Healthy Communities News

PHILADELPHIA—Residents of Philadelphia’s Bella Vista neighborhood held a meeting tonight to hear a panel of experts and local officials answer questions about Philadelphia Gas Works’ (PGW) plans to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) import facility in northeast Philadelphia. PennEnvironment’s Nathan Willcox spoke on the panel, as did City Councilman Frank DiCicco, and representatives from the city fire and police departments, the U.S. Coast Guard, Clean Water Action, and ActionPA.

“Given the inherent public safety threat posed by LNG import facilities and tankers, PGW’s plans should not go forward,” said Nathan Willcox, energy advocate with PennEnvironment. “If an accident were to occur on an LNG tanker on the Delaware, tens of thousands of Philadelphians would be at risk.”

PGW has announced their intentions to build a liquefied natural gas import facility in the Port Richmond neighborhood of northeast Philadelphia, which would serve as a docking station for LNG tankers traveling from the Atlantic Ocean and up the Delaware River. Liquefied natural gas, or LNG, is natural gas that has been converted to liquid form by cooling it to negative 260 degrees Fahrenheit. This enables energy companies to more economically transport greater quantities of natural gas, as the LNG is 1/600th the volume of the substance in its gaseous form.

However, LNG import facilities and tankers pose a significant public safety threat. Specifically, a study done for the U.S. Department of Energy found that if a leak from an LNG tanker were to occur due to an accident or attack, a resulting fire and explosion could result in “major injuries and significant damage to structures” within a third of a mile from the spill site, and “potential for injuries and property damage” up to one mile from the spill site. Tens of thousands of people live within the one mile risk area of the Port Richmond site, as well as tens of thousands more citizens in the Philadelphia neighborhoods along the Delaware River transport route.

“In the 1970s—long before 9/11and the terrorist threats we face today—Congress said LNG import facilities were too dangerous to be cited in large metropolitan areas,” said Willcox. “The risk is even greater than it was thirty years ago, yet PGW still thinks a facility can be built while protecting the public safety of Philadelphians. It simply doesn’t add up.”

PGW has also come under fire for already spending $2 million to promote its LNG plans, and the utility has yet to explain who would pay for the numerous necessary public safety measures. Municipal officials in Boston have determined that LNG tankers pose enough of a threat that the city must use undercover investigators at the docking station to guard against terrorist attacks, deploy an underwater dive team to flag underwater hazards, and require police and the U.S. Coast Guard to provide ten boats to escort each LNG tanker into port. All of these security measures would carry significant price tags for Philadelphia—the burden of which would likely fall on the backs of the city’s taxpayers.

“Pennsylvania ratepayers should not be footing the bill for a proposal that has more public safety questions than PGW has answers,” Willcox said. “Numerous studies have shown the safety risks of LNG import facilities to surrounding communities—risks that the residents of Philadelphia should not have to live with, much less pay for.”

Bella Vista United—the civic association of Philadelphia’s Bella Vista neighborhood—hosted the meeting, which PGW did not attend despite a request and invitation from the association.

PGW has said that the utility needs the approval of Philadelphia City Council to proceed with construction of the new LNG facility. For this reason, PennEnvironment and other public interest advocacy organizations are urging City Council to actively oppose PGW’s plans. While several City Council members have said they have serious concerns with PGW’s plans, none have committed to opposing any LNG import facility plan.

“Despite public opposition to the idea of an LNG import facility in Philadelphia, some officials have said they are waiting for an official PGW proposal before taking a position,” said Willcox. “But given the inherent threat posed by any LNG import facility, the details of PGW’s proposal won’t change anything—these facilities simply do not belong in large metropolitan areas.”

PennEnvironment is a statewide environmental advocacy organization with more than 15,000 citizen members across Pennsylvania. Additional information about PennEnvironment and our campaigns for safe energy can be found at www.PennEnvironment.org.