An environmental group accused the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission of failing to provide information on a proposed LNG export facility along the Delaware River in New Jersey, even after the group won an appeal seeking information about the scope of the project.
Maya van Rossum, leader of Delaware Riverkeeper Network, said in an Aug. 19 email that the "failure is unacceptable."
"[FERC] asked for more time," van Rossum said. "We do not believe this is legally or ethically appropriate given the circumstance."
FERC declined to comment based on its policy on ongoing proceedings.
On Aug. 6, FERC's Office of the General Counsel ruled in favor of the environmental group's appeal over a request for information on an LNG export project tied to the Gibbstown Logistics Center, a port facility near Philadelphia that is under development by Delaware River Partners LLC. FERC had denied an earlier request. The office gave the commission until Aug. 14 to provide Delaware Riverkeeper with an appropriate response.
Van Rossum said the fact that her group had to file a Freedom of Information Act request to secure basic information on the project was "outrageous." "FERC is solidly on the side of the natural gas industry, and seems willing to misuse its power in any way it can to help the industry advance and to keep the public in the dark so we are unable to fully defend ourselves in the face of these major infrastructure projects," she said in an Aug. 8 statement.
The group said the Gibbstown LNG proposal could pose environmental risks to the river, encourage more hydraulic fracturing in natural gas production, and increase the use of a fossil fuel that contributes to climate change. The port project would export LNG derived from natural gas from the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania. New Fortress Energy LLC, a public company and a subsidiary of Fortress Investment Group LLP, is a potential customer.
In July, Delaware Riverkeeper asked the Delaware River Basin Commission to reconsider its approval of a permit for the export facility. In the request, the group said the commission authorized the permit without "full information on impacts on water resources to the [Delaware River] Basin" from construction or operations. The commission approved the permit, which allows the developer to dredge and build a dock at the Gibbstown Logistics Center, in June. The commission represents the governors of Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York and the division engineer of the North Atlantic Division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
