{"id":98,"date":"2015-11-23T01:27:51","date_gmt":"2015-11-23T06:27:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/perspectivesonferc\/?page_id=98"},"modified":"2015-12-02T01:10:02","modified_gmt":"2015-12-02T06:10:02","slug":"health-and-safety","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/perspectivesonferc\/health-and-safety\/","title":{"rendered":"Health and Safety"},"content":{"rendered":"

Health & Safety and Dominon Cove Point:\u00a0Why You Should Care<\/b><\/h3>\n

The health and safety of the people<\/strong>\u00a0are\u00a0incredibly important issues that are (or should be) one of the primary concerns of our society. \u00a0The use of liquid natural gas (LNG) as a fuel source is often seen as a \u201ctransition\u201d fuel that may be used as we move away from coal and the utilization of LNG is expected to rise. \u00a0Yet 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?<\/span><\/p>\n

Early in the morning on 31 March 2014,<\/strong> 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 (\u201cFive workers hurt after natural gas explosion\u201d 2014). \u00a0400 people from the surrounding area had to evacuate and a cloud of black smoke was visible for over a mile. \u00a0<\/span>A<\/span>t the Williams Partners\u2019 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). \u00a0When asked for comment, the company demonstrated their primary concern by stating, \u201c\u2018service to our customers has not been interrupted\u2019\u201d (Botelho, Stringer 2015). \u00a0These are only two examples of the dangers posed to people unfortunate enough to live near a natural gas facility.<\/span><\/p>\n

Most recently, a Dominion LNG export facility is being constructed in Cove Point, Maryland. \u00a0This facility will be the first to be built so close to a very densely populated area. \u00a0The 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. \u00a0There are expected to be numerous impacts of this facility, yet it has still been approved for construction by FERC. \u00a0Some of the most concerning aspects are what dangers to their health the members of the Cove Point community will be facing. \u00a0There 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. \u00a0What <\/span>is<\/span><\/i> 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. \u00a0Academic studies have found a number of probable risks to human health, listed below.<\/span><\/p>\n

LNG Threats to Human Health:<\/strong><\/h3>\n