starts at 4:00 or so. http://youtu.be/vyL1ghxS-jg
So the article title says that residents overwhelmingly voted against the moratorium, and then in the article it says “the town is divided” ?! Well which is it? And then the article has no totals on the vote. Nice….
This vote yesterday was a great example of citizens participating and acting in their government process. Both sides of the moratorium issue presented their cases in a respectful manner. In a time when people are stating that we need less red tape in government this moratorium would have been putting red tape in government at the local level. If people are concerned over regulations, zoning, planning, and ordinances in their town then sit in at town meetings and join the established committees to make their voice heard and bring about change. Local government is a great place to bring about change at the grass roots level. I would support and admire anyone who runs for the zoning, planning, and ordinance boards, as they are unpaid, and dedicated individuals that serve our towns. So, instead of proposing a moratorium put your effort you brought to this cause into serving your community. Should a person on the Thanks but no Tank organization want to run for an established board, I say go and put your voice to work and serve your community. Whether your vote was for or against, if you voted yesterday you at least had a chance to be part of change. If you did not then you should not complain as you had a chance to have your opinion be counted when it counted. This is why our system of government works for its citizens. It may not be perfect or go the way we would like it to be, but when we vote, and participate in the process at least we had our chance to express our view. So good job all citizens that turned out and made your voice heard! Now, lets all keep participating in the process so that our government officials see we are interested in our local, state and federal government process.Whether a handful of jobs are created it is more jobs than exist right now. These handful of jobs will create other jobs due to services these jobs will create. The construction workers that are from away will need a place to live and this will create work and so on. Hopefully, while this project is underway the town will entice other business and commerace to the town and not put all of its eggs in one basket. At least this is a start at attracting industry. I personally think that the container port on Sears Island would be a great asset to the port and put more land on the tax roles creating revenue. This piece of real estate in our town is untapped resource that could developed to provide recreation, places for tourist to stay, and more usable than just a dog walk.
I don’t know why you would consider a propane industry a local attraction. People not of Searsport, but minutes away, could not vote no matter to whether they are for or against the facility.
Comments are now closed, but, fortunately, editing is still possible. To Savetheseaport – – it’s “Sierra Club.” “SierrA” You’d probably group me into one of the types you probably wish would die, but I’m no fan of the Sierra Club.
It’s people that think that way that leave Maine in the ” Dark Ages “…..
It’s funny to read some of the comments on here. Some people are talking about how “dangerous and Flammable” propane and natural gas is as well as trying to say that if you stand next to it and breathe it you will die. I might suggest looking up the flash point of gasoline as well as the placard ratings on gasoline. I don’t live in Searsport, so I am just expressing my thoughts on the tanks, but what exactly is it that everyone is so scared about with theses tanks? That the 1″ steel tank will somehow rupture? Not likely. A fitting or valve leak? Propane is heavier than air, so it will sink to the ground not go up. It also disperses quite quickly, and if there is a leak of major magnitude it is more likely that liquid will leak out not vapor. The liquid form of propane will freeze what it comes into contact with immediately. What’s next, getting rid of all of the gas stations because they hold Dangerous Flammable products that if you inhale you will die? All true.
We, the people of Washington County, won our fight to keep the hazardous waste dump out of Township 30, if that’s what you’re referring to. Other than that, I don’t know what you mean.
If you’ll say who you are, I might recognize your name and have some clue as to what you’re talking about.
Who goes by the nom de plume “skullfire?”
I find it interesting that so many of the comments meant to rebut cleanearth have been flagged for review. Is BDN biased because cleanearth writes the occasional editorial for them? Or is cleanearth just flagging everything so she does all the talking, as usual?
I hope the Tank NO folks walk away!!!! These people are the same advocates for the democratic way of life and demand every vote should be counted… (-;
Moratoriums can and, in many cases do, stop construction in their tracks. Most moratoriums are done well in advance of construction of a project and or the purchase and design phase of a project. In the Searsport case the company (DCP Midstream) had purchased the property and started the initial planning and permitting process. It wasn’t until the company had spent a significant amount of money that a moratorium was presented to the Town.
Thanks but No Tank’s (TBNT as they call themselves, most likely members of the Sierre Club) plans were to stop the project period. They say that they only wanted 2 months to review the project and make changes, if necessary, to all of the ordiances to assure that all safety measures are in place. (That’s BULL-ONY)… If they only wanted 2 months, why did the moratorium, which was presented by TBNT, have provisions within in itself to extend it for up to a year (or more)? And with a name like “Thanks but NO TANK”, does that really sound like a group of people that only want 2 months to look over the towns existing ordinances? Give me a break. NO TANK mean NO TANK, period!!!!
This is the way that TBNT and the Sierre Club do business. They try to tell you one thing and then end up doing another. And they wonder why the residents of the Town don’t trust them? Obviously the residents of Searsport have great memories, (must be the fish oil) and remember all the harm that the Sierre Club put them through when they tried to develop Sears Island.
Well, I’m glad that the folks in Searsport finally stood up, joined forces, and put the anti-development groups in thier place. I’m sure that this is not the last step for TBNT as stated on the Channel 5 news by a gentlemen named Chris Topher (who certainly looked like Christopher Hyk to me, who I recognized from other TBNT articles) as they are most likely going to appeal the whole permitting process. MY, MY – how this sounds so much like the Sierre Club.
Well, good luck Searsport. I’d recommend writing those letters to the Army Corps of Engineers as well as to your State Representatives and the Governors office as you will need to continue your support for the LPG project. I’m sure that we will all be watching your progress.