Fall River officials have won permission from the federal government to participate in legal hearings, file briefs and to receive all case-related documents.

01:00 AM EST on Thursday, March 4, 2004

By JESSICA RESNICK-AULT
Journal Staff Writer

FALL RIVER -- Federal officials said yesterday that the city administration will have an official role in determining whether a liquefied natural gas import facility is built just north of the Brightman Street Bridge.

Mayor Edward M. Lambert Jr. was quick to claim the ruling as a victory for opposition to the facility.

But Lambert's voice is not the city's only representation before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the agency responsible for approving LNG import terminals.

City Council President William F. Whitty, who previously challenged the mayor, released his own correspondence yesterday. The FERC told the council president it will consider his proposal that the city receive $250,000 for public safety, and a one-time grant of $100,000 for the parks if the facility is developed.

For his part, Lambert praised the FERC for granting official "intervenor" status to the city.

According to the FERC's guidelines, intervenors are officially recognized during the approval process, which can last 18 months. The agency says intervenors have the right to participate in legal hearings, as well as their proceedings, to file briefs, and to receive all case-related commission documents.

Lambert said the recognition was an important step for the city. If the FERC allows project developer Weaver's Cove Energy LLC to construct the $250-million terminal, the city would have a right to appeal.

Intervenor status will "allow us to better monitor developments as they unfold," Lambert said. "The importance of this should not be understated, and we will be watching all developments closely."

Lambert's initial request for intervenor status included a list of 25 detailed questions pertaining to safety and economic development that he hoped the FERC would consider in reviewing the application for a Fall River terminal.

A staunch opponent of the project, Lambert has claimed the it would disrupt the city's economic development plans, mar the waterfront along the Taunton River, and threaten residential public safety. "I will continue to do everything within my power to vigorously and strenously oppose this LNG facility," Lambert said.

Whitty has been supportive of the jobs the project will bring to the region, and has looked at the other potential benefits the development will bring in terms of tax revenue.

Whitty initially brought up some concerns about public safety. In the correspondence released yesterday, FERC spokesman Kevin F. Cadden assures him that the agency "takes the safety of the Amercian public very seriously in its analysis of an LNG project."

Cadden said the agency is examining the site's environmental impact.

"I'm very pleased with the reply I received," Whitty said. "Mr. Cadden's letter emphasizes the need for expert analysis in reaching its decision. I have said in the past that I will rely on the experts to guide us down the right path."

Jessica Resnick-Ault can be contacted by phone at 508-674-8401 or by e-mail at JRAult(at)projo.com.