National Park Service Deals Blow to Fall River, Mass. LNG Proposal

The National Park Service, which by law is required to determine whether development proposals that require federal permits or funding are consistent with the federal Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, has said that initial information about a proposed LNG terminal outside of Boston indicates it is not consistent with that law.

The project would be sited on the Taunton River, which last year was named a federal “Wild and Scenic River.”  The river received this designation because of a provision, introduced in the Senate by the late-Senator Kennedy and in the House by Congressman Frank, and co-sponsored by Senator Kerry and Congressman McGovern, that became law in March 2009.

The National Park Service delivered its assessment in a letter to the FERC. Jonathan Jarvis, director of the National Park Service, wrote that “the Department of the Interior will be unable to find this project…consistent with the Taunton Wild and Scenic River designation under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968, as required by FERC.”

Weaver’s Cove Energy LLC is developing the project. A spokesperson for the company told the Associated Press that the company didn’t understand how the Park Service could offer an opinion in the absence of information concerning the proposed facility’s current design.

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