News & Articles
Indiantown finds suitor
Stuart News Staff Editorial
March 18, 2007
Some environmental groups are troubled by the proposed construction of two, 185-foot-tall natural gas storage tanks in Indiantown.
Their fears are exaggerated.
Moreover, this project represents a viable -- and safe -- use of property that once received the dubious distinction of being named a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund site.
The Floridian Natural Gas Storage Co. wants to build the $225 million facility -- to house liquified natural gas -- on the south side of State Road 710 west of town. It has selected the site of a former, highly polluted steel plant that closed in 1982.
Floridian hosted a public meeting on the project in Indiantown two weeks ago. Members of the Indiantown Neighborhood Advisory Committee attended the meeting and voiced their support.
Floridian also has declared its intent with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to prepare an environmental impact statement on the proposed facility. Both FERC and the Martin County Commission must approve the project.
Environmental activists have raised objections, citing safety concerns and potential harm to the environment.
Brad Williams, a principal investor in the project, addressed these issues at the meeting. The storage tanks would have multiple linings and a berm to hold gas in the event of a leak, he said. Armed guards would be stationed on site.
Natural gas, which is not explosive in a liquid state, has a solid safety record. There has only been one serious accident involving LNG that affected the public in the past 60-plus years. It occurred in 1944 in Cleveland, Ohio, after a poorly constructed natural gas tank -- made with low levels of nickel and lacking a dike retaining wall -- ruptured and leaked into the sewer system. The resulting fire and explosion killed 128 people, according to Wikipedia.org. Technological advances in the construction of LNG storage facilities have dramatically reduced the threat to both the public and the environment.
Indiantown has struggled to find a company willing to build on a once-polluted site that had to be cleaned up by the federal government.
It's fortunate to have Floridian as a potential suitor.
Copyright 2007 Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers. Reprinted by permission.
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