Health and Safety

Health & Safety and Dominon Cove Point: Why You Should Care

The health and safety of the people are incredibly important issues that are (or should be) one of the primary concerns of our society.  The use of liquid natural gas (LNG) as a fuel source is often seen as a “transition” fuel that may be used as we move away from coal and the utilization of LNG is expected to rise.  Yet one must consider the consequences of the use of LNG — what dangers to health and safety (if any) are the people living near or working in the LNG facilities exposed to?

Early in the morning on 31 March 2014, an explosion tore through the Williams Northwest liquid natural gas export facility on the state border between Washington and Oregon, causing a fire and puncturing one of the liquid natural gas (LNG) storage tanks (“Five workers hurt after natural gas explosion” 2014).  400 people from the surrounding area had to evacuate and a cloud of black smoke was visible for over a mile.  At the Williams Partners’ LNG facility in Gibson, Louisiana, an explosion killed three people and seriously injured four — the fire from the explosion was still burning four hours later (Botelho, Stringer 2015).  When asked for comment, the company demonstrated their primary concern by stating, “‘service to our customers has not been interrupted’” (Botelho, Stringer 2015).  These are only two examples of the dangers posed to people unfortunate enough to live near a natural gas facility.

Most recently, a Dominion LNG export facility is being constructed in Cove Point, Maryland.  This facility will be the first to be built so close to a very densely populated area.  The location was chosen due to its proximity to the Chesapeake Bay, making it easier for large tankers to be loaded with LNG for export to other countries.  There are expected to be numerous impacts of this facility, yet it has still been approved for construction by FERC.  Some of the most concerning aspects are what dangers to their health the members of the Cove Point community will be facing.  There have been numerous studies on this very topic, however, it cannot be known for sure the true extent of these risks or the long-term consequences.  What is known is that these facilities do in fact pose threats to human health. It is only a matter of determining the extent of the damage that will be sustained by the people in the surrounding community.  Academic studies have found a number of probable risks to human health, listed below.

LNG Threats to Human Health:

• Release of toxic chemicals into the environment that humans interact with in their daily lives.  Some are known carcinogens (such as arsenic), others are known as being harmful for reproductive health and childhood development (Food and Water Watch 2013).

• Risk of asphyxiation or fire from an LNG spill resulting in a vapor cloud.  When LNG is spilled, it quickly evaporates, releasing methane into the air which can result in it being susceptible to catching fire. (Hightower, Gritzo, et al. 2004 p. 38-39).
• Risk of fire and explosion due to the LNG facility.  The Cove Point facility is planned to store “410,000 gallons of propane, 14.6 billion cubic ft. of LNG, and other toxic, carcinogenic, and potentially explosive chemicals including ethane, acid-gases, and benzene” (Calvert Citizens for a Healthy Community).  LNG primarily consists of methane, a highly flammable gas that is easily ignited.  In the event of an explosion or fire, some of the people in Cove Point would be forced to evacuate by driving towards the Dominion facility.

 

• Complications due to climate change.  Climate change caused by greenhouse gases (such as methane) have three consequences: rising sea levels, rising temperatures, and increased precipitation (Feldscher 2011).  This means that drinking water could be contaminated by salt water; there will be more heat related deaths, droughts, and smaller crop yields; and there will be dangerous floods (Feldscher 2011).  Human health is clearly very closely tied to the environment.

• Risk of terrorist attacks.  Al-Qaeda has stated that LNG is a desirable target.  LNG is expected to expand as an industry, meaning that there will be an increase in available targets — targets near highly populated areas (Kaplan 2006).

How Dangerous is too Dangerous?

The risks listed above outline the risks that the people of Cove Point may soon be facing.  This is a particularly worrisome case, considering that the Dominion Cove Point LNG facility is the first of its kind that will be situated in such a densely populated area near an ecologically fragile bay. While there has obviously been much research on this issue, we cannot know for sure what the consequences of using LNG as a fuel source will be.  Despite these uncertainties, FERC has approved the Cove Point facility and construction has already begun.  There is growing evidence which suggests that these facilities are unsafe however, we do not know how unsafe they are. The Obama Administration’s decision not to allow a comprehensive environmental study on the possible impacts of exporting LNG doesn’t help these matters (Mantius 2013).  

Regardless, it is the people’s right to know exactly what harm is being done to them, and how much.  If more people became aware of the dangerous conditions they are being exposed to without their informed consent, then they will hopefully work to put a stop to this injustice.  Some groups are already raising awareness of this issue.  Groups such as We Are Cove Point participate in community events such as the Patuxent River Day Parade to inform the community of the dangers that they will soon be facing due to Dominion’s LNG facility.  It is our responsibility to ourselves, our communities, and future generations to take care of our environment, health, and safety.  While there will always be certain risks, the Cove Point community has seen a lack of commitment from FERC and Dominion to minimizing the harm that they will most likely face due to the LNG export facility.

 

References:

Botelho, G., & Stringer, S. (2015, October 8). 3 dead after explosion at Louisiana gas plant – CNN.com. CNN. Retrieved November 16, 2015, from http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/08/us/louisiana-deadly-gas-explosion/

Calvert Citizens for a Healthy Community. (n.d.). Top Five Threats from Dominion Cove Point LNG [Brochure]. Lusby, MD: Author.

Feldscher, K. (2011, November 01). Greenhouse gases pose threat to public health. Retrieved November 13, 2015, from http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/bernstein-greenhouse-gases-health-threat/

Five workers hurt after natural gas plant explosion in Washington state. (2014, April 1). The Guardian. Retrieved November 16, 2015, from http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/01/five-injured-natural-gas-plant-explosion-washington

Food and Water Watch (Rep.). (2013, May). Retrieved November 13, 2015, from Political Economy Research Institute and Food and Water Watch website: https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/sites/default/files/toxic_flood_report_may_2013.pdf

Hightower, M., Gritzo, L., Luketa-Hanlin, A., Covan, J., Tieszen, S., Wellman, G., . . . Ragland, D. (2004, December). Guidance on risk analysis and safety implication of a large liquefied natural gas (LNG) spill over water [Scholarly project]. In Sandia Report. Retrieved November 13, 2015.

Kaplan, E. (2006, February 11). Q&A: Liquefied Natural Gas: A Potential Terrorist Target? Retrieved November 13, 2015, from http://www.nytimes.com/cfr/international/slot2_021106.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print

Mantius, P. (2013, April 22). Obama Administration Says No to Full Environmental Study of LNG Exports. DC Bureau. Retrieved November 16, 2015, from http://www.dcbureau.org/201304228396/natural-resources-news-service/obama-administration-says-no-to-full-environmental-study-of-lng-exports.html

The truth about Dominion Cove Point: Who is misleading whom? (n.d.). A Fact Sheet from Calvert Citizens for a Healthy Community. Retrieved November 22, 2015, from http://www.wearecovepoint.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Top-Ten-Reasons.pdf