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PUBLIC!SAFETY!ISSUES!AT!THE!DCP!SEARSPORT!LPG!MARINE!TERMNAL!!

James!A.!Fay1!!

1.!Introduction!

!The!US!Army!Corps!of!Engineers!(ACE)!has!called!for!comments!on!an!application!

for!construction!of!an!LPG!marine!terminal!in!Searsport,!Maine,!submitted!by!DCP!

Midstream!Partners,!LP!(DCPMR).2!!It!is!soliciting!“comments!on!both!the!project!itself!and!the!range!of!issues!to!be!addressed!in!the!environmental!documentation”,!

among!which!are!public!“safety”!and!marine!“navigation”.3!These!comments!are!submitted!to!demonstrate!that!there!are!likely!to!be!significant!adverse!effects!on!

public!safety!and!marine!navigation!that!must!be!addressed!in!a!comprehensive!

Environmental!Impact!Statement!conducted!by!the!Corps!of!Engineers.!My!qualifications!to!provide!this!opinion!are!submitted!in!Annex!A.1!

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2.!!Description!of!the!Proposed!Project!

!The!DCP!Midstream!application4!describes!the!principal!features!of!the!LPG!marine!

import!terminal.!Those!most!pertinent!to!the!issue!of!public!safety!include!an!

unloading!pier!at!which!oceanicYsized!LPG!tankers!of!approximately!30,00!metric!tons!(53,000!cubic!meters)!cargo!capacity!will!pump!their!refrigerated!cryogenic!

fluid!ashore!by!pipeline!to!a!storage!tank,!of!86,000!cubic!meters!volume!(49,000!metric!tons),!located!close!to!US!highway!1.!In!between!LPG!marine!tanker!arrivals,!

the!refrigerated!LPG!will!be!processed!for!storing!as!a!nonYrefrigerated!liquid!in!

pressurized!tanks!prior!to!loading!into!highway!LPG!tank!trucks!and!railway!LPG!tank!cars!for!distribution!to!LPG!to!end!users.!

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The!major!public!safety!concern!about!such!facilities!lies!in!the!uncontrolled!release!to!the!atmosphere!of!large!quantities!of!LPG,!either!as!a!refrigerated!or!pressurized!

liquid,!which!would!rapidly!vaporize!and!mix!with!air!to!form!a!combustible!mixture.!If!ignited!close!to!the!spill,!it!would!form!a!pool!fire,!causing!thermal!

radiation!induced!skin!burns!to!persons!beyond!the!edge!of!the!pool,!as!well!as!

fatalities!to!those!engulfed!by!the!pool.!If!ignited!further!downwind,!a!ground!level!flame!would!propagate!throughout!the!cloud,!harming!anyone!in!its!path.!In!either!

case,!virtually!all!of!the!spilled!liquid!would!be!burned!up.!In!addition,!there!is!the!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1!See!Annex!A!for!statement!of!qualifications.!2!US!Army!Corps!of!Engineers,!New!England!District.!Public!Notice.!Manchester,!ME.!

31!Jan!2012.!3!Opus!cit.,!p,!2.!4!Application!for!Natural!Resources!Protection!Act!and!Clean!Water!Act!Section!404!Permits.!DCP!Searsport,!LLC!Searsport!,!Maine.!!

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possibility!of!the!gas!cloud!detonating,!sending!dangerous!pressure!waves!well!

beyond!the!spill!source.!!

!3.!LPG!vs.!Oil!and!LNG!Spills!

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Compared!with!familiar!oil!based!fuels,!such!as!gasoline!and!heating!oil,!LPG!is!stored!in!very!large!tanks!at!marine!terminals,!so!that!the!safety!problems!caused!by!

a!spill!from!a!typical!LPG!storage!tank!is!greater!than!that!from!a!typical!oil!terminal!

tank.!In!addition,!the!rapid!vaporization!rate!of!spilled!refrigerated!LPG!compared!with!gasoline!compounds!the!relative!danger!of!LPG!terminal!spills.!

!The!safety!significance!of!accidental!release!of!cryogenic!liquefied!fuels!from!marine!

terminal!facilities!and!their!associated!marine!tankers!is!most!prominently!

illustrated!by!liquefied!natural!gas!(LNG)!import!or!export!terminals.!In!the!United!States,!the!leading!federal!licensing!agency!for!these!facilities!is!the!Federal!Energy!

Regulatory!Commission.5!!U.S.!LNG!import!terminals!are!larger!and!much!more!

numerous!than!LPG!import!terminals,!and!their!safety!regulation!is!much!more!protective!of!public!safety!because!they!need!to!be!situated!near!pipeline!networks!

serving!large!regional!markets.6!!!

To!aid!state!officials!who!review!the!public!safety!aspects!of!proposed!LNG!

terminals,!the!National!Association!of!State!Fire!Marshals!(NASFM)!has!recently!issued!guidelines!for!LNG!terminal!evaluations7.!!In!its!introduction,!this!guideline!

emphasizes!that!LPG!is!more!hazardous!then!LNG,!having!higher!specific!gravity,!a!greater!tendency!to!form!explosive!vapor!clouds,!a!lower!minimum!ignition!energy,!

and!higher!fundamental!burning!velocities.8!This!is!persuasive!expert!opinion!that!

LPG!import!terminals!deserve!greater!scrutiny!for!public!safety!hazards!than!would!an!equivalentYsized!LNG!terminal.!

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On!the!other!hand,!the!safety!requirements!for!LPG!marine!terminals!are!minimal.!They!are!described!in!the!National!Fire!Protection!Code!58,!Chapter!16!9,!which!has!

been!adopted!by!the!Maine!Department!of!Public!Safety,!Office!of!State!Fire!Marshal.!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!5!Other!federal!agencies!having!significant!safety!responsibilities!over!LNG!activities!include!the!US!Coast!Guard!and!the!National!Transportation!Board.!6!In!Maine,!within!the!last!decade,!there!have!been!four!LNG!import!terminals!proposed;!one!in!Harpswell!and!three!in!Passamaquoddy!Bay.!In!Massachusetts,!

there!are!two!new!offshore!reYgasification!terminals!operating!in!the!greater!Boston!

harbor!area!and!one!inYharbor!proposed!for!Fall!River.!In!contrast,!the!DCPMR!LPG!!proposal!is!the!first!in!all!of!New!England!in!the!same!period.!7!National!Association!of!State!Fire!Marshals.!Fire!Service!Guidance!for!Participating!

in!LNG!Terminal!Evaluation,!Siting,!and!Operations.!2007.!Washington,!DC.!8!Opus!cit.,!p.!6.!9!!National!Fire!Protection!Association.!NFPA!58!Liquefied!Petroleum!Gas!Code,!2008!Edition.!Quincy,!Massachusetts.!

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The!principle!requirements!are:!(1)!The!refrigerated!liquid!storage!tank!must!be!

surrounded!by!an!(secondary)!impoundment!system!that!will!store!as!much!liquid!volume!as!that!of!the!tank!(albeit!open!to!the!atmosphere!above);!(2)!A!sump!within!

the!impoundment!capable!of!holding!LPG!spilled!from!(transfer)!lines!spillage;!and!(3)!Tanks,!impoundments,!and!systems!draining!spilled!LPG!cannot!be!closer!than!

100!feet!to!a!property!line!that!can!be!built!upon,!a!public!way,!or!a!navigable!

waterway.!!

These!minimal!requirements!are!inadequate!in!the!context!of!an!LPG!terminal!

located!in!an!economic!environment!dominated!by!scenic!attractions,!tourism,!fishing!(both!sport!and!commercial),!and!recreational!sailing.!

!4.!Experience!with!LNG!Import!Terminals!

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In!contrast!to!these!standards!for!a!refrigerated!LPG!import!terminal,!those!for!a!corresponding!LNG!terminal10!are!more!stringent.!The!principal!difference!is!that!

the!possible!harmful!consequences!from!a!set!of!defined!spills!of!refrigerated!fuel!

must!lie!within!the!site!boundaries,!or!within!an!exclusion!zone!beyond!the!site!boundaries!from!which!the!facility!owner!has!the!authority!to!exclude!the!public.!

The!defined!spills!are:!(1)!loss!of!liquid!contents!from!the!primary!containment!vessel!and!(2)!loss!of!liquid!flowing!through!transfer!lines!from!ship!to!the!storage!

tank!and!from!storage!tank!to!processing!facilities,!the!volume!of!such!spills!being!

the!maximum!transfer!rate!times!a!ten!minute!flow!time.!The!spilled!fluid!must!be!collected!in!sumps!that!prevent!its!spread!beyond!the!property!line.!Finally,!all!such!

defined!spills!must!pass!two!tests:!(1)!if!the!spilled!liquid!catches!fire,!thermal!radiation!from!the!blaze!may!not!exceed!a!defined!value!at!the!property!line!or!edge!

of!an!exclusion!zone,!and!(2)!if!the!spilled!liquid!vaporizes!to!form!a!vapor!cloud!or!

plume,!the!vapor!concentration!at!a!property!line!or!exclusion!zone!cannot!exceed!the!lower!flammability!limit!of!the!refrigerated!fuel.!!

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A!2007!study!compared!the!radiant!energy!flux!of!pool!fires!formed!on!water!from!equal!spill!volumes!(12,500!cubic!meters)!of!LPG!and!LNG.11!The!most!pertinent!

result!of!this!study!is!that!the!calculated!radiant!energy!flux,!as!a!function!of!distance!from!the!center!of!the!spill,!is!nearly!the!same!for!both!fuels.!This!reinforces!the!

argument!that!the!radiation!hazard!from!pool!fires!at!LPG!and!LNG!import!terminals!

are!comparable!for!equal!storage!volumes!and!that!LPG!import!terminals!should!be!evaluated!for!safety!using!the!same!standards!as!apply!to!LNG!terminals.!

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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!10!!Code!of!Federal!Regulations,!49!CFR,!Part!193.!11!David!W!Johnson!and!John!B.!Cornwell.!Modeling!the!release,!spreading,!and!

burning!of!LNG,!LPG!and!gasoline!on!water.!Journal!of!Hazardous!Materials!140$(2007)!535Y540.!

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5.!It!is!Imperative!That!a!Maine!Example!is!Followed!Here!

!An!example!of!the!kind!of!safety!analysis!needed!for!the!environmental!impact!

statement!of!the!DCP!Searsport!LPG!import!terminal!can!be!seen!in!the!Draft!Environmental!Impact!Statement!for!the!proposed!Downeast!LNG!import!terminal!

on!Passamaquoddy!Bay12.!!This!part!of!the!EIS!considers,!among!other!things,!the!

thermal!radiation!consequences!of!a!pool!fire!ignited!after!a!loss!of!primary!containment!of!one!of!two!LNG!refrigerated!storage!tanks.!Each!tank!stores!200,000!

cubic!meters!of!LNG!(compared!with!53,000!cubic!meters!of!LPG!for!DCP!Searsport).!

The!corresponding!distance!from!the!fire!center!to!the!5!kilowatt!per!square!meter!thermal!flux!level!is!950!feet.!

!One!might!think!that!a!similar!loss!of!primary!containment!accident!at!the!DCP!

Searsport!LPG!import!terminal!would!produce!a!much!smaller!thermal!flux!distance!

since!its!storage!volume!is!only!a!quarter!of!that!of!the!Downeast!LNG!tank.!But!the!resulting!pool!fire!diameter!determines!the!thermal!flux!distance,!and!for!the!DCP!

Searsport!LPG!tank!that!is!much!larger!than!for!the!Downeast!tank.!As!a!result,!the!

distance!to!the!5!kilowatt!per!square!meter!thermal!flux!level!is!2400!feet!(Fig.!1).!This!far!exceeds!the!distance!to!the!nearest!property!line!of!300!feet.!It!encompasses!

about!a!mile!of!Highway!1,!and!encloses!about!ten!square!miles!of!property!not!owned!by!!DCP!Searsport.!It!is!certain!that!the!DCP!Searsport!LPG!import!terminal!

would!also!fail!to!prevent!flammable!gas!from!crossing!beyond!the!terminal!

property!boundaries.!!

!6.!Explosions!

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The!U.S,!Environmental!Protection!Agency!has!issued!risk!management!program!guidance!for!propane!storage!facilities!that!apply!to!the!DCP!Searsport!LPG!import!

terminal13.!Under!this!program,!the!overpressures!from!an!explosion!of!LPG!plumes!

must!be!determined!for!the!storage!tank!at!the!DCP!Searsport!LPG!import!terminal.!Using!the!EPA!RMP*COMP!program,!the!calculated!distance!to!an!overpressure!of!1!

psi!is!3.7!miles!for!the!loss!of!contents!of!the!LPG!storage!tank!(Fig.!2).!This!overpressure!contour!encloses!an!area!of!150!square!miles.!

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!7.!Conclusion!

!It!can!be!seen!from!the!above!sections,!the!public!safety!implications!of!accidental!

spills!at!the!proposed!DCP!Searsport!LPG!import!terminal!extend!far!beyond!the!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!12!Federal!Energy!Regulatory!Commission,!FERC!Docket!CP07Y52,!Draft!

Environmental!Impact!Statement,!Section!4.12,!Reliability!and!Safety.!2009.!13!Risk!Management!Program!Guidance!for!Propane!Storage!Facilities!(40!CFR!Part!

68).!EPA!550YB!00!001.!Washington,!D.C.!2009.!!

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terminal!boundary.!For!these!reasons,!there!must!be!an!environmental!impact!

statement!in!conformity!with!40!CFR!1508.27(2)!(4)!and!(5).!!Any!environmental!!impact!statement!for!the!project!should!include!the!considerations!outlined!above!

in!order!to!fulfill!both!federal!and!state!requirements.!!!

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/s/!James!A.!Fay!

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Figure 1: Thermal Radiation Hazard Zone DCP Midstream, LP, Liquefied Propane Gas (“LPG”) Terminal Searsport, Maine

RADIUS

2400’

0.25 mile

NORTH

Route 1

Bulk LPG Fuel Storage Tank

Property Line

Figure 2: One PSI Blast Zone DCP Midstream, LP, Liquefied Propane Gas (“LPG”) Terminal Searsport, Maine

Based upon the Environmental Protection Agency, RMP*COMP calculator. See EPA, Risk Management Program Guidance for Propane Storage Facilities, 40 C.F.R. Part 68 (EPA 550-B 00 001. Washington, D.C. 2009

Route 1

3.7 M

ILE RADIUS

2400

’RADIUS

1 mile

NORTH

Annex A

Biographical Summary of James A. Fay James A. Fay is Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His current field of interest is environmental engineering, and his recent research activities have concentrated on air and water pollution problems, including the dispersion of air pollutants in the atmosphere, acid rain, the safety hazards of liquefied gases, renewable energy (including small scale tidal power), and the spread of oil and other hazardous liquids on the ocean. In previous years he carried out research on combustion and detonation. He has published more than a hundred technical articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals. Professor Fay served as Chairman of the Massachusetts Port Authority (1972-1977) and as Chairman of the Air Pollution Control Commission of the City of Boston (1969-1972). He has served on twelve boards, committees and panels of the National Research Council, including two terms on the Environmental Studies Board. He is currently a director emeritus of the Union of Concerned Scientists and was formerly a director of the Conservation Law Foundation. A fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Physical Society, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Professor Fay is also a member of the National Academy of Engineering and four technical societies. In 1980 he was an Overseas Fellow of Churchill College, Cambridge University, and in 1990 he was a Fulbright Lecturer in India. Professor Fay received his B.S. degree from Webb Institute of Naval Architecture in 1944, the M.S. degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1947 and the Ph.D. degree from Cornell University in 1951. !