Concern raised over proposed Titusville LNG plant

Concern raised over proposed Titusville LNG plant

A proposal to build a $250 million liquefied natural gas production and distribution plant in Titusville is raising new concerns among some Brevard County residents.

The project, to be located off U.S. 1 at the south end of Titusville, received a conditional-use permit from the city more than two years ago. But the site has not yet been developed.

Recently, though, a group of Brevard County residents came before the County Commission, seeking county involvement in keeping an eye on the project’s development. They are concerned about safety and environmental issues related to the proposed facility, as well as the potential for the gas to be shipped by rail on tracks that run just west of U.S. 1.

“My questions are overwhelming, and so I’m looking to you as a government body to help answer these questions on behalf of the citizens,” Cocoa resident Mel Martin said in public comment to commissioners. “In the end, I’m just really hoping to start the conversation in the community.”

Martin was among six residents to address the County Commission on the issue on Feb 7. She said she plans to be back on Tuesday evening to continue to press her concerns and to be sure county officials are proactive in monitoring developments related to the project.

Martin submitted a citizen request for the County Commission to direct staff to answer a number of questions about the “threat assessment and crisis response preparation for potential LNG mishaps in Brevard County.”

In a note responding to her request, County Manager Stockton Whitten said he “would be happy to meet with” Martin “on how we can accommodate her request.”

Martin said she plans to meet with Whitten next week.

Jake Suski, managing partner for New Fortress Energy, which is developing the project, said it is still on track, although there is no specific timeline for construction. He said nothing has changed related to previous assurances from project developers about the safety of the proposed facility.

“Our plans were submitted to the city, and we’re working through our development process for the Titusville project,” Suski said. “Demand for gas, both domestic and foreign, continues to grow. While we’ve had success with alternative delivery methods to meet customer demand over the past year, we still see tremendous value in the Titusville project, and are moving forward. Potential customers continue to reach out to us. We have no specific timeline to share today.”

New Fortress Energy has an agreement in place with Florida East Coast Industries to develop the project.

In its 2015 presentation to the Titusville City Council, officials representing the project said LNG is a non-toxic, non-corrosive liquid that represents no threat to the soil or groundwater. They said it is safe to transport, and is safe and efficient for high-fuel-use engines.

But the residents who addressed the County Commission recently said they remain worried.

“I’m deeply concerned about the potential danger to our homes, our health and our environment” related to the operation of the LNG plant, Satellite Beach resident Sanjay Patel told county commissioners.

Satellite Beach resident Gail Meredith said: “I think it’s very dangerous, and I think it hasn’t received the scrutiny and environmental impact study that it should.”

Meredith said the potential long-term effects of the plant “should be carefully evaluated before proceeding.”

Brevard County Emergency Management Director Kimberly Prosser said the county’s comprehensive emergency management plan includes a supplement that focuses on responses to incidents involving hazardous materials. She said her agency would take on a supporting role in responding to such incidents.

Titusville Mayor Walt Johnson and Titusville Community Development Director Peggy Busacca said they have not heard from company in recent months about plans to develop the project.

Representatives of companies affiliated with the project in 2015 indicated that they hoped to begin construction in early 2015, and to complete the project by the middle of 2016. But the project has not moved forward.

In response to questions submitted by Martin, Busacca wrote that the Titusville City Council’s 2015 approval of the conditional-use permit after public hearings was “based upon the competent and substantial information provided, which is the legal standard. The determination was made that the LNG plant itself could be safely operated and met the requirements of the city’s land development code. I believe there may have also been consideration of the economic-development opportunities from the site.”

The company at the time said the project would create 282 temporary construction jobs with an average annual salary of $44,000, plus 40 permanent jobs, with an average annual salary of $84,000. Additionally, the project would provide a total of $4.1 million in annual tax revenue to Titusville, Brevard County and the Brevard School District.

“There was no competent and substantial evidence presented related to property values,” Busacca wrote. “Therefore, council could not consider this issue — either for or against the project. There was no consideration by City Council on gas pipelines or transport of LNG, as these were not covered by the conditional-use permit and are regulated by other entities.”

Despite concerns expressed by some people who live near the proposed plant during hearings in January 2015, the Titusville Planning and Zoning Commission and the Titusville City Council both unanimously approved the conditional-use permit.

The next stage of the process as far as Titusville is concerned would be a site-plan review by the city. And Busacca wrote, “To date, the city has not received a site plan to review.”

One reason for the delay appears to be a federal rule which requires an LNG storage tank be at least a mile from the end of an airport runway.

New Fortress Energy/TICO Development Partners LLC has submitted a request to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, seeking a special permit for variance from that regulation, because the site is about 0.6 miles from the southern edge of a Space Coast Regional Airport runway. TICO Development Partners is affiliated with Florida East Coast Industries.

Residents of two groups of residents who live near the proposed LNG plant have retained a Stuart law firm to challenge the special permit request.

In comments submitted to the federal agency, attorney John Yudin wrote: “Our clients are rightfully concerned about the serious risks associated with the dangerous process of converting natural gas into LNG for storage and/or transport. By approving a hazardous facility such as this so near a population center, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration would be placing 14,000-plus members of the public in harm’s way.”

A December 2015 presentation prepared by Martin County Fire Rescue related to the vulnerability of transportation of LNG through Martin County by rail noted that population centers and neighborhoods are close to the rail corridors.

It said, if LNG is added to the commodities being shipped on the rail lines, along the same routes as passenger trains, it “increases risk of accidents,” and that “such emergencies can exceed local response capabilities,” the fire agency said.

The Titusville project would be located on an undeveloped site near Space Coast Regional Airport and the recently opened Port Canaveral Titusville Logistics Center. The site is just west of the Florida East Coast Railway tracks, south of Golden Knights Boulevard and north of Kings Highway.

In 2015, representatives of the entities developing the project told FLORIDA TODAY that the plant would offer the region a supply of clean-burning fuel; create construction and permanent jobs; spur spinoff businesses; and generate millions of dollars a year in property taxes.

The plant would draw conventional natural gas from existing pipelines. The gas then would be purified and liquefied by cooling it to negative 260 degrees Fahrenheit. According to a permit application submitted to the city of Titusville, the facility would operate around the clock and could produce up to 1 million gallons of LNG a day.

The liquefied gas would be temporarily stored in a 5 million-gallon storage tank at the Titusville site, then loaded onto special 10,000-gallon insulated shipping containers to be transported by truck or rail.

Liquefied natural gas can be used for some trucks, cargo ships, water pumps, generators and as rocket fuel.

https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/local/environment/2017/03/06/concern-raised-over-proposed-titusville-lng-plant/98788670/