September 10, 2008NorthernStar Natural Gas | September 10, 2008
PORTLAND, Ore. – In a filing made with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission today, Bradwood Landing reported that noise from dredging and pile driving associated with construction of its liquefied natural gas import terminal will be temporary and non-lethal, and is expected to have a negligible impact on seals.
The protective measures proposed by Bradwood Landing include:
- Shutting down in-river construction activities if pinnipeds (seals) are spotted within a 50-foot radius;
- The use of an enclosed bubble curtain and other sound-attenuating measures that would be employed during impact installation of steel piles; and
- Establishment of safety and buffer zones (for injury and disturbance respectively) based on acoustic attenuation calculations from modeling and adjusted based on actual sound level measurements.
The National Marine Fisheries Service assumes that noise levels as low as 120 db for continuous activities (such as dredging) may cause harassment warranting an Incidental Harassment Authorization.
“As detailed in our IHA application, there is no research or data supporting this level as one that triggers any permanent negative response by pinnepeds such as seals and sea lions,” said Joe Desmond, senior vice president for external affairs for NorthernStar Natural Gas. “In fact, the 120 db level for continuous sounds originated from research conducted for California gray whale response to industrial sounds, not data regarding pinniped exposure.”
The best available data suggests quite the opposite; that pinnipeds will not be adversely affected by continuous noise because similar species are tolerant and do not react to higher continuous sound levels. Bradwood is nevertheless applying for incidental harassment authorization for dredging because NMFS uses a 120 db threshold for continuous sound as its harassment threshold. Noise from the project is expected to be similar to other activities (e.g., construction projects, shipping, dredging) on the Columbia River.
“The steps we are taking to avoid harm to pinnipeds are just a few of the many examples of the environmentally sensitive approach we are taking to developing our project on the Columbia River,” said Desmond.
Bradwood’s environmental commitment includes its voluntary Salmon Enhancement Initiative (SEI), which at $59 million, represents the largest private commitment to improve watershed health on the Lower Columbia River. Using NMFS’ own methodology to model the benefits of the SEI, the program is projected to improve salmon survival by 1.77 million juvenile fish per year. This would represent 50 percent of NMFS’ own survival improvement target for ocean-type fish, such as salmon.
The Bradwood Landing LNG terminal would provide a new source of natural gas directly into the Oregon and Washington natural gas markets. It would create more than 450 jobs over three years of construction and 65 permanent jobs during operations, while contributing more than $7.8 million annually in taxes to Clatsop County. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is expected to make a final decision on the project in the near future.
<< Back to News
Download PDF (28 KB pdf file)
