KNOW THE FACTS

Why let others tell you what to think or how to feel about Weaver's Cove? The best way to make an informed decision and figure out how you really feel is to examine the facts for yourself.

To help you do that, we have compiled this list of important facts. They will help you understand more about the safety and history of LNG, the proposed Weaver's Cove terminal and even some information you might not know about Fall River.

We encourage you to read these statements very carefully and then consider what you may have already heard about Weaver's Cove. The facts might surprise you.

1

With more than 45,000 tanker voyages undertaken since LNG was first transported by sea, no member of the public has been injured or killed as the result of an incident or accident involving LNG shipping.

2

With more than 45,000 tanker voyages undertaken since LNG was first transported by sea, there has never been a major spill.

3

In the past 60 years, no member of the public anywhere in the world has been injured or killed as the result of an LNG incident or accident.

4

There are five LNG terminals in Tokyo Bay, one of the most crowded harbors in the world. LNG tankers have been entering the Bay for 35 years and they now number about 400 per year. There has never been a single incident or accident in connection with LNG in Tokyo Bay that resulted in injury or death to any member of the public, or any damage to the public's property.

5

There has been an LNG facility operating without incident on Bay Street in Fall River for more than 30 years. The Weaver's Cove project will be technically far more advanced, though on a larger scale.

6

As a liquid, LNG cannot explode or burn because it contains no oxygen to react with the fuel, nor is it under pressure when it is transported or stored.

7

LNG vapors in an open environment cannot explode. To create an explosion, LNG vapors would need to be mixed with air and be in a confined space (i.e. inside a room in a building). In the remote event of an LNG spill from the facility or a tanker, there would be no explosion.

8

LNG tankers have four layers of protection: outer hull, inner hull, primary LNG container, secondary LNG container, with thick insulation between the primary and secondary containers.

9

There has never been an incident anywhere in the world where LNG escaped into the water from a ship's cargo tanks.

10

General security and operating procedures that prevent security breaches and manage safety risks include: tightly controlled access to LNG facilities and ships; general security zones around ships; separation distances around facilities and equipment; Coast Guard surveillance; tugboat assistance; constant communication; continuity of crew with strict selection and security procedures, and frequent inspections. Where local law enforcement agencies are used, this will be done at no cost to local communities.

11

Movement of LNG tankers will be controlled by the U. S. Coast Guard to ensure they will be inspected before entering and then protected while moving up Narragansett Bay and secure while in port.

12

Government agencies including the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the U. S. Department of Transportation and the U. S. Coast Guard play a significant role in regulating all aspects of LNG transportation and storage and all have signed off on and will continue to monitor safety and security procedures in connection with Weaver's Cove. This will be done with no incremental cost to local communities.

13

Based on its safety records and characteristics, LNG ranks as one of the safest and least environmentally hazardous energy sources.

14

LNG has had a superb operating history. LNG facilities have been operating around the world, some for more than 40 years, without public safety incidents or accidents.

15

Economic growth requires energy, and fossil fuels are our energy mainstays; natural gas is one of the most abundant fossil fuels in the world.

16

The world's reserves of natural gas total more than 5,000 trillion cubic feet and are growing faster than they are being consumed. That is more than two hundred times the U.S. yearly consumption. But the U.S. is running out of natural gas just as our demand is increasing, requiring us to import LNG from overseas to meet our needs.

17

Compared to gasoline or heating oil, LNG burns at a lower temperature and will not pollute the environment if it were to spill.

18

In the unlikely event there is a release from a tanker or the facility, the LNG will vaporize. That means the liquid will warm up and turn back into a gas. This gas would quickly dissipate because it is lighter than air, leaving no environmental trace.

19

LNG storage tanks of the kind planned by Weaver's Cove are essentially tanks within tanks. They are built to withstand high winds, floods and earthquakes.

20

Natural gas is the most environmentally friendly fossil fuel available.

21

The Weaver's Cove LNG facility will help the local economy. It will mean 30 permanent jobs and as many as 350 jobs during the construction phase. It will also generate $3 million a year in tax revenues for Fall River.

22

According to various studies, the new LNG facility in Fall River could mean a 10% reduction in the price of natural gas in New England.

23

The developers of the Weaver's Cove LNG facility will use the most current technologies and construction techniques in order to build the safest, most secure, most technologically advanced LNG facility in the world.

24

There have been accidents in LNG facilities around the world over the past 60 years. However, any fatalities, injuries or property damage have been confined to within the property lines of those facilities. This is because of careful design, the use of exclusion zones, and the industry's focus on safety.

25

"Exclusion zones" are areas around LNG facilities where public activities are prohibited or restricted - and the facility operator (i.e. Weaver's Cove) must demonstrate control over these zones. In the remote event of an LNG spill and fire, these exclusion zones would protect the public and their property from damage and allow people to move out of harm's way.

26

Orange County, California, and Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) operate fleets of buses powered by LNG. LNG fueled buses are also in service in Tempe, Phoenix, El Paso, Santa Monica, Houston, Scottsdale and Los Angeles Airport.

27

The world's first LNG-powered car ferry went into service in western Norway in the year 2000.