Searsport Planning Board members are in an unenviable position. Facing strong opposition from local residents and those in surrounding communities, board members will have to decide whether to permit construction of a $40 million liquid propane terminal and storage tank.
They deserve credit under these circumstances for doing their job and focusing on the project as it applies to town ordinances. If they deny construction, it cannot be because people don’t like — or like — the project. It must be because it doesn’t align with town rules, which are approved by residents.
Board Chairman J. Bruce Probert hit the point exactly when he said, “We want the process not to deviate from the way we’ve done things” by not favoring input from opponents or proponents and following the zoning ordinance “right to the letter.” The board will be looking to see whether the application meets 18 performance standards as outlined in the shoreland zoning and site plan review ordinances.
Denver-based DCP Midstream’s proposal to build the 138-foot-high tank, capable of holding 22.7 million gallons, has received approval from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Maine Department of Transportation and the Army Corps of Engineers. The U.S. Coast Guard has given its letter of recommendation. The Searsport Planning Board is the final hurdle. Projected to be built in Mack Point, part of Searsport’s industrial zone, it would join 30 or so much shorter tanks.
Once the application is complete for local consideration, planning board members will hold a public hearing and enter a review period. So far they have begun collecting information in a thoughtful way and have all visited a similar facility in New Hampshire. And, as allowed, they have asked for outside help.
They did an impact study on additional truck traffic on Station Avenue, a town road. In addition they will look at proposals that would study the project’s effect on tax revenues, property values, tourism and school funding. And they are working with an expert on liquid propane tanks who will be able to advise them on a variety of issues, including safety.
Still, the reaction to the proposed tank has been widespread.
The opposition group Thanks But No Tank! has posted pictures of fiery explosions on its website, which discusses at length the potential effects that locating an industrial facility close to a residential and commercial area could have.
Residents and protesters have raised questions about the potential visual effect, odor, noise, safety and increased truck traffic. The Searsport Historic Preservation Committee has written to the planning board, concerned that more truck traffic will reduce the stability of buildings in the historic district.
Stockton Springs selectmen sent a letter asking the planning board what the economic effect will be on surrounding towns and whether there will be an evacuation plan for them. Selectmen on the island of Islesboro raised concern about how construction of the tank would affect ferry and boat traffic on Penobscot Bay, in addition to air traffic and tourism.
Belfast, Camden, Montville, North Haven, Rockport, Matinicus, Northport, the Penobscot Bay Alliance and the Sierra Club added their names to the list of concerned entities. Rockland councilors went in a different direction and approved a resolve expressing support for the greater use of propane to serve rural Maine.
Concern or support may be warranted. But no matter which direction the pressure comes from, the Searsport Planning Board must consider first and foremost whether the tank meets certain performance standards. Going through the application itself will be a challenge, as it’s more than 700 pages. But it should be done with an eye toward fairness, which means applying the rules at hand.
You cant have jobs without developement. No jobs leads to idleness, which leads to the the sad state of people in the court system.Build the tank and get on with it!
Trouble is, most of the people fighting this have retirement income or are TFBs (trust fund babies). They don’t want anyone having the kind of job that will clash with their “idyllic” maine lifestyle. Forget the tanks, mate. Everyone can just be a Maine Guide or cook or a waitress or a nanny. What could be worse than sucking up to the rich?
Same goes with the East/West highway. Most of the outspoken opponents don’t live within 20 miles of the proposed route. I guess if it doesn’t directly benefit them, NOBODY should have it.
The east west highway would be a Canadian highway. It’s a little different. You don’t think Peter expects to invest 2 billion and wait for the money to trickle in do you. Why would you asume Mainers are stupid?
It troubles you that he would want to actually make a profit on a 2 billion dollar investment? Shame on him. Shame on Cianbro.
I don’t think Mainers are stupid. Did you need to add that to (attempt to) make yourself look smart? Sorry, it didn’t.
You don’t have to live near something to be in favor or opposed to it D. Briggs. Lots of folks who are opposed to the east west highway are looking at the bigger picture and the long term impact. Just because something can make money, doesn’t make it right.
I have to disagree Fannycradock. Most are not trust funders. I work a 40+ hour a week job like many folks who are opposed to the tank. Sure there are many who are retired, but so what. They put their time in working. And so what if those with more means have joined the opposition. So what. Everyone has a right to take a stand about how they feel about this tank. I’d like to see more meaningful work come into this area, just like a lot of folks who are in favor of the tank, but not at the expense of setting the stage for increased industrialization to this area. I think we can do better with a different type of development…. something that will benefit more than 12 people (referencing the 12 jobs that DCP promises) and at the same time not increase the risks to our community (risk of explosion, truck traffic, pollution, noise, way of life, etc, etc, etc.
Put a privacy fence around it…
Great idea! A 140 foot tall privacy fence with a nice seacoast mural painted on it would enhance the view.
They could call it, “The Way It Used To Be.”
Fo sho…LOL
Why wasn’t the recent referendum mentioned in this article? Why does this article imply that there is enormous local opposition, and NO local support??? Just because they are loud and active (activists?) doesn’t mean they are right, or even the majority. Please, BDN, could you try a little harder for some balanced coverage?
Lol, the BDN having “balanced” coverage? That never happens.
What people don’t understand is that, GAC in Searsport, has more hazardous material than Liquid Propane. If people would actually use their brain and not say ridiculous things like, “more truck traffic will reduce the stability of buildings in the historic district.” We selected these people, “Selectman” to regulate things like this. Let them do their job and encourage new business’ to come to Searsport. If the people in the community discourage new business’ come to Searsport than they will go somewhere else. Example, Left Bank Books, they are in Belfast now. Not Searsport, I’m not saying LBB left because of this, but we can’t afford to lose anymore business’, new or old.
Nothing wrong, Localbusinesslover, with people stating their concern over the impact to the buildings in our historic district. Doesn’t take a brain scientist to understand how increased traffic pounds our roads and shakes the foundations of the old brick structures. I’m in favor of new business, but communities should be wise about what business’s they bring to town. Just because a company wants to come to town doesn’t mean that we bow down and worship them. DCP is not the type of business I’m in favor in… I’m not in favor of a pornographic movie studio either – though there is no reason to think that they wouldn’t provide equally well paying jobs. We need to be bring business that will support our community and region without destroying the integrity of the community that we already have.
A 70 year old, protesting, do they work or where is their income coming from? Social Security? Social Security depends on jobs and taxing those jobs. Bring RESPONSIBLE industry to Maine.
ever notice that when they have a picture of a protestor, it is always someone from four towns or more away trying to control what goes on in someone elses neighborhood
NIMBY -also- equals Not In YOUR Back Yard either!!!
Don’t be silly Overtaxedagain. There is nothing wrong with someone protesting an issue they feel strongly about, and besides, this issue with the tank isn’t a local issue (although DCP did a fine job of spinning propaganda to make it sound like it is). We don’t live in a bubble, we live in communities that intersect and rely on one another. This tank just happens to be housed in Searsport, but it impacts a much, much wider region and its right that people from neighboring communities weigh in on how they feel about it.
I can’t imagine residents of a poor town like Searsport turning away a $40m development project, replete with tax payments and jobs…I’m environmentally friendly too, but this isn’t a big ugle development, this is a tasteful energy development…
I was led to believe that most of the construction jobs would be out-of-state workers and the actual operation of the terminal, when completed and operational would be less than 10 employees. I am all for more jobs in this area too.
Not so. I made a point of checking it out. They have record of hiring locally the trades and also training and hiring locals. Just another attempt to deceive by opposition. If you want real answers dont rely on the opponents who are not motivated to provide facts. Get it straight for yourself. I know better than what I read and hear from nimbys. Thanks for putting it out there for comment bigkid. You are going to hear a lot of tall tales.
I respectfully disagree Maineismyhome. Tasteful is a subjective term, naturally, and I’m afraid, this proposed project is anything but tasteful. Also, just because its stated to be a $40million project… don’t be fooled. The anticipated tax payments are also questionable due to the nature of structure of the proposed development. Its highly doubtful that this particular development will have any real positive impact on the community or region. Any positive impacts will be outweighed by the negative overall.
Economic impact study says differently. Before you disqualify the Maine expert who did it, I’d ask that you review his credentials before you malign him. I say that as a professional who knows well his work. I hope only for responsible comment and not empty assertions.
While we are talking about the Searsport Planning Board,
let’s note the fact that the public cannot comment on the completeness of the application.
This is unprecedented and is because the company putting in the application asked to have the public gagged. Free speech is lost in Searsport. Why are they scared of civil comments on their application completeness??
The chairperson could cut off any intemperate commenter at any time. The Planning Board’s council said it was okay to permit public comment since it always was allowed.
The public has alerted the board to two issues related to completeness. They were made during the one public comment phase that was allowed before the lawyers asked, inappropriately, to “gag” the public.
If these issues were not known, the application would have been invalid at some point.
The whole process smells regardless of how you feel about the project.
Any development at all is not necessarily good development.
This facility for all the crowing about safety will no doubt be state of the art and safe. The 100 or so trucks and rail cars of compressed propane are only going to be as safe as the independent operators. And the weather conditions. And all the other vehicle operators on the roads. But I mean, hey, they’re pretty safe, right?That said, DCP has stated there will be approximately 12 permanent positions. Sure there will be jobs during the construction phase, but I doubt a tremendous amount of contractors in the state of Maine deal in liquified propane storage facilities of this magnitude.Of those 12, I think it’s safe to assume a minimum of 4 will be internal hires/transfers from within their own companies. Yes they’ll “train new people” as a company line, but at the end of the day it’s always cheaper in business to promote from within than to train fresh. And they’re not going to put full operation of the largest facility of it’s kind in the eastern United States in the hands of a fresh hire.So that leaves approximately 8 jobs in the absolute best case scenario. Assuming, and this won’t happen, they decide to hire 8 local boys (and I say this as a local boy)… if the jobs are so great, that’s 8 jobs. Then what? We’ve got sight, smell, traffic, noise, a closed restaurant that employs currently over 40 people, a possibly (because no one can say for sure until it’s built) threatened tourist industry, and decreased commercial and residential property values in the immediate area– and 8 jobs that are going to be so fantastic, that chances stand, once they’re filled, they’re going to stay filled. So ma and pa on the back roads of north searsport can forget about junior graduating from high school and stepping directly into being DCP’s propane emperor.From what I’ve seen and experienced as a resident, a good chunk (probably 40%) of the opposition is from other towns. But practically 100% of the proponents of the tank are either town officials or civil employees of searsport. Most specifically the fire department and EMT crews, and their friends and families. And you absolutely, cannot fault them for being for it. I certainly don’t. Because if the project goes through, it’s a given Searsport will need to make all their positions full time. Even though the project is going to be the paramount of safe… o_O
I DO think, as civic employees, it’s in extraordinary bad taste for them to be so vocally in support of it, as their positions will become full time on the potential for a catastrophe to their friends and neighbors. More over as a tax payer, there is currently not enough need for their to be a full time fire department and EMT team in Searsport. If the tank comes in, they’ll have to be, but short of the facility blowing up, which I doubt very strongly will happen, they’ll be full time with the exact same amount of work that doesn’t currently warrant them being full time.
And the only other thing I would point out about the whole process is… the chairman of the planning board, Lord and Commander Bruce Probert, is not only receiving a pension from Sprague, but he and his wife have stock in Conoco Philips, the parent company of DCP. Talk about a conflict of interests.
What terrible and baseless accusations to write – you should be ashamed of such malicious calumny. When the facility is inevitably constructed, I will think of your nasty comments every time I drive through Searsport and thank the Entity for large tanks and small minds.
Which accusations precisely were baseless?
Don’t hold your breath waiting for an answer. The person you’re addressing is a notorious sucker punch artist.
Notorious? Sucker punch artist? How heartless and downright mean you’ve become. I’m embarrassed for you, man.
I wasn’t actually talking to you, Milo, in case you didn’t notice. But as long as I am now, how about answering Conservative32’s question: “Which accusations were baseless?”
I’m undone by your persiflage but struggle with your hostility. Why not get your hair done, roll one up, and become one with the tank?
Your assumptions are baseless. And if you have done even the basic research, you would know that ConocoPhilips has no association at all to this. Furthermore, it should be noted that Rockland spoke up and said they had no concerns. There are some very loud, few, and uninformed, and deliberately misspoken opponents who want to dismiss this because it threatens their nimby views. They will oppose anything in the industrial zone. Even a rainbow factory. Indeed, these opponents are vicious in their slander and in creating disharmony. Very disappointing to see what division this self serving group has created. It’s a shame we give them any voice at all. I agree with milo. They have crossed the line of decency. Sad.
Are the protesters Town residents or Summer residents that don’t pay Maine income tax?
Almost all Searsport residents who oppose the tank pay property taxes– we are home and/or business owners. Of course summer residents who own property pay property taxes. However since they are are away at town meeting time theyhave no vote for who comprises our town government — a classic case of taxation without representation. Not incidentally, property tax paid by summer residents of Searsport makes up a significant percentage of the town’s tax revenue although they consume few town services. The much-maligned retirees property taxes pay for the scho0ls they do not use as well as many services we all enjoy. Both groups contribute significantly to the town in many other ways.
Only a few summer residents have been in town for the rallies in opposition to the tank but many year-round Searsport residents have participated as well as concerned citizens from around the region. The name-callers are all too ready to accept the contributions of those of us who are Mainers by choice–and some of us have been here for many years– but they seem not to embrace the concept of freedom of speech for their neighbors,.
How sad the approval process really is. No wonder Maine has no jobs,and no money.
Just like I said SuzanneMFarley GAC has much more hazardous material