Why Fall River?

Original Proposal

The 73-acre site - historically known as Weaver's Cove - is two miles north of Battleship Cove on the eastern bank of the Taunton River. There are many reasons why this site is a good location for our proposed LNG terminal.  First, the proposed landside terminal is on a navigable stretch of deep water in the Taunton River, as well as being located near existing natural gas transmission pipelines. Perhaps more important, the proposed site can only be used for marine industrial development because it is zoned for "marine industrial use" under the Massachusetts Coastal Zone regulations. This designation restricts the kind of development that can take place on the site to marine industrial and water based commercial uses. The property is also designated as a "brownfield" site due to ground contamination dating back some 80 years, beginning when an oil refinery was located there. The LNG Terminal will bring new development appropriate to the site without disrupting ongoing remediation.  Additionally, the onshore site is located directly off a limited access highway system, which enables truck traffic to avoid local neighborhoods.

Offshore Berth

Although the FERC-Approved LNG berth adjacent to the LNG terminal site remains Weaver’s Cove’s preferred design, local opposition to the original proposal from regulators, elected officials, and citizens remains.  Much of this opposition has been focused on issues related to navigating through and between the old and new Brightman Street Bridges.  The Offshore Berth Project eliminates these bridge issues.  The Offshore Berth Project also will provide mitigating benefits that make it an attractive alternative to the terminal-side berth.

The proposed location of the offshore berth is in Mount Hope Bay in Massachusetts waters in the Town of Somerset, approximately 4.25 miles south of the Weaver’s Cove LNG terminal site and approximately 2.0 miles south of the Braga Bridge.  The proposed offshore berth location is approximately 1.0 mile southwest of Brayton Point in Somerset, Massachusetts, and is approximately 1.0 mile or more from all shorelines within the bay.

Our reasons for choosing this location are many.  First, the proposed location of the offshore berth places it approximately 1.0 mile from the nearest land and residential areas.  This proposed location addresses safety concerns raised by some when they cite the current “Sandia guidelines”. 
 
Second, this location for the offshore berth is as short a distance as practicable from the existing navigation channel.  This minimizes the potential impacts from dredging and changes in bay bottom topography by maximizing the use of existing commercial navigation channels where practical.  Other considerations guiding the selection of the berth location include the length of the Pipe-in-Pipe (PiP) transfer system, total dredging volumes, navigational and ship handling scenarios, environmental considerations, and distance from populated areas.  Third, placing the offshore berth at a location south of the Braga Bridge will serve to alleviate all concerns expressed by some Fall River and Somerset residents related to potential highway traffic impacts of LNG tankers transiting the new Brightman Street Bridge (e.g., from potential bridge closures).  Fourth, the Offshore Berth Project will also eliminate all concerns regarding potential recreational boating delays in the lower Taunton River related to the transit of LNG tankers. Finally, the location of the offshore berth in Mount Hope Bay will alleviate the navigation concerns previously expressed by the U.S. Coast Guard because LNG tankers would no longer transit the Taunton River and the potential combination of the old and new Brightman Street Bridges.