SPECIAL JOIONT MEETING OF THE SPORT FISH ADVISORY COMMISSION AND TIDAL FISHERIES ADVISORY COMMISSION

Wednesday, February 22, 2006, 7:00 P.M.

Tawes State Office Building, C-1 Conference Room

 

Commissioners present:

 

Diane Baynard – SFAC                        Andrea Jacquette – TFAC                    Larry Simns – TFAC

Russell Dize – TFAC                            Richie Gaines – SFAC              Richard Webster – TFAC

Ed O’Brien – SFAC                             Glenn James – TFAC                           Bill Carrier  -- SFAC

Dr. Jim Gilford – Chair, SFAC J.R. Gross – TFAC                              Mike Critzer – SFAC

Bill Woodfield – Chair, TFAC  Jack Brooks – TFAC

 

Harley Speir, of the Fisheries Service, called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. 

 

Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), the Principles and Criteria for Sustainable Fishing for Maryland’s Commercial Striped Bass Fishery

 

Mr. Speir gave a handout of Performance Indicators and introduced Mr. Steve Devitt, of TAVEL Certification, Inc.  Mr. Devitt gave a power point presentation on the Marine Stewardship Council.  He explained that the MSC rewards good fisheries; it 1) provides an eco logo to put on products, 2) gives a preferred supplier status, and 3) provides new market access. 

 

There are currently 13 MSC certified fisheries worldwide and another 19 fisheries are in the process of being assessed.  MSC’s Principles and Criteria for Sustainable Fishing requires three principles to be in exemplary status:  1) fishing operations must allow for the maintenance of ecosystem health, 2) the fishing must not lead to over fishing, and 3) the fishery is subject to an effective and responsible management system.

 

A 4-person assessment team conducts the certification assessment.  The team makes observations and prepares draft performance indicators and scoring guidelines that are used to assess the fishery and its science and management against the MSC Principles and Criteria for Sustainable Fishing.  Maryland’s Striped Bass MSC Certification Assessment closing is February 28th, but they may extend the comment period for 15 days.

 

Proposal for a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Terminal at Sparrows Point

 

Paul Massicott, of EcoLogix Group, Inc., introduced Kent Morton, Aaron Sampson and Eric Whitehouse from AES.  Mr. Massicott’s company is working in conjunction with AES on the proposal for the LNG terminal at Sparrows Point.  He provided contact information and invited the Commissioners to contact him at any time should they have any questions.

 

Mr. Morton gave a presentation that began with background information on AES:

  • AES Corporation is headquartered in Arlington, VA.
  • It generates power in 26 countries.
  • There are 20 power plants in North America, including the Warrior Run Plant in Cumberland, MD.
  • AES has a strong environmental ethic.
  • 76% of it’s stock is held by institutional and mutual fund investors.
  • Currently, there are LNG facilities in Boston, MA; Lake Charles, LA; Savannah, GA and Cove Pt. MD.

 

Mr. Morton then gave an overview of the Sparrows Point project:

  • The import terminal will be located at Sparrows Pt. near Baltimore.
  • An 85-mile pipeline will be constructed along existing utility corridors from Baltimore to Eagle, PA.
  • The proposed location is 1.3 miles from any residential areas and 1.5 miles from the main shipping channels.

 

There is an established regulatory process for projects such as this.  The first stage is voluntary community outreach.  This is currently where AES is in the process.  Second, is the pre-application process that is scheduled in mid-March.  The third stage, 6-8 months later, is the formal application.  EIS and safety and environmental reviews could be completed by late 2007, allowing the plant to be operational by 2010.

 

A question and answer period with the Commissioners, and the audience, followed Mr. Morton’s presentation.  The group was told that 2 – 3 ships per week could be expected.  An exclusion zone of 500 yards, in the worst case, would be required for full, inbound ships only.  The Coast Guard escorts that always accompany the ships would disseminate information to boaters; Lt. Joe Dufresne of the U.S. Coast Guard in Baltimore would be in charge of the LNG project.  Traversing the Bay would not require closure of the Bay Bridge, despite the 500-yard exclusion zone.

 

Several Commissioners expressed concerns over expansion; they are afraid AES would require more times for incoming ships.  This would greatly hamper commercial watermen working in the area involved if daylight hours are used to move ships.  Mr. Morton told them that the Coast Guard prohibits ships from entering the Bay from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m., so it would be late at night before the ships made their way up to Sparrows Pt.  The average speed up the Bay is 15 knots, but the pilots enforce 6 knots above the Bay Bridge.  Commissioner Gaines suggested to AES that they research the proposed turning area at Sparrows Pt.; that area is one of the most highly used recreational boating and fishing areas in the Bay.  Nighttime may be their best option for moving the tankers.  At this time, Bob Evans, a commercial watermen, reminded the Commissions that during perch season there are 12 to 40 boats working that area up to 24 hours a day. The Pataspsco River is a prime fishing location in the winter; the commercial watermen cannot afford to lose this area.  He said that the current LNG plant at Cove Pt. started out a lot smaller and less invasive than it actually is now.  Commissioner Jim Smith agreed; after the 9/11 attacks in New York, the Coast Guard began to enforce a larger exclusion zone.  The reality is that fishermen in the Solomon’s area lose about a mile radius each time a ship comes in to the facility.

 

Aaron Sampson, head of the AES project, admitted that the turning circle will be large and may inconvenience a number of people.  He promised the Commissions that AES will work with stakeholders, but cannot guarantee the experience will not be the same as at Cove Pt.  He assured them that he would make the decisions for AES; he can control the shipping schedules for his facility.

 

Commissioner Simns remarked that the small boats would be more likely to be run over by one of the tankers than to cause them any damage.  Mr. Sampson said that the U.S.S. Cole incident is the reason the Coast Guard requires such a large exclusion zone.  LNG is the only industry that has these restrictions on their movements.  LNG is worse in a hazard standpoint, but is better in an environmental standpoint.  Collision isn’t a disastrous event due to the construction of the ships.  Terrorist attacks are the only hazard.  Commissioner Dize pointed out that the 500-yard exclusion zone would close the whole mouth of the Patapsco when the tankers move through.  Mr. Sampson felt that the exclusion zones could be worked around; a program could be put in place to allow small boats to work in the area.  Commissioner Smith disagreed; his experience is that the Coast Guard would never allow that.  They clear, at the minimum, ˝ mile at Cove Pt.  Commissioner Simns predicted that the Coast Guard would be faced with an inconceivable task with the number of boaters above the Bay Bridge.

 

Commissioner Ed O’Brien told the AES representatives that the Charterboat Association has a good relationship with the Coast Guard and promised that they would fight the proposed LNG terminal.  Commissioner J. R. Gross, a commercial waterman, expressed his opposition to the proposal, also.  He felt that it was a matter of the watermen losing their livelihood so AES can gain theirs; he could not see any of the commercial fishermen agreeing to that.

Commissioner Simns said that if AES got the Coast Guard to put in writing that commercial boats would be exempted from the exclusion zone, their opposition would go away.

 

Marty Gary, of the Fisheries Service, reminded the Commissions that the regularly scheduled meetings for the SFAC was on Monday, February 27th and for the TFAC was on Thursday, March 9th; their discussions of the proposed terminal could continue then.

 

The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 p.m.