Baykeeper Blog

Thanks, and Signing Off

2011-12-06T18:57:00.004-05:00

As of December, 2011, I am no longer working for Save The Bay. After 18 years as your Narragansett Baykeeper, I have accepted a new position as Director of Ocean and Coastal Conservation at the Rhode Island Chapter of The Nature Conservancy.

Words cannot express how grateful I am for having had this opportunity to serve you as Baykeeper. My time with Save The Bay has been extraordinary in every respect. I look forward to continuing this important work from my new post.

Together, we have accomplished so much to clean up the Bay and rivers and return them to their rightful owners- the people who love them- to use safely and with peace of mind. And while we've come so far, the job is never done.

Below, I am re-posting the Providence Journal story by Richard Salit on my job change. I do this not just because the story is flattering, but because I think Rich tells the story better than I ever could.

Thanks. And please stay in touch. Love, JT

https://email.tnc.org/owa/redir.aspx?C=201112b7ed1d46bd9f70b33fea7716f8&URL=http%3a%2f%2fdigital.olivesoftware.com%2fOlive%2fODE%2fProJo%2fLandingPage%2fLandingPage.aspx%3fhref%3dVFBKLzIwMTEvMTEvMTM.%26pageno%3dMTI.%26entity%3dQXIwMTIwMQ..%26view%3dZW50aXR5

ENVIRONMENT

Torgan moves to Nature Conservancy

He’ll join conservancy as director of ocean and coastal conservation efforts

By
RICHARD SALIT JOURNAL
STAFF WRITER

John Torgan had been with Save The Bay for only two years when a stormy January night
in 1996 brought him out to Point Judith in the early hours of the North Cape oil
spill.

Coast Guard crews were scrambling about in oil-smeared clothing. The governor arrived
to deal with the unfolding crisis. And the media was in a frenzy covering the
chaotic scene.

Reporters looking to interview experts turned to the 26-year-old Torgan, the lone Save The
Bay official present at that point.

“I had to do it by myself,” recalled Torgan. “The next day I was on TV around the
world.”

Ever since, Torgan has remained one of the most visible advocates for the marine
environment in Rhode Island. Only now, 18 years after joining Save The Bay, is
he stepping down from the high-profile Baykeeper post that he has held for most
of his time at the environmental organization.

“It’s the greatest job in the world for the right person,” said Torgan, 42. “But it’s
not all fun. It can be very contentious. I am Save The Bay’s front line. Being
the point of a spear can be a difficult place to be.”

But Torgan isn’t giving up on his passion for the water a
passion inspired in his youth fishing with his dad on the Bay and taking summer jobs on
charter fishing boats, in a fish-processing plant and on Block Island. On Dec.
5, he’ll begin working in Providence for the Rhode Island chapter of The Nature
Conservancy, serving as its director of ocean and coastal conservation.

“It’s a global organization, and there are amazing offices and amazing people all around
the world,” Torgan said. That stature, he said, will allow him to elevate his
pursuits “to a new level and look beyond Narragansett Bay to coastal waters and
the ocean and neighboring states and the region.”

His departure, announced last week, gave him an opportunity to reflect on the
accomplishments he took part in at Save The Bay over the years.

The North Cape oil-barge tragedy spurred Save The Bay to lead a successful drive to
toughen Rhode Island’s oil-shipping laws, which remained in effect until federal
standards caught up with them, Torgan said.

Torgan also waged a campaign to force the Brayton Point Power Station to minimize its
impact on Mount Hope Bay, resulting in a cooling system that relied not on Bay
waters but a new pair of $600-million towers. He advocated for combined
sewer-overflow improvements to reduce raw sewage from being dumped into the Bay
during heavy rains.

And he fought efforts to create a deep-water port at Quonset Point and a liquefied
natural gas (LNG) terminal in Fall River.

Despite being the Baykeeper, Torgan sought to broaden the agency’s Bay-oriented focus to
include inland rivers, the ocean and coastal waters. Since they are all
connected, he said, “you are only shoveling against the tide” when you try to
improve one without addressing the others.

That’s why he helped establish a Coastkeeper staff in Westerly to monitor the South
County coastline and why Save The Bay has been addressing storm-water runoff
that carries pollutants into local waters.

“He really embodies the mission of Save The Bay. When I think about John, I think
about this great combination of knowledge and passion for protecting
Narragansett Bay,” said Christopher “Topher” Hamblett, a longtime Save The Bay
staff member who now serves as a policy director. “He loves to share that
knowledge with staff and volunteers.”

Hamblett also credited Torgan with working well with coalitions on very contentious
issues.

At The Nature Conservancy (where he replaces Kevin Essington), Torgan expects that he
and his staff will concentrate on developing strategies and programs to prepare
for climate change, sea-level rise and proposals for renewable-energy projects.
Another priority is protecting marine life, including the shellfish-restoration
project the Conservancy administers with funds from the North Cape spill.

“What I am doing with The Nature Conservancy is an expansion of what I do with Save The
Bay,” said Torgan. “It’s a natural and graceful transition ... that allows me to
stay true to my values.… Change is good for organizations and individuals.”

In fact, he said, he has been assuring colleagues at Save The Bay and elsewhere in the
environmental community that he is not going away.

“I’m going to be here with you,” he tells them. “We are going to work together. I’m
not disappearing.”

rsalit@providencejournal.com

(401) 277-7467
THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL / GLENN OSMUNDSON
Save The
Bay’s baykeeper, John Torgan, shown holding a blue crab in August 2010, will
broaden his concerns beyond the waters of Narragansett Bay as a director of The
Nature Conservancy.

Stormwater Videos

2011-08-16T10:17:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, we had a good northeaster blow through Rhode Island, and it gave me an opportunity to dash out and grab some video of stormwater- the polluted runoff from paved surfaces that occurs during rainstorms- as it enters the Providence River.

While the Narragansett Bay Commission's Combined Sewer Overflow tunnel has done a great job eliminating sewer overflows and capturing and treating lots of stormwater, pollution from stormwater remains a major challenge to water quality and habitat in the Upper Bay.

Animal waste, oil and grease, plastics, litter, trash, and other pollutants wash in to the Bay. It's among the top environmental problems in the watershed.

This video is from a stormwater outfall near the Community Boating Center in Providence, at the head of Providence Harbor. Note the oily sheen and small particles washing into the River, and the goose poop near my (soaked) feet...

Here's another one, located near the old Shepard's Warehouse Building off Allen's Avenue near the Port of Providence. This one is just a stream caused by the rainstorm- no pipe involved. Lots of trash just washing right into the Bay.

Addressing stormwater pollution is challenging and complex, because there are so many sources, and no centralized control as in wastewater. Often the best solutions involve the use of vegetation, open space, and minimizing paved or impervious surfaces. Vegetated buffers and coastal marshes and wetlands help to naturally slow the flow and filter the pollution out before it reaches our waterways.

Save The Bay works closely with the various state and municipal agencies across Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts to encourage low-impact development practices, habitat restoration, and stormwater education initiatives such as storm drain marking and shoreline cleanups. -JT

Wild Turkey in Save The Bay Center Parking Lot

2011-07-07T12:39:00.002-04:00

It's amazing to see the diversity and abundance of wildlife we have right here at the Bay Center in Providence, especially considering it was a landfill before 2005, when we opened the center. It's surrounded mostly by pavement and concrete, but a few acres of vegetation is all it takes to attract foxes, coyotes, bald eagles, osprey, falcons, and much more (not to mention all the fish and Bay creatures on the Providence River side).

Here's a youtube I made yesterday, July 6, 2011, of a wild turkey hen in our parking lot:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0YyTGKSq60

Thanks and Credit Where Due for LNG Victory

2011-06-14T15:24:00.006-04:00

Dear Friends,

The news of Hess/Weaver Cove LNG's withdrawal of their Fall River proposal spread quickly yesterday, and our phones rang off the hook with media calls and messages from friends and supporters. Thank you all so much for your support of Save The Bay throughout this 8 year battle.

While there are way too many individuals and organizations to thank without this blog sounding like an academy awards speech, Save The Bay wishes to recognize a few of our strongest allies:

RI Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse: You are champions of our environment and your work on this issue was outstanding! Rhode Island is so lucky to be represented by you.

Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline: Thank you for your strong support and unwavering commitment!

Congressman Patrick Kennedy, we remember your work on this and we are grateful.

Massachusetts Senators John Kerry and Scott Brown: Your constituents are proud and we are all honored by your work on this issue. Your bipartisanship and passion for the Bay are exemplary.

Senator Ted Kennedy, this outcome honors your memory. We wish you were here to see this day.

Massachusetts Congressmen Frank, McGovern, and Delahunt: Your work in Congress and on the streets of Southeastern Massachusetts was extraordinary and brilliant. Rhode Island owes you a debt of gratitude.

Governors Chafee, Patrick, and former RI Governor Carcieri: Thanks and congratulations for your work on this.

Attorneys General Kilmartin and Coakley and former RI Attorney General Patrick Lynch: Excellent work, and thanks for putting the public's interests ahead of corporate interests.

The City of Fall River: Mayor Flanagan, former Mayor Lambert, the City Council and attorneys Dianne Phillips and Steve Torres: Thanks for leading this fight and for giving Fall River a reason to be proud of its waterfront. There's a bright future ahead for your great city.

The Town Council of Bristol: Bristol was a leader in this from the beginning, with an exceptional wealth of smart, active, and engaged citizens. Yours was a shining example of what a town can do when it calls on its best people and resources.

Representative Ray Gallison: Rep Gallison, thanks for all you've done for Rhode Island's environment. Your leadership on LNG in the assembly was admirable. Thanks!

The Town of Jamestown: Jamestown was another exceptionally effective municipality at many levels in this fight. The LNG Threat Committee was top-notch. Jamestown has great leadership in the General Assembly, including Senate President Teresa Paiva-Weed and Representative Deb Ruggiero among others, and great citizens working at the grassroots level. You know who you are! We salute you!

The City of Newport: Newport was another great ally in this fight, recognizing early on that economic development can only work here if it is consistent with our values and respects the Bay and all who enjoy it.

The Fall River Coalition for Responsible LNG siting: Joe Carvalho, Gordon Carrolton, Everett Pearson, and everyone there: You were the heart and soul of Fall River. You gave everything, and served on the front lines of this with relentless committment and energy. Fantastic job!

Save Bristol Harbor: You are an amazing and highly effective group. This outcome proves that. It was really great getting to work with you on this, and I know we will continue to work closely together into the future.

Kickemuit River Watershed Council: Ann Morrill, Linda Brunini, and the rest of you are awesome! You never let us take our eye off the ball. Thanks and congratulations!

The Congress Of Councils: Dick Lynn and the organizers of the Congress did a great job keeping this issue in the public's eye and demanding hard facts and top-level research. Yours was another great example of how citizens can affect public policy.

Jamestown Working Group: Ellen Winsor and the rest of the group, you have always been our strong allies and we appreciate your work and your support. Well-done!

The Taunton River Coalition and the Wild and Scenic Rivers folks: This is a big win for the Taunton. Thanks for your vision for that great river, and for all the help and support on this over the years.

The Rhode Island Marine Trades Association: RIMTA knows that this LNG project would have been bad for business. Thanks for taking a courageous stand against this ill-conceived project.

Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association: Thanks to Steve Medeiros and the other great anglers who stood up to fight this. You guys are the best!

I know I have overlooked many important players in this message. I cannot overstate the value of what each and every one of you contributed to this. Your support, encouragement, and action really made a difference. If it were not for you, we might be looking at a very different outcome.

It was truly a privilege to work with all of you on this! Thank you. -JT

Hess LNG Pulls The Plug

2011-06-13T21:50:00.005-04:00

Today, Hess LNG finally withdrew its ill-conceived proposal for an LNG terminal in Mount Hope Bay. This is welcome news, and good for everyone who loves the Bay.

That project was wrong from the start. Thanks to the efforts of so many of you, we convinced the world of that. This outcome is a credit to patience, persistence, and informed public advocacy. We never stopped fighting for the Bay and we never will.

Now, we turn our attention to the positive and constructive work of restoring water quality, fisheries, and wildlife habitat in Mount Hope Bay and the Taunton River. Here's to a more hopeful future...

Thanks and congratulations to all who had hand in this victory! JT

Mummichog Story

2011-05-09T10:53:00.003-04:00

Check out Scott Turner's excellent article on the common mummichog from the Providence Journal: http://www.projo.com/opinion/contributors/content/CT_turner7_05-07-11_18NT6DP_v8.371ef8e.html

Scott Turner: Celebrating the uncommon life of the common mummichog

01:00 AM EDT on Saturday, May 7, 2011

By Scott Turner
In a memorable line from the movie, “Toy Story 2,” Jessie sees Woody and shouts excitedly, “It’s you, it’s you; it’s really you!”

That was how I felt when Narragansett Bay Keeper John Torgan, of Save the Bay, held out his palm to show me a three-inch, flip-flopping olive-green backed, vertically striped fish called the common mummichog.

I contacted Save the Bay after watching something dapple the water’s edge in the Blackstone Park/Swan Point cove on the Seekonk River in Providence.

At first, I thought that I was hallucinating. Then, when the Bay rippled on each side of me, I crouched at the shoreline and thought I saw what looked like little fish.

Even with sunglasses, I couldn’t tell what was jiggling the water.

Torgan was kind enough to meet me at the site a couple of days later. He possesses a fisherman’s eye, which is that well-developed skill of looking at water and seeing what most of us don’t.

With the tide out, we walked across mounds of salt marsh peat that were cloaked in ribbed mussels. Underfoot crackled last year’s hollow stems of spartina, also called salt marsh hay. When I stepped on the mud, a soft-shelled clam squirted up.

Wearing boot-foot fishing waders, Torgan negotiated the lapping tide in places where the mud can suck you in. I stayed atop the peat.

Tall wooden rods anchored each end off Torgan’s seining net. Lead weights held down the material, which was topped by floats.

Torgan gave me one side of the net. He held the other, and tilted the device on a low angle, as we dropped the net into the water.

On our first couple of tries, the fish took off. But on the third seine, we collected a couple of wriggling, white-bellied, silvery barred mummichogs.

Torgan said that mummichogs spend the winter in the Bay but become more active in spring. He called them one of the “most common and important salt marsh fish of Narragansett Bay and New England.”

Mummichogs eat all sorts of shoreline and marsh matter, from plankton and decaying algae to mosquito larvae. In turn, bluefish, striped bass, summer flounder and other fish eat mummichogs, which may reach five to seven inches in length.

Herons, egrets, kingfishers and other birds like to eat “mummies,” too, Torgan said.
A Native American word, mummichog means, “going in crowds,” a fitting moniker for a fish known for its schooling behavior.

Besides having the kind of fantastical name you don’t mind repeating, mummichogs are one the hardiest creatures around.

Adapted to both fresh and salt water, mummichogs tolerate wide variations in oxygen, pollution and salinity.

Mummichogs also possess two other adaptations to life in the shallows. First, as long it remains moist, a mummichog will draw in small amounts of oxygen through its scales, which is a lifesaver for any fish left behind by a receding tide.

Second, stranded mummichogs possess the ability to flip-flop, head over tail from a tidal pool or puddle back into the bay.

The other visible creature caught in the net was a one-inch-long shore shrimp, which is the most common shrimp found in the coastal waters of New England.

Like mummichogs, shore shrimp prefer inshore habitats, such as the brackish waters of salt marshes, where they munch on most anything.

Thirty years ago, the cove’s major flora and fauna included trash, sanitary items and dead fish. The water stank.

Although the Bay still takes in too much sewage and storm water, its waters are improving.
One of the inspiring aspects of a resurrected Narragansett Bay is that any number of little fish might cause near-shore waters in Providence to plink and plop, as if struck by invisible raindrops.

These “bait fish” include common mummichog and its close relative, the striped killifish, as well as sheepshead minnow, silverside minnow, juvenile menhaden, gizzard shad or bay anchovy.
Such richness is a blessing.

“You can’t have a vibrant Rhode Island without a clean Bay,” Torgan said. “You can’t have a revitalized Providence without a clean river.

“A focus on a healthy Bay and ocean is not special interest, it is a common interest.”

Every known life form on the planet relies on water. That the water around us is both getting cleaner and harboring fantastic life is another reason to shout, “It’s you, it’s you; it’s really you!”

Scott Turner ( scottturnerster@gmail.com) is a Providence-based nature writer. His columns appear here each Saturday.

Hummel Report on Providence River CSOs

2011-04-21T15:57:00.002-04:00

Readers- Check out today's Hummel Report at http://www.hummelreport.com/

and please read Motif Magazine at http://www.motifmagazine.net/ PP. 6-7 for a great story about how the Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) abatement project has helped to clean up the Providence River. Enjoy! JT

Red Tail in Front of Save The Bay Center

2011-04-12T15:55:00.002-04:00

Osprey Vs Red Tail Hawk at Save The Bay

2011-03-24T15:16:00.002-04:00

One sure sign of spring here at the Save The Bay Center at Field's Point in Providence is the return of the osprey to the nesting platform near our parking lot.

Over the winter, while the osprey were down south, the nesting platform would be used as a roost by red tailed hawks, kestrels, and other big birds of prey. I don't think anything nested there in winter.

However, driving out of the driveway Tuesday evening, I saw a red tail sitting there as the osprey returned. The osprey swooped and dive-bombed the hawk until it moved on. Check out the video:

Narragansett Bay Wins National "Great Waters" Designation

2011-03-22T09:22:00.002-04:00

NARRAGANSETT BAY RECEIVES NATIONAL GREAT WATERS DESIGNATION

PROVIDENCE (March 22, 2011) – Narragansett Bay has been named one of America’s Great Waters, recognizing its ecological, economic, and cultural importance to the region. Today’s announcement by America’s Great Waters Coalition adds Narragansett Bay and its connected rivers and coastal waters to 10 original “Great Waters” established in 2010.

The designation is part of a nation-wide effort to build support for the nation’s most valuable and threatened waterways through regional ecosystem-based environmental management, coordination, and collaboration across state lines and traditional boundaries. Narragansett Bay and the coastal waters of Southern New England now bridge a gap between Long Island Sound and the Gulf of Maine, which already have Great Waters Designation.

Save The Bay applied for this designation in 2010. Today’s announcement adds Narragansett Bay and eight other “Great Waters” to the original list of 10. The original Great Waters include the Great Lakes, Coastal Louisiana, the Everglades, Chesapeake Bay, Long Island Sound, the Gulf of Maine, Lake Champlain, the Mississippi River, Puget Sound, and San Francisco Bay. Today’s additions include the Albemarle-Pamlico Estuary, the Colorado River, the Delaware River Basin, Galveston Bay, the Missouri River, the NY/NJ Harbor Estuary, the Ohio River Basin, and the Rio Grande.

“Narragansett Bay deserves this distinction,” said Save The Bay Executive Director Jonathan Stone. “More than ever, we need to work closely with our neighboring states and the federal government to see the big picture. We are part of a unique Southern New England ecosystem, and it makes good economic and practical sense to coordinate and collaborate in its management.”

“The addition of Narragansett Bay to the Great Waters Coalition is a strong and significant move, as it solidifies the New England states with their connected Great Waters,” said Peter Alexander, Director of the Northeast Great Waters Coalition. “Rhode Island can now align its plans with its neighbors and build lasting support for clean water infrastructure and habitat restoration. In this budget climate, we need to work harder to underscore the critical needs and the benefits of investment in our waterways.”

Introducing Baykeeper Videos

2011-03-15T11:19:00.004-04:00

Blogs are always greatly improved by photos and videos, so today, I'm going to experiment with posting a few videos from my new HD Flip video camera.

South County Coastkeeper and Narragansett Baykeeper got these cameras at a deep discount as part of a deal through Waterkeeper Alliance with Flip.

We have a great view of the Providence River and Upper Narragansett Bay here at the Save The Bay Center in Providence. This was the view this morning:

Also, at this morning's staff meeting, a Northern harrier buzzed the windows of the Board room:

The video's grainy, I know- I'll try to get some better shots of it. Still, this is remarkable, as this bird is on the Rhode Island Endangered Species list. We've seen this one here almost daily for the past couple of months.

Here's another quick one of the harrier I grabbed out of my car window later in the day...

I'll bring you more videos as the spring progresses here... Enjoy! JT

Where are all the winter striped bass?

2011-02-14T10:17:00.000-05:00

One of the first blogs I ever did back in the winter of 2005-2006 (http://narragansettbaykeeper.blogspot.com/2006_01_01_archive.html) focused on the hold-over winter populations of striped bass in Narragansett Bay.

That year, a few hardy souls who fish around the Point Street Bridge in Providence, and a few other locations in the Upper Bay and tributary rivers were catching lots of stripers right through the winter when water and ice conditions were favorable.

I have caught bass in the Providence River in the winter dating back to the mid 1990's, when I was introduced to the techniques used to catch them. There is a warm water discharge from a power plant (Dominion's Manchester Street Station) there, which may help to encourage bait fish to stick around and keep some small stripers from migrating south to the Hudson and Mid-Atlantic regions before returning in spring.

With or without power plants, rivers throughout New England have supported winter striped bass populations dating back to the earliest records. I haven't done much winter fishing in the past few of years, thanks to the addition of two babies, but I still pop out from time to time and, until this winter, I always managed a few fish. Last winter, 2009-10, was reported to be very poor for winter bass fishing.

This winter, according to the hardcore anglers, has been the worst in recent memory. Check out my friend and fellow blogger Dave Pickering's blog and perspectives on this at http://ristripedbass.blogspot.com/2011/01/winter-striper-fishingwhats-going-on.html . If Dave isn't catching them, there are probably not many there.

So, what are the reasons for the apparent decline? Naturally, there are many possible explanations, some with better evidence than others. One thing we have observed in Narragansett Bay is the lack of juvenile menhaden, or peanut bunker, that used to be much more abundant through the Fall. These little silver dollar-sized baitfish would bring huge blitzes of bluefish and school-sized striped bass late into the season, and some of the bass may have stuck around for them.

In general, striped bass stocks are off the highs we saw around 2003, but they are still in relatively good shape. Coastwide stock assessments used by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) and RIDEM still indicate a healthy and sustainable striped bass population overall (see http://www.dem.ri.gov/programs/bnatres/fishwild/pdf/bassrpt.pdf).

Could it be that they're just not coming into the Bay in the same numbers? Another theory that has been in the news recently is the role of climate. NPR's Christopher Joyce reported on studies by NOAA researchers in Maryland who suggest that a weather pattern known as the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO), a change in ocean currents that brings warmer water to the Northeast, could play a key role. That story is here: http://www.npr.org/2011/01/25/133183300/atlantic-weather-may-be-key-culprit-in-fish-decline

While the evidence for warming and strange weather patterns afffecting life in the Bay is certainly there (remember the blue crabs last summer?), it's irresponsible to suggest that conservation and strict catch limits have not been important to the striped bass fishery. The recovery of stripers is widely-regarded as a conservation success story.

If environmental conditions are working against the stocks, that is all the more reason to be conservative with catch limits, and conservation-minded about striped bass fishing. After all, spring is right around the corner!

Important MA Stormwater Hearing January 12th CANCELED

2011-01-06T14:55:00.003-05:00

The hearing I referenced in this blog is canceled due to the snow forecast for tomorrow. I will post the new details as soon as I get them. Thanks! JT

More than 60% of Narragansett Bay's watershed is located in Massachusetts, and according to USEPA Region 1, more than 60% of the pollution entering state waterways comes from polluted runoff, or stormwater.

Although we have collectively achieved dramatic improvements in wastewater treatment in Narragansett Bay in recent years, the problem of pollution running off of roads and paved surfaces during storms continues to pose a major threat to the health of Narragansett Bay and peoples' ability to use and enjoy it.

In November, EPA issued a draft general permit for small municipal seperate storm systems, or MS4s. These proposed permits would regulate dischargers in the coastal basins of Massachusetts, which include the Blackstone and Taunton River watersheds.

In general, we think the new draft permits represent a major improvement over the existing regulations which date back to 2003. While the details are important, and we will have substantive comments, EPA deserves our strong support for the draft permits, which will result in less pollution flowing into Narragansett Bay. We fully expect industry groups and some of the municipalities to push back.

Our Massachusetts-based partners, the Mass River Alliance, has a great website with simple fact sheets and background information on this issue and what you can do: http://massriversalliance.org/supportpermit/

The public hearing is Jan. 12, 2011 from 11:30-2:00pm at the Leominster Public Library, 30 West Street, Leominster, MA 01453. (The hearing is preceded by a public meeting on the proposed permit from 10-11am at the same location.)

I encourage you to come, or submit comments to EPA by January 21st. Written comments should be e-mailed to Kate Renahan at Renahan.Kate@epa.gov, or sent via postal mail to Kate Renahan, U.S. EPA-Region 1, Office of the Regional Administrator, 5 Post Office Square-Suite 100, Mail Code-ORA01-1, Boston, MA 02109-3912

LNG Working Group Files Anti-Hess Resolutions at FERC

2010-12-21T11:59:00.003-05:00

There have been a number of positive developments on the fight to end Hess' bid to force its Weaver's Cove LNG terminal in Mount Hope Bay and Fall River.

A recent Boston Globe story, by ace environmental reporter Beth Daley, lists the many political and regulatory roadblocks that stand in Hess' way. Still, the company is doggedly determined to proceed in spite of all the facts and the ever-slimmer probability of necessary permits.

The opposition shows no sign of letting up either. Save The Bay remains committed to fighting this project for as long as it takes. And we are joined by many allies around the region.

Today, I'm featuring the LNG Working Group, a Jamestown-based group that is active throughout the coastal communities around Rhode Island and Southeast Massachusetts.

Recently, the LNG Working Group submitted a filing to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) including a resolution signed by 15 coastal municipalities in 2 states opposing the Weaver's Cove LNG proposal.

The LNG Working Group is still looking for organizations to sign on to a petition in opposition to the project. It is presented below in full, and can be cut and pasted into e-mail and sent to Gray.LNGwg@gmail.com.

Save The Bay is proud to support the LNG Working Group!

------------------------------------------------------------

RESOLUTION IN OPPOSITION TO HESS WEAVER’S COVE LNG
“OFFSHORE” PROPOSAL FERC DOCKET # CP04-36-000

WHEREAS: THE Weaver’s Cove Energy subsidiary of Hess LNG has proposed to build a major berthing and offloading structure for liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers in the middle of Mt. Hope Bay, and to ship LNG numerous times per year through the narrow East Passage of Narragansett Bay, and

WHEREAS: LNG tankers are vulnerable to terrorist attack, a successful attack could result in a high energy detonation or fire jeopardizing the US Naval Station Newport, the Naval War College, the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, and major bridges and additionally result in a high energy detonation and the release of explosive gas over Newport, Jamestown, and other populous communities on Narragansett Bay, and

WHEREAS: a January 2008 report from the US Government Accountability Office warned that the US Coast Guard is, in some cases, “unable to meet its own self-imposed security standards, such as escorting ships carrying liquefied natural gas”, and

WHEREAS: the Rhode Island Bridge & Turnpike Authority has stated its intention to close the Pell and Mt. Hope Bridges when tankers pass by, and has warned that those closures “will cause safety hazards, including (critical) delays in response times of emergency vehicles” such as ambulances and police and fire vehicles, and

WHEREAS: 140 LNG tankers transits annually through Narragansett Bay will trigger unannounced and strictly enforced prohibitions against all other boat traffic two miles ahead, one mile astern, and a thousand yards to either side of the tankers, and

WHEREAS: these prohibitions will disrupt and make less competitive the local economy which is dependent on revenue from pleasure boating, regattas, cruise ship visits, harbor tours, recreational and other marine activities in the “Sailing Capital of the US”, and the revenue from millions of people visiting Narragansett Bay communities and their innumerable attractions, and

WHEREAS: the Hess assertion that its LNG facility will create hundreds of “direct and indirect” jobs must be weighed against the possibility that an equal or greater number of fishing, boating and hospitality jobs will vanish in the wake of declining tourism, and

WHEREAS: the Hess Weaver’s Cove LNG facility will require a new 4.5-mile pipeline with new and untested cryogenic technology, including dredging for the pipeline and berthing which will disturb 73 acres of winter flounder nursery/spawning habitat and will unleash pollutants entombed in dredged sediment and also along the miles of Narragansett Bay traveled during the estimated 1,000 barge transports of contaminated sediment to a deep ocean dumping site, and

WHEREAS: a cryogenic pipeline buried in the ocean sediment is an untested approach, and super-cold liquefied natural gas (LNG) coming in contact with relatively warm water causes the volume of the LNG to expand instantly from liquid to vapor gas resulting in Rapid Phase Transition, or a physical explosion, and

WHEREAS: in the event of an accident with this unproven cryogenic pipeline, the natural gas vapors surface through the explosion’s water column and begin to look for an ignition source. Hess LNG is proposing to bury this pipeline underwater within one mile of the densely populated neighborhoods of Fall River, and

WHEREAS: the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources stated in November 2009 that “it is unclear to what extent, if any, Weaver’s Cove’s LNG supply is needed either to meet the region’s gas supply needs or to reduce fossil use in the region”, and

WHEREAS: LNG storage capacity in New England has increased 400 per cent in the past 18 months, including the capacity at a newly opened and little-used terminal in Gloucester, Massachusetts, and despite the ample supply of LNG from a New Brunswick (Canada) terminal which is also reportedly operating far below capacity, and

WHEREAS: in contrast, the United States’ national energy security will be strategically enhanced by accessing large and plentiful shale gas field in our Appalachian Basin states (the Marcellus Formation), which already have pipelines in place to New York, etc., thus precluding the need for foreign LNG transits via Narragansett and Mt. Hope Bays in New England, an area with excess and underutilized existing LNG facilities.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that we, the municipalities, citizens and organizations, of Rhode Island, and of Massachusetts, collectively and respectfully request that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission deny the application of Hess LNG to build in Mt. Hope Bay a berthing facility for the delivery of LNG because the tanker transits will permanently degrade the character of Narragansett Bay while undermining the economy of the businesses already on its shores and posing major environmental and safety risks while failing to increase the energy security of the Unites States or New England.
_________________________
Date

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Signature: CITIZEN

_______________________________________________________________________
Street Address

_______________________________________________________________________
Town, State, Zip Code

_______________________________________________________________
Name of City or Town

______________________________________________________________________
Town or City Council President’s signature

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Clerk attests

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Organization: Name

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Organization: Officer’s signature

Email resolution to: Gray.LNGwg@gmail.com
Mail to: LNG WG, P.O. Box 208, Jamestown, RI, 02835-0208

This resolution is the research of LNG WG,
a working group composed of citizen-experts analyzing local LNG issues, Jamestown, RI,
with liaison to the Coalition for Responsible Siting of LNG, Fall River and Somerset, MA.

We Saved Our Shore!

2010-11-03T11:10:00.002-04:00

Thanks to everyone who helped to pass Question 4 in Rhode Island! This is a major victory for everyone who enjoys coming to the shores of Narragansett Bay.

Rocky Point in Warwick and the old Shooters property at India Point will now be public forever!

It was an honor and a lot of fun working on this campaign with our partners, the Rocky Point Foundation, Head of The Bay Gateway, and the Fort Adams Trust. There are too many people to recognize here, but it was a great team effort by all. We are grateful.

A rare moment of victory to savor.... Thanks! -JT

Save Our Shore Vote Yes on 4

2010-10-25T10:46:00.003-04:00

We're almost to election time in Rhode Island. We all love Narragansett Bay and our economy depends on it. At Save The Bay, we believe having good public access to the water is as important as its ecological health.

On November 2nd we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to increase access and enjoyment of the Bay and Providence River for everyone. Question 4 will secure unique waterfront land at Rocky Point in Warwick, India Point in Providence (the site of the former Shooters nightclub), and to make repairs at Fort Adams in Newport.

We urge everyone to get out and VOTE YES ON 4!

For more on what you can do to help, see the coalition's website at:

http://www.saveourshoreri.org/

and see our video series starting here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62M9ca4fBnw

-JT

Rhode Island Delays Scallop Season and Opens New Sanctuaries

2010-10-04T11:50:00.003-04:00

RIDEM recently announced that the State will create three new shellfish sanctuaries and will delay the opening of the scallop season by a month. This is all good news to our collective efforts to restore scallops, oysters, and quahogs to the Bay and Rhode Island's coastal salt ponds.

The official news release follows:

News Release
RI Department of Environmental Management
235 Promenade St., Providence, RI 02908
(401) 222-2771 TDD/ (401) 222-4462 http://www.dem.ri.gov/

For Release: September 27, 2010

Contact: Gail Mastrati 222-4700 ext. 2402

DEM EXPANDS SHELLFISH SPAWNER SANCTUARIES FOR OYSTER RESTORATION AND ADPOTS NEW REGULATIONS GOVERNING THE HARVEST OF BAY SCALLOPS

The Department of Environmental Management announces the creation of three new shellfish spawner sanctuaries and the adoption of new harvest regulations to support oyster and bay scallop restoration efforts in RI marine waters.

Oyster Restoration
In what is believed to be the first, large-scale oyster restoration program in the US that principally involves oyster farmers, DEM and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) have been partnering with 13 Rhode Island oyster famers in a program aimed at re-establishing a self-sustaining population of oysters in state waters.

The participating oyster farmers are skilled at growing market-ready oysters at their aquaculture sites, and they are applying that expertise to the public resource restoration project. With federal funds provided through NRCS, the farmers are responsible for obtaining certified seed on shell oyster larvae, growing out juvenile oysters for five months on their farms, and then transplanting the oysters to approved open water sites.

DEM is responsible for designating the sites, ensuring that they are protected, and authorizing and overseeing the placement of the stocked oysters at the sites, which now stretch throughout Narragansett Bay and the coastal ponds. Since 2008, over 11 million oysters have been seeded. Another nine million oysters are about ready to be stocked this fall.

To date, there have only been three shellfish spawner sanctuaries in RI marine waters with habitat suitable for seeding oysters -- designated portions of Winnapaug and Ninigret Ponds in South County, and in Jenny’s Creek on Prudence Island. These are the areas that have been stocked to date. Shellfishing is prohibited in the sanctuaries (except for the taking of bay scallops by dip net, which is allowed in the Winnapaug and Ninigret santuaries). The sanctuaries provide the necessary protection for the oyster seed, enabling the animals to grow and serve as brood stock.

Due to the large numbers of oysters now available for planting and in the interest of distributing them broadly, DEM Director W. Michael Sullivan last month authorized the designation of three new shellfish sanctuaries in Quonochontaug Pond and Potter Pond/Sycamore Cove in South County, and in the Bissel Cove/Fox Island Shellfish Management Area in Narragansett Bay along the North Kingstown shoreline. The metes and bounds of the sites are set forth in Part 4 of the DEM Marine Fisheries Regulations; they are also graphically depicted below.

The new Quonochontaug Pond sanctuary is a 14-acre area along the eastern shoreline of the pond. All shellfishing is now prohibited in the sanctuary (except for the taking of bay scallops by dip net). A moratorium on the talking of oysters from anywhere in Quonochontaug Pond has also been established. The sanctuary and moratorium will remain in effect for three years.

The Potter Pond/Sycamore Cove sanctuary is a 10.5 acre area that encompasses the northern half of Sycamore Cove. All shellfishing is now prohibited in the sanctuary (except for the taking of bay scallops by dip net). The sanctuary will remain in effect for three years.

The Bisssel Cove/Fox Island site is an existing shellfish management area that includes all of Bissel Cove and the waters between the mouth of the cove and Fox Island. The taking of oysters from the management area is now prohibited, but all other shellfish – e.g., quahogs and soft-shell clams – may continue to be harvested from the area in accordance with applicable regulations. The oyster moratorium will remain in effect for five years.

Bay Scallop Protection and Restoration

In support of the ongoing bay scallop restoration efforts being undertaken by DEM, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Save The Bay, DEM is delaying the opening season for bay scallop harvest by one month, to the first Saturday of November. This will provide more of an opportunity for the brood stock to spawn before harvest. Several studies have demonstrated that scallops are spawning later in the season and producing multiple spawns, including one in late season.

Also, because stock densities remain low, DEM has reduced the commercial daily possession limit to 3 bushels (from 5 bushels). Finally, the use of dredges to harvest bay scallops from shellfish spawner sanctuaries has been prohibited to protect new recruits and reduce impact on eel grass.

Portsmouth Wastewater Woes

2010-09-20T10:08:00.003-04:00

Last week, RIDEM issued a notice of violation including a $186,019 fine for discharge of sewage from storm water pipes, mostly in the Island Park and Portsmouth Park neighborhoods at the north end.

Save The Bay has been advocating for practical solutions to the wastewater problems on Aquidneck Island for years, and progress has been frustratingly slow, mostly due to financial constraints (Rhode Island has very little money allocated for this, and there is ever-increasing competition for federal funds).

There has also been a strong anti-sewering movement in Portsmouth. Opponents of sewers argue that the costs would be prohibitive and that the environmental benefits can't be demonstrated nor justified.

The state's position is that the pollution is illegal, represents a public and environmental health hazard, and that sewers represent the only practical approach to compliance.

We agree with RIDEM and USEPA that taking real action to clean up the sewage in these beautiful shoreside communties is long-overdue.

This enforcement action should serve as a catalyst. The fines themselves do not represent solutions- the solutions have to address and eliminate the pollution at its source.

We are committed to helping the town of Portsmouth meet these challenges and will work to identify funding and to nail down a strategy that will be fair and effective. We believe this is an opportunity to break the political and regulatory stalemate that has blocked progress on these issues and to engage in constructive actions to treat wastewater and stormwater there.

Jonathan Stone's statement on this follows, as well as the official press release from RIDEM. Stay tuned for more on this developing story...

Save The Bay statement regarding DEM's Portsmouth pollution fine Department of Environmental Protection fines Portsmouth $190,000 for water pollution

STATEMENT BY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR JONATHAN STONE

"Save The Bay appreciates and recognizes the efforts of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) to address these long-standing and well-documented wastewater pollution problems in Portsmouth."

"We have long advocated for strong action to protect the Bay and public health in this area.This notice of violation underscores the seriousness of the problems in Portsmouth, but it alone does not represent the solution."

"We urge Portsmouth to act quickly to adopt the recommendations of the Town's engineering consultants, Woodard and Curran, in addition to the steps required by this enforcement action."

"Save The Bay, along with its members and supporters on Aquidneck Island and region-wide, are committed to helping Portsmouth by working to identify the funding and resources necessary to protect our waters. We will work with the town as well as state and federal agencies to ensure prompt action and accountability.”

News ReleaseRI Department of Environmental Management

235 Promenade Street, Providence, RI 02908(401) 222-2771 TDD/(401) 222-4462

For Release:
September 16, 2010
Contact:
Gail Mastrati 222-4700 ext. 2402

DEM ISSUES NOTICE OF VIOLATION, $186,019 FINE, TO PORTSMOUTH FOR WATER POLLUTION VIOLATIONS
PROVIDENCE -

The Department of Environmental Management has issued a Notice of Violation to the Town of Portsmouth for its long-standing failure to prevent or mitigate the discharge of sewage from storm water drainage pipes in the Island Park and Portsmouth Park neighborhoods into The Cove and Sakonnet River.

The Notice orders the Town to complete a facilities plan and initiate construction of a wastewater treatment system, and assesses a penalty of $186,019.

Decades-long problems with inadequate on-site sewage treatment throughout these neighborhoods have resulted in numerous overflows of sewage into the Town-owned storm drain system and subsequently into The Cove and Sakonnet River. As a result, these waters have been closed to shellfish harvesting and subject to a swimming advisory.

These waters are considered class SA surface water bodies and their designated uses include shellfish harvesting for direct human consumption and primary contact recreation.

DEM has provided over $300,000 in grant funds to Portsmouth and has invested significant staff resources to assist the Town in identifying appropriate solutions. As a condition of the most recent grant, the Town was required to submit a final wastewater facilities plan to DEM.

In December 2009 the Town's consultant, Woodard & Curran submitted the wastewater facilities plan to the Town which documented that certain areas of Town, including Portsmouth Park and Island Park, require sewer service.

The Plan said that a "no-build" alternative, under which cesspools would be removed and replaced with upgraded on-site systems and a Wastewater Management District would be implemented, will likely result in continued fecal coliform contamination in the Sakonnet River and The Cove. However, the Portsmouth Town Council has decided to not submit the wastewater facilities plan to DEM and instead continue with the use of onsite wastewater systems and develop a wastewater management district ordinance.

"DEM has been working diligently with the Town to resolve this problem for many years, but unfortunately the Town has decided to disregard the recommendations of numerous engineering studies which point to sewers as the only viable solution for appropriate wastewater disposal in the Portsmouth Park and Island Park neighborhoods," said DEM Director W. Michael Sullivan, PhD.

Following many years of coordination with the Town, in May 2005 the Town was informed of the US Environmental Protection Agency's approval of the DEM completed water quality restoration plan for the Sakonnet River at Portsmouth Park and the Cove at Island Park to address the impacts to shellfish harvesting and swimming from improperly treated sewage.

The restoration plan recommended that the Town complete a comprehensive town-wide wastewater facilities plan and storm water management strategy and eliminate illicit connections to its storm drain system.

"EPA supports the work being done by DEM to require construction of a wastewater treatment plant in Portsmouth. Protecting our water from such basic pollutants as raw sewage is obviously in the best interests of the Town, the health of Rhode Island citizens and the health and vitality of our environment. All across New England, it's a priority to take sensible actions to ensure a clean and healthy environment that is the foundation of a strong economy," said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's New England office.

History of Water Pollution in the Sakonnet River and The Cove

The inadequate sewage disposal problems were first documented by DEM or the US FDA in 1965 during a shoreline survey of Island Park and Portsmouth Park. In Island Park - a high-density residential neighborhood in a flat seaside area - 13 storm water drainage pipes convey storm water from throughout the neighborhood to The Cove and the Sakonnet River.

In Portsmouth Park - a medium/high density residential area on a hillside - five storm water drainage pipes convey storm water from throughout the neighborhood to the Sakonnet River. The pipes, known as the Island Park/Portsmouth Park storm water drainage system, are owned by the Town.Surveys conducted from 1965 to the present continue to document water pollution violations. Due to evidence of inadequate sewage disposal and actual and potential pollutant sources discovered during shoreline surveys, DEM determined that waters in the vicinity of Portsmouth Park and Island Park did not meet applicable National Shellfish Sanitation Program requirements and closed these waters to shellfish harvesting.

Beginning in 1973 the Sakonnet River along the shorelines of Island Park was closed to shellfish harvesting, and the area was expanded to include additional waters off Portsmouth Park in 1988; both areas have remained closed since that time. In 1980 shellfish grounds in the southern portion of The Cove were and still remain closed.

The evidence of sewage in the drainage pipes and groundwater seeps along the shorelines of Island Park and Portsmouth Park have also resulted in the issuance of a swimming advisory in the area by the Department of Health. The shellfish harvesting prohibitions affected 109 acres in The Cove and 180 acres in the Sakonnet River.

The most recent evidence of this ongoing water pollution was documented by DEM last month. On August 26, DEM inspected a property at Aquidneck Avenue in Portsmouth and found that sewage from the property's onsite wastewater treatment system was discharging onto the ground and into one of the Portsmouth Park pipes.

The DEM inspector observed that sewage was directly entering into the Sakonnet River.Within 30 days of receipt of the Notice of Violation, the Town is ordered to submit a report of the final findings of the Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination (IDDE) program, revise and submit the Onsite Wastewater Management Plan to be consistent with the Wastewater Facilities Plan, and submit a Wastewater Facilities Plan and response to comments.

The Town is also ordered to submit an Order of Approval Application for a wastewater treatment facility serving Island Park and Portsmouth Park within two years of DEM's approval of the Wastewater Facilities Plan, and to complete construction within three years of issuance of an Order of Approval.

Blue Crabs

2010-08-10T15:29:00.000-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VI5yPUO4R2Q

Enjoy this youtube video of me catching and talking about blue crabs in the Bay.

Greenwich Bay, other Coves Ripe for a Fish Kill

2010-07-16T18:18:00.007-04:00

I got a troubling call from a member in the Chepiwanoxet neighborhood of Greenwich Bay today reporting foul odors, pea-green water, blue crabs crawling out at the water's edge, and lots of silverside minnows a few feet off the shore- still alive but massed just below the surface.

These same conditions- Rainy weather followed by a heat wave and weak winds and tides- conspired to create the massive fish kill of 2003 in the same area of the Bay. In that event, more than a million fish died- mostly juvenile menhaden.

We are still at a relatively early point in the season to be seeing this kind of algae bloom, water temps above 80, and low dissolved oxygen in the shallows as well as the dredged channels. The lack of menhaden this summer may be the reason we have not seen fish kills yet- silversides are hardier and may withstand these kinds of events.

We also are responding to numerous calls and complaints of algae and hydrogen sulfide odors in the Gaspee, Conimicut, Narragansett Terrace, and Edgewood neighborhoods.

The stinky, green water is nutrient polluted, but is not a hazard to swimmers or a problem for shellfish. Since the 2003 fish kill, Save The Bay has advocated successfully for upgrades at wastewater treatment plants to limit nitrogen- a major culprit in algae blooms. However, as the present conditions in Greenwich Bay illustrate, we have a long way to go to make it clean and healthy.

Another Setback for Weaver's Cove LNG

2010-05-19T10:33:00.002-04:00

This week, the Department of Interior/National Park Service sent what we refer to as a "black cloud" letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), indicating that the proposed Hess LNG terminal in Mount Hope Bay will most likely not be consistent with the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act through which it was designated last year.

We fully expect Hess/Weaver Cove and their damage control team to dismiss this latest gut punch to their project as just another minor flare-up they can make go away by throwing around bogus economic and job figures. We doubt it.

Still, Hess shows no sign at all of letting up and continues to pour seemingly endless resources into the fight. As long as they are serious about it, so must we be. And as they step it up, look for ever stronger advocacy from Save The Bay and our partners. They can outspend us, but they can never outlast us, because we're in this one for as long as it takes.

Save Our Gulf

2010-05-11T10:39:00.002-04:00

I want to direct you to a new Blog/Website set up by the Waterkeeper Alliance dedicated to the folks on the front lines of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. Check out : http://saveourgulf.org/.

Our brother and sister Waterkeepers are our best defense against this catastrophic spill, and they really need our help. This new blog is updated frequently and has info you can't find in any other media.

Of course, we will keep you all up to date on what we're doing about the spill and what you can do moving forward. -JT

Waterkeepers respond to Deepwater Horizon Spill

2010-05-07T09:53:00.003-04:00

See this e-mail from my old friend, mentor, and colleague Andy Willner on the Waterkeepers' response to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico:

FYI- From Andy Willner:

This Waterkeeper Alliance Committee has been operating since Sunday getting information to the Gulf of Mexico Waterkeepers and to Marc Yaggi who is in the Gulf and acting as a liaison between the Committee and the Gulf Waterkeepers. Marc has also been feeding us information to process directly from the Gulf Waterkeepers. We are taking advantage of the (unfortunately significant) collective oil spill experience of both present and former Waterkeepers.

As of today, Waterkeepers are now represented in all of the Incident Command Centers in Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida, not without some bumps in the road that I am sure you will hear about over the next several weeks and at the Conference. And NOAA, EPA, and the Coast Guard are consulting with the Waterkeepers regularly.

This disaster has just begun and with unknown but massive and deadly consequences. We should all be proud of our sisters and brothers in the Gulf who did what motivates us all. They saw an insurmountable problem affecting the people and natural resources of their waterbody and region and immediately, while continuing to do everything else, mobilized significant capacity to respond the this unprecedented catastrophe.

The most significant, and detailed, and professional news stories are coming directlyfrom the Gulf Waterkeepers. We have reason to be proud of our movement, and collectively have to look beyond the deadly consequences of BP's negligence -- and give what support we can to the Waterkeepers in the Gulf.

Let your followers know through every available media, what an heroic effort is happenning in the Gulf in the face of this unprecedented man made disaster. Please use this announcement as a press release, a facebook post, or an email to supporters or in anyway that you think useful.

Also send people to http://saveourgulf.org/ Thanks. Andy

Waterkeeper Alliance forms advisory committee…

In response to the ever-growing national implications of the April 20th BP Gulf oil disaster, Waterkeeper Alliance has convened a new committee comprised of veteran Waterkeepers all of whom have direct experience with catastrophic oil spills. The goals of this ad-hoc committee are primarily to support the Gulf Coast Waterkeepers in their immediate response to this event, and also to provide information, guidance, and communications support to the affected Waterkeepers and their communities.

The Committee is chaired by NY/NJ Baykeeper Emeritus Andy Willner, and includes Casco Baykeeper Joe Payne, Cook Inletkeeper Bob Shavelson, Delaware Riverkeeper Maya van Rossum, Narragansett Baykeeper John Torgan, Prince William Soundkeeper Jennifer Gibbons, San Francisco Baykeeper Deb Self, and San Francisco Baykeeper Emeritus Mike Herz. Combined, these Waterkeepers have more than a century of oil spill experience.

"We're all affected by this spill – responding to it must be a national priority," said Chair Andy Willner. "We're pulling together some of the most knowledgeable people in the world on oil spills to make sure we give this our very best effort."

Among the issues the committee is tackling are public access to Incident Command and information, volunteer management, training, and getting legal and technical guidance and support to the people who need it. The group has been conferencing daily, and will continue to meet as needed throughout the crisis.

-- Andrew Willner
NY/NJ BAYKEEPER® Emeritus
Board Member NY/NJ BAYKEEPER®
WATERKEEPER® Alliance North Atlantic Regional Representative

Deepwater Horizon Spill Update to STB Members

2010-05-05T09:59:00.001-04:00

Dear members and friends of Save The Bay,

I’m writing to update you on our efforts related to the April 20 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. With the damaged well continuing to gush an estimated 200,000 gallons a day, this spill is shaping up to be an unprecedented environmental disaster for the nation. We want to let you know what we are doing about it, and what you can do to help.

Save The Bay has been in close touch with the regional command of the Coast Guard and our affiliated environmental organizations in the Gulf to offer our support and assistance with volunteer management, response and damage assessment. Yesterday, the Waterkeeper Alliance formed a special national committee including veterans of major oil spills to provide support for the affected areas on which we will serve.

Among the lessons we learned in the North Cape Oil Spill in 1996 and in the Penn 460 Oil Spill in 2000 are that strong volunteer management and active public participation is essential to ensure that the response and natural resource damage restoration processes following the spill are transparent, fair and effective.

We know that people all over the country are extremely concerned about this precious coastline, and we stand ready to do anything we can to help. Volunteers are presently being recruited and trained by our partner organizations in the Gulf. As the oil comes ashore in the next few days and weeks, they will play a critical role in reconnaissance, shoreline surveys, and finding and reporting dead and injured birds, wildlife and fish.

Over the weeks and months to come, we will develop a better picture of what we need to do to clean up and restore the damage from this catastrophic event. Just as importantly, we will need to take all necessary steps to prevent this kind of disaster in the future. It will be a long process, and it will affect all of us. We will keep you apprised of any developments.

In the meantime, please consider a gift to our partners at:

American Red Cross http://www.redcross.org/

Mobile Baykeeper http://www.mobilebaykeeper.org/ or any Gulf Coast Waterkeepers at www.waterkeeper.org

Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana http://www.crcl.org/

Flooding Follow-Up

2010-04-22T11:09:00.002-04:00

The waters have now receded from the Great Flood of 2010, and as predicted, we are seeing the Bay clear up and bacteria counts drop. Shellfish areas are reopening, and the spring fish runs of herring, striped bass, and menhaden are already well underway.

The lingering impacts of the flood are mostly on people and property, in the form of wrecked homes, ruined water and wastewater infrastructure, and dealing with the costs of repairs and rebuilding.

Shortly after the waters began to recede, Save The Bay called on the Army Corps of Engineers, The US Environmental Protection Agency, and our Congressional Delegation to act- not only on behalf of those people and businesses affected by the flood, but also for the environment.

We urge comprehensive flood management, large-scale ecological restoration, and a fundamental re-thinking of our riverbank and floodplain development practices. Some places probably should not be rebuilt. Other areas would benefit from dam removal or modification, wetlands and riverbank restoration, flood storage, and other techniques to minimize the damage from these kinds of events.

It is still possible to file claims for disaster relief. We encourage all of those municipalities and waterfront land owners to get your claims in ASAP. It is our hope that a significant portion of the Federal flood disaster dollars may be directed to planning and management so that we can make lasting improvements while the lessons are still fresh in our minds. -JT

Environmental Impacts of the Flood WJAR Interview

2010-03-31T22:52:00.003-04:00

Here's an interview I did with WJAR's Patrice Wood on the news this evening on the flood impacts to the Bay:http://www2.turnto10.com/jar/news/historic_flooding/article/nbc_10_interview_john_torgan/34329/

Storm Update

2010-03-30T22:31:00.003-04:00

I just heard from Save The Bay's Chief Captain, Eric Pfirrmann, who is at Save The Bay's Exploration Center at the Easton's Beach Pavilion in Newport. He reports that the road is closed and conditions are "pretty nasty", but no catastrophic failures so far. High tide was at 8:55PM, so it is now dropping, but it is still raining here in Providence. We'll keep you posted if anything happens overnight. JT

Impacts of Flooding on the Bay

2010-03-30T14:44:00.003-04:00

Already today, we have seen the storm of the century on Narragansett Bay. Storm estimates approach 8 inches of rain, smashing records eveywhere in Rhode Island.

While the immediate priorities are to keep people safe and to protect homes and businesses, what kind of impacts does this have on the Bay?

For one thing, millions and millions of gallons of untreated sewage are pouring into the rivers as I write this. That means that the flood waters in the street may be contaminated by sewage. Wastewater treatment plants around the Bay and rivers are overwhelmed. I just heard that the Warwick treatment plant is closed and may be underwater before it's over.

Also, we are watching the developing situation around Easton's Beach in Newport carefully. The earthen dam that forms the 'moat' is under serious strain and it's possible that it may fail in the next few hours.

The sewer overflows and bacteria contamination will certainly close much of the Bay and coast to shellfishing and swimming temporarily. We would expect those effects to last a couple of weeks, more or less, depending on the weather. Within a few weeks, we do expect the water to be clean and safe again.

Lots of trash will wind up on the shores. Come join one of Save The Bay's many cleanups to help with that.

Erosion on South County's coast will be severe. Habitat restoration in the ponds, on the dunes, and forested or marshy buffers are our best natural defense. Nothing can defend against a storm like this, though, so we'll just have to wait and see.

In many ways, a big rain and flood is good for the Bay. It flushes out the river systems, pushing out debris, making new channels, beaches, and sandbars as it demolishes the old ones. In the end, the Bay will be better for it.

In the meantime, stay dry, and stay tuned. -JT

See Through The LNG Spin

2010-03-12T07:29:00.003-05:00

I was glad to see that no one, other than those with a vested interest, believed Gordon Shearer, CEO of Hess LNG in his gratuitous rant before the RI Senate LNG Commission Tuesday.

Even the Providence Journal, which does its best to cheerlead the project from the editorial page, couldn't help but note that Hess stood alone there in support of it.

Shearer says his project will lower gas prices. Bogus. He has absolutely no control over that and can't back it up. His projections are all totally self-serving and skewed.

He says the standard Coast Guard security exclusion zones used in Narragansett Bay for LPG vessels won't necessarily apply to Hess. Again, who cares what Hess figureheads have to say about this?! They have nothing to do with that decision. We'll listen to the Coast Guard, thank you.

Go ahead, attack this on LNG fact check. No one believes you. -JT

Projo Op-ed On LNG

2010-03-04T10:05:00.001-05:00

The following commentary piece ran in today's Providence Journal:

John Torgan: Deconstructing LNG project

01:00 AM EST on Thursday, March 4, 2010

By JOHN TORGAN

It’s not surprising that Ted Gehrig of Weaver’s Cove Energy attacked Rhode Island legislators in his Feb. 18 Commentary piece, “LNG worrywarts ignore facts, kill jobs.” Consider the source: Gehrig and the folks at Hess are in this for private gain at the public’s expense. Naturally, they dismiss opponents as hysterical, and say anything to solicit support for their latest scheme to take over the East Bay with their mega-liquefied-natural-gas operations. It’s obvious to me that the proposed Hess project would damage the environment, hurt the local economy and effectively privatize what is now a public waterway.

We are fortunate that our elected officials see through Hess’s nonsense and put the public’s interest over that of the gas and oil industry. We’re proud that so many of our leaders recognize that there are safer and more environmentally sustainable ways to get our natural gas and other energy at a fair price.

In fact, there are now four LNG terminals in the Northeast equipped to serve the same market. This, coupled with recent domestic natural-gas discoveries, fundamentally challenges the need for the Hess project to go forward. Even Massachusetts’s Department of Energy Resources questioned the public benefit claims of Weaver’s Cove, asserting in a November letter that “it is unclear to what extent, if any, Weaver Cove’s LNG supply is needed either to meet the region’s gas supply needs or to reduce fossil use.”

Gehrig brushes off concerns about the environment, asserting that the Providence River dredging project’s successful completion assures the same happy ending for Hess. He mischaracterizes the position of Save the Bay and U.S. Sen. Jack Reed to make his point. That’s wrong. The Providence River project maintained an existing channel for public benefit. The Hess project requires massive new dredging and construction of a platform in a previously untouched area of the Bay bottom for private and exclusive benefit. Gehrig asserts that the dredge spoils are clean enough to dump off Rhode Island’s coast, and asserts the right to do that. We’d like to see the data before they start dumping.

Gehrig asserts that the Hess project “will not contribute to a decline of winter flounder nor will it slow their recovery.” He says overfishing is to blame. But, according to its own documents, the Hess LNG project would affect 191 acres of flounder habitat, permanently eliminating 73 acres of essential spawning habitat. With the flounder fishery now closed, and the owners of Brayton Point Power Plant now investing $620 million to comply with regulations designed to protect the fish populations, Gehrig’s claims defy logic. The fish of Mount Hope Bay will never have a chance to recover if Hess gets its way.

On the bridge closures and other safety issues, Gehrig complains that required safety and security measures are unjustified. Then, out the other side of his mouth, he says Weaver’s Cove will pay for and provide all safety and security resources above what the state and federal governments can offer. How can we be confident that Hess will provide for the public’s safety when its people deny any risk?

Hess asserts that the disruption to the other users will be minimal and compares LNG tankers to other ships coming into the Bay. But LNG ships do not now come into Narragansett Bay. Smaller liquefied petroleum gas tankers do come to Providence a handful of times a year. Under the Hess proposal, we could expect 70 LNG tanker round-trips a year. Given the miles-long security exclusion zone that accompanies these tankers, it is easy to see how LNG might quickly become the dominant user of the waterway, and drive away other water-dependent businesses.

Note that the international LNG industry organization, SIGGTO, has established recommended minimum siting standards and criteria for LNG facilities. SIGGTO recommends that LNG terminals be sited to avoid densely populated areas, located so as not to conflict with other waterway uses, and to avoid long, narrow, inland waterways. By its own industry’s standards, Hess’s proposal fails on all counts.

Finally, Gehrig asks us to trust the federal government’s permitting process to answer all our questions and to address our concerns. So far, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and other federal agencies have done absolutely nothing to respond to the public’s environmental and safety concerns regarding this project. It’s not too late for them to do the right thing. As they are subjected to pressure from the oil and gas industry these agencies need to listen harder to the public they serve.

We remember that FERC ignored environmental and safety concerns in granting a 2005 license for an earlier version of the Hess plan. Thankfully, Massachusetts state lawmakers stopped that LNG proposal by declaring the old Brightman Street Bridge a historic landmark, preventing the tankers from passing through. So, we thank our legislators for acting to protect us where the federal agencies let us down. And we strengthen our resolve to choose the right future for the Bay that we own and share together.

Check Out Save Bristol Harbor

2010-02-26T13:44:00.002-05:00

This week, I want to draw your attention to the great work of our friends at Save Bristol Harbor (SBH), the Bristol, Rhode Island based group that has become a real powerhouse for the East Bay. Originally formed out of concern for the future of Bristol Harbor, SBH's work has grown to issues that affect the whole region, such as the Hess LNG proposal for Mount Hope Bay.

Check out www.savebristolharbor.com , and view the new LNG Simulation presentation, as well as info on harbor management, public access, energy, and lots more. Save The Bay is proud to support and partner with Save Bristol Harbor. JT

A Briefing on Water Quality

2010-02-11T10:17:00.002-05:00

This past Monday night, Save The Bay hosted Rhode Island legislators and policy makers for an informal briefing on "The Bay Agenda"- priorities for Save The Bay for 2010. We presented on five main topics: Water Quality, Habitat/Open Space (including a push to save Rocky Point), Bay Governance and Management, Environmental Education, and Hess LNG.

We'll get all the briefing materials up on our website soon. Here's the text of my remarks on water quality:

Bay Agenda Briefing, February 8th, 2010

Remarks of John Torgan

It is our extraordinary privilege to host this event here today where we can literally show you what we’re working to achieve. Thanks to your efforts and the work of too many to name today, we are experiencing a remarkable recovery in the Providence River and areas of Upper Narragansett Bay.

Because we invested in the Narragansett Bay Commission’s Combined Sewer Overflow tunnel, which went online in November of ’08, we already are enjoying clearer, cleaner water with less garbage and less harmful bacteria than at any time in recent memory. You may see seals, bald eagles, striped bass, and an amazing range of wildlife right here in the heart of our City. In the summer, it is inspiring to see how people have rediscovered this long-neglected River as a premier recreational resource.

After the 2003 Greenwich Bay fish kill, the scientific and regulatory communities identified nutrients from wastewater and polluted runoff as the culprit in algae blooms, low dissolved oxygen, and growing hypoxic (oxygen-starved) zones along the bottom. The legislature passed laws to require nutrient pollution reductions, DEM wrote the permits, and many treatment plants are now building or operating at advanced treatment standards.

While we’ve made great progress on these fronts, we’ve lost ground in other areas. Swimming beach and shellfish closures now regularly plague the Bay, ponds, and oceanfront in places where we rarely saw problems in the past- Aquidneck Island, South County, the Lower West Passage all have bacteria-related closures and algae/low-oxygen problems in certain areas. And the Upper Bay is still far from out of the woods as you can see from these monitoring results in the river last summer.

Just like in the cities, these are clean water infrastructure issues, and to fix them, we must invest in the fix. For those of you who have septic and cesspools in your districts, helping these communities achieve compliance in a fair and reasonable way is a top priority for Save The Bay. There is no single solution to the septic crisis, but we will work with you to find funds to offset the impacts on affected homeowners and to advocate for flexibility and a sensible timeline from the regulatory agencies.

However, we urge you not to backslide from existing laws and regulations on this. It’s important for us to support the environmental agencies and their ability to enforce the law where there is egregious non-compliance that threatens the Bay and public health.

But rather than focus on the negative, let’s work together to find resources and solutions to solve water quality problems.

What can we do to help? Let the voters have a chance to approve a clean water bond.

Save The Bay is obviously disappointed that the Governor’s budget failed, once again, to include anything for clean water or open space. If there is one message I can convey to you today, it is that investment in clean water is an investment in Rhode Island’s economy. Water infrastructure projects create jobs today, and the benefits to the environment and communities start tomorrow. In a challenging economy, it’s more important than ever to invest in clean water infrastructure.

Finally, in order to measure the effectiveness of environmental management and efforts to restore the Bay, we need to continue monitoring. Funding for environmental monitoring in RI has taken a severe beating, and a number of long-term data sets may come to an end if we do not make a concerted effort to continue them. A relatively small investment in monitoring makes a big difference in terms of our ability to be effective with pollution control, fisheries, and coastal resource management.

Monitoring will not only show problems, but progress. Imagine being able to reclaim for the public areas of the shoreline presently closed to swimming and primary contact recreation. Where we’ve cleaned up the water enough to allow these uses, we should own and manage for that progress. Think of the positive effect on property values and on peoples’ attitudes about the water. With good information, we can do it!

Surf Clam Washup

2010-01-28T15:36:00.003-05:00

This is a photo of Roger Wheeler State Beach (Sand Hill Cove to us old timers...) taken yesterday by South County Coastkeeper Dave Prescott. Save The Bay got several calls yesterday from concerned residents about massive numbers (100s to thousands) of surf clams washing up alive and dead on Rhode Island's beaches.

Washups like this are not uncommon after strong winter storms. Monday's storm featured intense rains and wind, and was almost certainly the culprit in the clam kill this time.

I have read accounts of people catching codfish from the beaches in winter using clams after similar events. I don't know if anyone has tried that recently, as cod populations have declined and moved further offshore.

Unlike the massive washups that followed the 1996 North Cape Oil Spill, we do not suspect pollution in this case. Still, it is interesting to note. -JT

Hess LNG Update and FAQs

2009-12-14T15:13:00.031-05:00

First of all, I want to thank everyone who has helped to support our LNG campaign by clicking on the petition. If you haven't done it yet, here it is...

Many have written to ask for more information on the Hess LNG proposal for the Mount Hope Bay platform. In this blog, I've compiled some of the most common questions along with my latest responses:

Hess/Weaver's Cove LNG FAQ's

Q: What is the Hess/Weaver's Cove LNG proposal for Mount Hope Bay?

A: Hess' Weaver's Cove Energy received Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approval in 2005 to construct and operate a Liquefied Natural Gas tanker terminal and offloading facility in Fall River, Massachusetts.

That orginal proposal, which would have brought massive (950') LNG tankers up the Taunton River directly to the Fall River terminal, was effectively defeated after Congress designated the old Brightman Street Bridge as a historic landmark, preventing its demolition and physically blocking the tankers from reaching the terminal.

A second proposal would have brought custom-built mini-LNG tankers through the narrow bridges, but this was defeated in 2007 when the Coast Guard determined the waterway to be unsuitable for this purpose.

This third proposal, which has yet to be fully disclosed to the public, is to construct an offloading platform in the middle of Mount Hope Bay. LNG Tankers would berth at the platform and hook up to a 4.5 mile cryogenic pipeline to the terminal in Fall River.

Q: What's the status of the Mount Hope Bay proposal?

A: The Hess LNG proposal for Mount Hope Bay still needs a number of federal and state permits to begin construction. The proposal will be the subject of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which is supposed to be released soon. The EIS is a detailed technical study of the proposed facility, conducted by the FERC in this case, that includes an alternatives analysis.

Once the Draft EIS (DEIS) is released, there will be an open public review and comment period, and there will be public hearings, all likely to happen within a couple of months of the release date. Please sign up for our e-mail list so we can be sure to reach you with the details on dates, times, who to address your comments to, etc.

After the DEIS, the agencies will review public comments and develop a Final EIS (FEIS). The FEIS will also have a public comment period, although more limited than the draft, and will probably NOT include hearings.

Once the FEIS is complete, the FERC will issue a Record of Decision (ROD). Only after the final ROD has been entered may any party challenge the decision in court.

Q: How long will the regulatory and permitting process take before construction may begin?

A: No one really knows for sure. In communications to its shareholders, Hess predicted that the DEIS would come out before the end of 2009. As I am blogging this on December 14th, I'm not sure how likely that is. Hess' website, is so outdated, it predicts that the project will be completed in 2009.

One possible time frame might look something like this:

Winter 2010: Draft EIS released, public hearings and comments follow for 60-90 days
Spring 2010: FERC reviews comments and issues
Summer 2010: Hess/Weaver's Cove gives up and leaves town! (we hope)
Summer 2010:Final EIS issued
Fall 2010: Record of Decision; Likely legal actions begin in 1st Circuit Federal Appeals Court

Q: Don't we need the gas? If so, what are the alternatives?

A: Save The Bay's position is that sufficient gas facilities presently exist in the region to meet our present and future needs. In addition to the Everett terminal near Boston, MA, there is an offshore terminal near Gloucester called Excelerate, and a new facility in St John, New Brunswick called Canaport. Another facility called Neptune or Suez, is also located offshore near Boston. This is expected to be online soon.

Given the recent projections about domestic natural gas supply and demand (see today's Wall Street Journal story), previous projections by Hess LNG appear to have badly missed the mark.

Of course, I'm environmental guy, but check out these quotes from a recent letter from the Massachusetts Department of Energy Regulation: "DOER asserts that it is unclear to what extent, if any, Weaver Cove's LNG is needed either to meet the region's gas supply needs or to reduce fossil use in the region. DOER contends that changes in the region's electricity and natural gas marketplaces have occurred since the Weaver's Cove project was first initiated and reviewed. FERC should consider the updated natural gas supply landscape, taking into account the new commercial alternatives, not only for gas supplies, bet also alternatives such as energy efficiency and renewable energy," (from a November 16th, 2009 letter from Philip Giudice, MA DOER Commissioner).

Be careful not to be tricked into the bogus arguments about how we either have to choose this alternative, or face shortages or price hikes. The whole purpose of the EIS and public process is to examine alternatives and then to select the least damaging one-even if that's a "no action" alternative. It's Hess' burden to show that it has selected the least damaging alternative and avoided or mitigated the impacts. So far, it has not even come close to meeting that burden.

Q: Why are winter flounder so important and would this project really destroy essential habitat?

Winter flounder is a classic New England and Narragansett Bay species that was once abundant, but its populations in the region declined severely in recent decades. (see page 21 in this report from RIDEM on Mount Hope Bay winter flounder here).

Winter flounder was once the most important commercially and recreationally fished species in the Bay. They are prized for their food and sport value, and for the fact that they can be caught near shore in the spring and fall.

Winter flounder are known to spawn in estuaries like Narragansett Bay and Mount Hope Bay, and to favor shallow areas of the upper estuary with muddy bottoms, such as the Providence River and Mount Hope Bay. Mount Hope Bay is designated as Essential Fish Habitat under the federal Magnusson Act. Studies show that winter flounder have high fidelity to their native spawning areas- in other words, they return to the places where they were born.

Mount Hope Bay, the specific location of the proposed LNG facility, is regarded as important fish habitat for flounder and other species by EPA and the other federal agencies, and was the battleground for a landmark case against Brayton Point Station, New England's largest power plant. The plant's use of cooling water was implicated in a crash of bay fish populations in the 1980s, including a more than 87% decline in winter flounder. The plant's owner, Dominion, recently reached a settlement with USEPA in which it committed $500 million to build cooling towers and protect fish habitat there.

Despite historic abuses from pollution and the power plant, Mount Hope Bay remains a vital winter flounder spawning habitat. Protecting and restoring it remains a regional, state, and federal priority. Hess LNG's proposal would impact 191 acres of in-Bay habitat. It would permanently remove 73 acres of winter flounder spawning habitat by making it too deep or filled in with the offloading platform.

Hess LNG's position is that the project will only damage a small percentage of the Bay overall, and that overfishing, rather than essential habitat destruction, is a bigger problem for the species. They also propose to mitigate for the loss of flounder with a whole range of dubious restoration activities-none of which will benefit winter flounder at all.

Our position is that you cannot restore nor protect a fish population by removing its spawning habitat. It cannot be mitigated and should not be permitted.

Q: How does the recent designation of the Taunton River as a national Wild and Scenic River affect the Hess LNG proposal?

A: The Wild and Scenic designation doesn't explicitly prohibit this proposed project, but it will certainly elevate the level of environmental review by the cooperating agencies, and will require consultation with the National Park Service.

Q: Don't we already have oil and gas tankers coming up the Bay and how is this different?

A: LNG tankers do not presently come to Narragansett Bay, although other types of oil and gas tank vessels do come into the Bay regularly. The most similar tankers that come the Bay into Providnece today are called LPG tankers, for Liquefied Petroleum Gas. LPG tankers come up the Bay only a handful of times each year, and are accompanied by strict security/exclusion zones.

One key difference between this and the Hess LNG proposal is the frequency of trips. Another is the scale of operations. The proposal estimates approximately 70 tankers per year, which would result in more impact to the rest of the users of the Bay-including other commercial and industrial users. These massive LNG tankers and their security zones will close down the Bay as they move through the East Passage and into Mount Hope Bay.

The existing mix of uses in the Bay, gas and oil shipping included, is part of a balance in which each user group respects each others' rights to our public and shared waterways. Hess LNG's proposal would dramatically disrupt that balance and dominate the landscape and environment of the Bay.

Q: I want to get more involved. What can I do?

A: Sign up on Save The Bay's website here for LNG e-mails. We'll send you regular action alerts, news, and information about the project. Sign the petition, and send it along to anyone who might be interested. When the time comes, we will need volunteers to write letters, attend hearings, meetings, and generally help to spread the word. Every person makes a difference!

More FAQ will follow. If you have a question or comment, please e-mail me at jtorgan@savebay.org and I'll answer it here on the Baykeeper blog. Thanks, JT

LNG Court Decision on CRMC- Not the end for Hess

2009-11-17T09:58:00.006-05:00

Yesterday's story in the Providence Journal by Gene Emery entitled "RI Council has no say on LNG Terminal in Mount Hope Bay" surprised many readers (read it here: http://www.projo.com/news/content/LNG_APPEALS_11-16-09_9AGFAOB_v7.38afa95.html ). The story reports on the decision of the Court Of Appeals, which affirmed that the RI Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) lost its opportunity to object to the project .

Some people who called and wrote to Save The Bay yesterday thought that the crazy Hess Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) proposal for Mount Hope Bay was dead of its own weight, and were stunned to see it clear another hurdle. Some were angry at CRMC for losing in this case, and even angrier at company officials for characterizing the Appeals Court Decision as an effective endorsement of the project.

Let's put it into perspective: The Hess LNG/Weaver's Cove proposal for a massive gas tanker platform and pipeline in the middle of Mount Hope Bay is FAR from a done deal. While RICRMC may have been sidelined by this decision, the Massachusetts equivalent, MACZM, is still actively challenging the project along with other Mass agencies and elected officials. The project still needs about 21 different approvals from Federal, State, and local agencies, the most significant of which revolve around an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the project that has yet to be released to the public.

We don't know for sure when the EIS will come out, but we expect it sometime in the next few months. When it is released, there will be public hearings and an open public comment period. The EIS is the public's best opportunity to weigh in and stop this thing.

As readers of this blog know, Save The Bay has long opposed this project based on its direct threats to Bay life and habitat, its unreasonable and unfair interference with other uses of the Bay, its damaging impacts on the Bay's coastal communites, and its negative impacts on the Bay economy. While a few people still buy Hess' spurious claims of job creation and lower gas prices, most, including the elected officials and Congressional delgations of both states, see the project as bad for the environment, bad for the economy, and unsafe for people who live and work on and around the Bay.

Over the coming weeks and months, we will step up our opposition, and activate our membership and networks to fight it with everything we've got. For more on what you can do, check out our website at http://www.savebay.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=318 . Also, feel free to drop me an e-mail at jtorgan@savebay.org with any questions or comments. We've worked too hard for too many years to clean up Mount Hope Bay and Narragansett Bay to allow one private company to take it over for their exclusive financial gain. Thanks for your support, and never give up! We can win this. -JT

Declining Bird Populations of Narragansett Bay

2009-11-02T11:09:00.002-05:00

I was struck by Mary Grady's story in this month's Rhode Island Monthly on declining marine bird populations on Narragansett Bay. Read it here: http://www.rimonthly.com/Rhode-Island-Monthly/November-2009/Bye-Bye-Birdies/

Here's an excerpt from the article:

"The numbers of several maritime bird species that breed in Narragansett Bay have dropped significantly in the last five to ten years, according to annual surveys conducted by the state Department of Environmental Management. Great egrets, for example, the tall, elegant white birds often seen foraging in shallow coves fringing the Bay, peaked at 251 nesting pairs in 2003, and in 2008 were down to 148 pairs. Their smaller relatives, the snowy egrets, showed an even steeper drop, from 330 pairs in 1979 to just fifty-three pairs in 2008."

These steep declines in Bay bird populations are alarming. The story discusses the various explanations for the decline, but no one really knows for sure why this is happening.

One theory I have is that it is related to menhaden populations. The numbers of juvenile menhaden, or peanut bunker, have declined dramatically in recent years. I'll bet that those comprise a major source of forage for wading birds like egrets and herons. Cormorants, which have continued to increase in number, can probably catch many other fish species more easily and in deeper water.

This story underscores the need to invest in environmental monitoring, including keeping track of bird and fish populations. It provides critical information to resource managers, and helps us to protect the diversity and health of the Bay and its connected systems. JT

Ocean Policy Task Force

2009-09-30T11:44:00.003-04:00

Last Thursday, President Obama's Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force held its only East Coast hearing here in Providence, RI. I was privileged to be invited to serve on an expert panel to kick off the hearings, and was asked to talk specifically about the role of the Federal Government in ecosystem-based management, marine spatial planning, and estuarine habitat restoration.

This is important stuff, and we are grateful to have had the opportunity to host it in Rhode Island.

I encourage you all to check out the President's website on this and make comments on-line: http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/initiatives/oceans/

A draft of my remarks to the Task Force follows:

Comments of John Torgan
Narragansett Baykeeper, Save The Bay, Rhode Island
Before the Interagency National Ocean Policy Task Force
September 24th, 2009
Providence Listening Session

Thank you, to the distinguished members of the Task Force, and to President Obama for this extraordinary opportunity to speak to you about these issues at the very heart of our Nation’s environment, economy, culture, history and identity in the world. The ocean and coast, and in particular- our estuaries, rivers, and bays sustain us, enrich our lives, and bind us together with other coastal states and countries in one vast living and dynamic ecosystem. It demands our attention, and needs our help.

I am speaking today for Save The Bay, Southeastern New England’s largest non-profit environmental group, and we are also affiliated with the international Waterkeeper Alliance, and are founding members of Restore America’s Estuaries, collectively representing more than a hundred thousand people.

The need for a clear, transparent, and efficient Federal Ocean Policy and inter-agency coordination cannot be overstated. Our present policies are grossly inadequate and under-funded. Without a major commitment to reform, we will be tragically ineffective at protecting and realizing the potential of this nation’s most valuable natural and economic resources-our coastal waters and the rivers that feed them.

Ecosystem-based and adaptive management are really just different terms for sensible, practical coordination and execution of work. Fish and birds do not respect nor adhere to political boundaries and neither does pollution. To be effective, we must provide for regional coordination and scope, while respecting and allowing for regional differences in our approach.

The interim report of the Commission reflects the right points and priorities, and we commend you for an excellent job given the short time and limited resources available. It is now incumbent on us, the stakeholders, to give you the specifics:

The funding need is significant. The stimulus request for estuary restoration projects alone was close to $3 Billion; the amount allocated for this purpose was around $160 Million- a small fraction of the need. But we have shown, again and again, that any investment in habitat restoration and environmental protection strengthens our economy, improves our quality of life, and pays direct dividends back to people by giving them clean water and healthy ecosystems for generations to enjoy.

We must invest in environmental monitoring so we can measure and understand the impacts of our activities- both good and bad.

The way we carry out federally-funded habitat restoration needs to be improved and clarified. Today, even with strong initial federal agency support, the non-profit partners need to work hard every year to raise additional federal funds and non-federal matching funds for each project, resulting in tremendous inefficiency, added expense, and long delays in seeing through vital projects to completion.

We recommend that there be a single, designated lead federal agency for each project that is given the mandate and the funding up-front to see the project through to completion. In particular, NOAA and NRCS seem well-suited to serve as the lead on estuary habitat restoration at the federal level.

Marine spatial planning is an essential tool to achieve effective ecosystem-based management and it deserves our strong support. We must plan not only for conservation of the ocean and coastal resources, but for responsible and sustainable uses. This means fisheries policies that truly conserve and protect species and their habitat and provide for the long-term survival of marine life, fishermen, and fishing communities. Similarly we must plan carefully and comprehensively for sustainable aquaculture, for energy facilities siting, and for safe and secure marine transportation. Rhode Island’s Ocean SAMP is a good template for the nation on this.

To date, we have failed utterly to coordinate these priorities on a regional and national basis. Let me give you an example: Mount Hope Bay and the Taunton River form the northeastern arm of the Narragansett Bay Estuary and have been on the national stage in recent years for the right and the wrong reasons.

First the good news: thanks to the efforts of dedicated residents and good public servants in state and federal agencies over two decades, we were able to secure National Wild and Scenic status for the Taunton, and achieved a landmark settlement with the region’s largest power plant, Brayton Point, whose owners have committed $500 million to install cooling towers to protect Mount Hope Bay winter flounder populations.

Here’s the bad news: This same Bay and river are now severely threatened by a massive Liquefied Natural Gas proposal- Hess’ Weaver’s Cove- which got preliminary approvals from the FERC and Coast Guard, and would dredge up and then dominate the Bay with completely unnecessary gas infrastructure.

There is something obviously wrong with this picture. How can two decades of hard work by thousands of dedicated citizens who have fought for the Taunton and Mount Hope Bay be so easily discounted in order to accommodate a project that appears to benefit only a private company?

Our congressional delegation asked FERC and other agencies to engage in serious regional planning for our energy and environmental future and were denied this sensible request in favor of case-by-case review. This makes no sense at all.

This administration has a golden opportunity to have a real impact on future regulation and policy. These hearings and this task force is a strong step in the right direction. Thank you.

Narragansett Bay Loses A Champion: Steve Insana

2009-09-01T14:39:00.003-04:00

Sunday morning, Stephan P. Insana of Warwick, passed away suddenly in his sleep. Steve was the founder and first President of the Buckeye Brook Coalition in Warwick. He was an old and loyal friend of mine and of Save The Bay's. We are all shocked and saddened by this tremendous loss.

Steve was a passionate and effective advocate. He had a powerful personality, was always enthusiastic, and totally committed to helping others. My greatest memory of Steve was one day in the Spring of 2002, when he called me down to Warwick to show me the phenomena of thousands of river herring at every bend of Buckeye Brook. He was whooping and hollering with joy at the sight of it!

I'm confident that the movement Steve built and the people he reached will carry on his legacy and will always keep going strong. We're committed to that. And no one will ever pass by Buckeye Brook again without thinking of him. -JT

Low Dissolved Oxygen Alert for Narragansett Bay

2009-08-12T15:14:00.002-04:00

Over the past couple of weeks, we have observed severe hypoxia (low dissolved oxygen) conditions throughout much of the Upper and Mid-Narragansett Bay including the Providence River, and Greenwich Bay, and extending down the West Passage to Quonset Point.

While we often see low oxygen conditions at this time of year as water temperatures peak, this year it appears to be particularly bad, possibly due in part to the record-breaking rainfall in July. So far, Save The Bay has not received any reports of fish kills, but we are on high alert.

There aren't as many juvenile menhaden, or "peanut bunker", as we've seen in past years, and these are often the first to die off when the conditions deteriorate, so that could be one reason why we're not seeing more dead fish. The following is excerpted from an e-mail broadcast by Chris Deacutis, Chief Scientist for the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program:

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Just a note for folks who may be working out on the upper half of Narragansett Bay over the next 1.5 weeks- it looks like a severe hypoxic (to near anoxic) event is ongoing in Greenwich Bay and Upper Bay north to the Seekonk River , with low DO all the way down-Bay to Quonset area. We are entering a neap tide cycle next week , so tidal energies will stay weak until ~ 8/17. The volume of low DO water column seems substantial at Conimicut Pt. We saw oxygen in the 0.2-0.5 mg/L range in western Greenwich Bay on Tues below ~ 3.5 m, and continuous buoys are indicating things are worsening over wider areas.

I'd appreciate an email if anyone spots any unusual situations physically or biologically.

Chris Deacutisdeacutis@gso.uri.edu Christopher Deacutis, PhD
Chief Scientist
Narragansett Bay Estuary Program
Tel (401) 874-6217
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Save The Bay would also like to know if you see anything unusual. E-mail me at jtorgan@savebay.org or call 401 272-3540 x 116 to report a fish kill or other water-quality related events. Thanks, JT

State of Narragansett Bay in Summer '09

2009-07-27T11:22:00.004-04:00

It's been a strange summer on the Bay. After a cool, wet spring that had good numbers of adult menhaden and giant striped bass up into the Providence River, it seemed like life in the Upper Bay went through a major transformation around July fourth. Here's a late June striper caught by STB board member Howard Kilguss:

Brown and green algae blooms came and then settled as massive numbers of comb jellies and other ctenophores bloomed and then died off in the past couple of weeks.

The big news is that the bacteria counts are way down in the River and Upper Bay this year, presumably because of the Narragansett Bay Commission's Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) tunnel project, completed in November of '08. See the e-mail pasted at the bottom from the Buckeye Brook folks about the major drop in bacteria at Conimicut Point this year compared to last.

We just observed the first really low dissolved oxygen levels this past Thursday, July 23rd. Our team found oxygen levels approaching zero in the Seekonk and Upper Providence Rivers, which is not too surprising given all the rain we've had. The mid and lower-Bay seem to be in good shape with regard to oxygen levels, all things considered.

July 2009 saw record rainfall, and correspondingly there were a number of swimming beach and shellfish area closures. The RI Department of health website has a lot of good information on that: http://www.ribeaches.org/.

Despite these closures, it's clear that wastewater infrastructure upgrades like the CSO tunnel are paying big dividends already. This is an important lesson for places like Aquidneck Island, South County, and Warwick among other communities facing sewering dilemmas. While there is no single solution for each community, system upgrades do make the water cleaner, and the results can be seen right away. -JT

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From Bill Aldrich-

From the RIDOH sampling data, check out below a snapshot of bacteria count decrease from 2008 to 2009 at Conimicut Beach year to date, even given all the rain we have been having.

I think the CSO tunnel is to credit for this, at least in part.

For reference, 10 is the baseline reading and 104 is the reading above which they close beaches to swimming. Red means over that limit, blue means below.

5/20 through 5/31 --- 10, 10, 10, 41 (2008) versus 97, 98 (2009)

6/1 through 6/9 --- 10, 10, 20, 108, 109, 546, 663 (2008) versus 10, 10, 20, 31 (2009)

6/10 through 6/18 --- 10, 31, 145, 146 171 (2008) versus 10, 10, 20, 31, 41, 52, 62, 84 (2009)

6/18 through 6/24 --- 41, 148, 389, 404, 2613, 4884 (2008) versus 10, 10 (2009)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Public Access Parking Bill Passes the House!

2009-06-05T11:13:00.002-04:00

The bill to provide public parking at Rights of Way passed the RI House! Now it's off to the Senate. Thanks for all your help and support. Let's hope this good measure makes it through this year. JT

Support Parking at Public Access Rights of Way

2009-06-02T15:42:00.002-04:00

The RI House of Representatives will have a floor vote tomorrow on a measure that would require cities and towns to provide some public parking at designated rights of way. This is an important issue and I urge you all to support this by contacting your representatives and letting them know you want to see it pass. I'm attaching the action alert distributed by the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers' Association below. Thanks for helping support public access!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

YOUR SUPPORT IS NEEDED!

We constantly urge anglers to get off their duffs to do something important and here is a perfect opportunity.

PUBLIC ACCESS (RIGHT OF WAY) to the shore is a right of all citizens, but we all know that most of the ROW's in this state are nulled because there are "NO PARKING" signs all around them.

RISAA has supported legislation introduced by Rep. Peter Kilmartin which would mandate that all cities and towns PROVIDE PARKING at all designated Rights of Way in their towns. We collected over 1,000 signatures on a petition at the fishing show in April.

This legislation has PASSED COMMITTEE!

It now goes for a vote before the full HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES on WEDNESDAY, but we need your help to get it passed.

In part:
"(iv) In conjunction with this subdivision, every state department controlling state-owned land close to or adjacent to designated rights-of-way shall set out the land, or so much of the land as it deems necessary for public parking, and every city and town that owns land, including, but not limited to, public streets, close to or adjacent to CRMC designated rights-of-way shall set out the land, or so much of the land, as it deems necessary for public parking."

Complete bill is here:
http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText09/HouseText09/H5336A.pdf

TAKE 5 MINUTES *****
to write a quick email to your state representative.

As a resident of your district, I am asking that you vote to SUPPORT
H.5336 (sponsor: Rep. Kilmartin) when it comes up for a vote before the House of Representatives this Wednsday.
Public access to the Rhode Island shoreline continues to diminish every year. This is a chance to help ensure that citizens are able to use the shore that belongs to everyone.

(be sure to sign your name and address)

Find your state Rep here:
http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/House/

Just click on the name and it will take you to their page to easily send an email.

Thanks!

--
Steve Medeiros
President
Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association
6 Arnold Road, Coventry, RI 02816
office: 401-826-2121

Sea Star Die-off in North Kingstown

2009-05-13T20:22:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, I responded to a call from a North Kingstown resident who reported thousands of dead and dying sea stars (or starfish) washing up on the shore of Wild Goose Point.

Save The Bay's Director of Communications John Martin and I headed down there with a video camera and shot this youtube video:

This is a natural phenomena that we see every few years at this season when the sea stars move into the shallows to feed on newly-set barnacles and other shellfish. As I explain in the video, we believe it was caused by a layer of freshwater floating down the Bay after days of heavy rain, which the saltwater-dependent stars can't tolerate.

I should have pointed out that everything else down there was in order- steamer clams were squirting, striped bass were schooling, snails were ooching, and crabs were scuttling around. There was no chemical odor or sheen and no obvious pollution of any kind.

Sea stars can be a nuisance, as they eat quahogs and other valuable shellfish, but they do play in important role in the Bay ecosystem, so it's worth investigating any time there are reports of unusual occurences like this.

There's no special call to action attached to our message here, but it does underscore the need to support environmmental monitoring in the Bay so we can keep track of events like this. As the strong media response to our video proves, people are interested in these things and they care about the health of animals of the Bay. Thanks for tuning in! JT

The Latest on Weaver's Cove LNG

2009-04-30T15:58:00.002-04:00

As readers of this blog know, we are fighting a proposal by Hess/Weaver's Cove LNG to construct a Liquefied Natural Gas tanker offloading platform in the middle of Mount Hope Bay.

We are against this for three main reasons:

1) Environmental: The project's construction and operations will have permanent and irreversible impacts on Mount Hope Bay and the Taunton River through dredging, sediment disposal, and other impacts related to operations.

2) Public Trust/Use Conflicts: The project will become the dominant feature of Mount Hope Bay, and the security zones around the incoming tankers will preclude all other uses- commercial, recreational, and otherwise- of this extraordinarily intensively-used waterway that extends down the East Passage to the ocean. It is completely out of scale with any other port, shipping, or energy operation in the region and would effectively privatize the Bay for a sole beneficiary.

3) Safety/Suitability: The Coast Guard is presently preparing a letter of recommendation (which could be positive or negative) on the suitability of the waterway for this kind of use. It is our strong view that the waterway is unsuitable and that this use would endanger other boaters and coastal communities in the vicinity of the project. Other groups including the coastal municipalities and the states of Rhode Island and Massachusetts have raised concerns regarding safety and security around the project and we share those concerns. Our focus now, however, is to urge the Coast Guard to deny the waterway suitability certificate based on the threat to navigation safety of all the others who use and enjoy the Bay.

We've been at this now for nearly a decade, and some are growing tired of the fight. See, for example, the article in today's Fall River Herald: http://www.heraldnews.com/news/x1098185818/Cost-of-LNG-fight-crosses-2-million

As I've said before- we're in this for the long haul. For as long as it takes, we will question the wisdom of this project and work to promote sustainable, safe, and appropriate alternatives to this ill-conceived project. JT

Restoring Shellfish in The Salt Ponds- Help Needed

2009-04-28T10:49:00.004-04:00

Want to get dirty, work hard, and make a real contribution to saving the Salt Ponds? Join us on Tuesday, May 5th, to transplant quahogs from Narragansett Bay into spawner sanctuaries in Quononchontaug (Quonny) Pond and Ninigret Pond on the South County Coast.

This project is really inspiring, as we work closely with some terrific partners and dedicated staffers including RIDEM, The Nature Conservancy, and The Salt Ponds Coalition. These people love their work and they do it with extraordinary skill and professionalism. I volunteered on this mission last year and it was a good time with some great people. Details follow:

Shellfish Restoration Project - Part 1

Tue, 5 May, 2009 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Volunteers are needed to help The Nature Conservancy, Save The Bay, the Salt Ponds Coalition, and RIDEM in a joint restoration project funded by a NOAA/TNC Community Restoration Partnership Grant in May at Ninigret and Quonochontaug Ponds. The project entails loading
50lb bags of clams onto a boat and then unloading them into the pond at
designated spots. So we need strong people who want to be out in the sun and the
water! Volunteers will be needed to help in two areas each day: East Greenwich
(for an hour to an hour and a half) and then at the restoration sites (either
Quonnie or Ninigret).

Volunteers in East Greenwich will be meeting DEM staff at the RI
Clam Co. and will be loading 50 lb. bags of clams. Volunteers with
wheelbarrows, hand trucks, and planks might help, but strong backs (the ability
to lift 50 pound bags of muddy quahogs) would be a higher priority. You’ll be
loading the quahogs in to a flatbed trailer. The clams will then be transported
to the restoration site.

Volunteers who work in East Greenwich are not required to also volunteer at the
restoration site. Separate groups of volunteers can be used for each part of
the project.

WHAT TO BRING: Participants should be able to lift a 50lb bag,
wear movable and flexible clothing that they can get dirty including closed toed
shoes or waders, bring sun and bug protection and drinking water and
rain gear if necessary.

REQUIREMENTS:
Strong backs, able to do heavy lifting and bending. Don’t mind getting wet,
dirty and working in possible rainy weather. Able to be on your feet the whole
time of the volunteer project. Must work the entire length of the volunteer
project. Volunteers under the age of 16 must volunteer with a parent or
guardian. All volunteers will be required to sign and turn in waivers so we can
track your hours of service for the grant funding.

Location: 7 Water Street, East Greenwich, 02818 (RI Clam Co.) (Map)
Fees: Free and Open to the Public
Contact: Stephany Hessler, shessler@savebay.org or 401-272-3540 ext. 130

Shellfish Restoration Project - Part II

Tue, 5 May, 2009 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

WHAT:
Volunteers are needed to help The Nature Conservancy, Save The Bay, RIDEM, and the Salt Ponds Coalition in a joint restoration project funded by a NOAA/TNC Community
Restoration Partnership Grant in May at Ninigret and Quonochontaug Ponds. The
project entails loading 50lb bags of clams onto a boat and then unloading them
into the pond at designated spots. So we need strong people who want to be out
in the sun and the water! Volunteers will be needed to help in two areas each
day: East Greenwich (for an hour to an hour and a half) and then at the
restoration sites (either Quonnie or Ninigret).

Volunteers in East
Greenwich will be meeting at the RI Clam Co. and will be loading 50 lb. bags of clams. Volunteers with wheelbarrows, hand trucks, and planks might help, but strong backs (the ability
to lift 50 pound bags of muddy quahogs) would be a higher priority. You’ll be
loading the quahogs in to a flatbed trailer. The clams will then be transported
to the restoration site.

Volunteers who work in East Greenwich are not required to also volunteer at the
restoration site. Separate groups of volunteers can be used for each part of
the project.

WHAT TO BRING: Participants should be able to
lift a 50lb bag, wear movable and flexible clothing that they can get dirty
including closed toed shoes or waders, bring sun and bug protection and drinking
water and rain gear if necessary.

REQUIREMENTS: Strong backs, able to do heavy lifting and
bending. Don’t mind getting wet, dirty and working in possible rainy weather.
Able to be on your feet the whole time of the volunteer project. Must work the
entire length of the volunteer project. Volunteers under the age of 16 must
volunteer with a parent or guardian. All volunteers will be required to sign
and turn in waivers so we can track your hours of service for the grant
funding.

Location: Quonochontaug Breachway, End of West Beach Road, Charlestown, RI (Map)
Fees: Free and Open to the Public
Contact: Stephany Hessler, shessler@savebay.org or 401-272-3540 ext. 130

Honoring Tony The Barber

2009-04-19T10:47:00.003-04:00

This week, Narragansett Bay lost a legend and a hero. At 95 years old, Tony Giardino, "Tony The Barber" passed away. Tony gave me my first haircut, and also cut my father's hair, my grandfather's hair, and my son's hair. This picture is of me, Tony, and William Torgan just before his first haircut in 2007.

Tony was my father's friend and one of his first patients when he began his medical practice in Providence in the early 1960's. An avid fisherman, he introduced my dad to fishing on Narragansett Bay, and they fished together for many years. In many ways, for passing his great knowledge and enthusiasm to dad, I credit Tony for my life's passion and career in the environment and working for Narragansett Bay.

Tony was an environmentalist and conservationist long before those things became fashionable. He had an elegant manner and a great sense of humor right up until the end of his storied life. He fished the Bay religiously every Wednesday and Sunday after church. At every haircut, we'd talk about the Bay and share fish stories.

Tony had a million great one-liners, some funny, some wise, and I find myself quoting him often.

On dressing for the boat, it was "If you don't take it with you, you can't put it on."

On my receding hairline, it was "May it be the worst problem you ever face in your life."

On the birth of my son, the first Torgan boy since me, it was "John, you have only now begun to live."

Farewell, Tony. Your spirit lives on through Narragansett Bay and all of us you've touched forever.

Baykeeper Back on Blogger

2009-04-16T10:32:00.002-04:00

Hey, folks-

After using Save The Bay's website for the past year to host this blog, I'm back on Blogger. I'll be posting more frequently here, so check back often. I hope you like the new format! -JT

Thoughts on Offshore Wind and The Ocean SAMP

2009-04-16T10:28:00.001-04:00

Save The Bay strongly supports renewable energy when it is properly sited and appropriately scaled to the surrounding community. Our position is not categorical- not every renewable project is a good one- and the details are always important.

We are actively engaged in the state’s Ocean Special Area Management Plan (SAMP) process, which was formed by the Coastal Resources Management Council to study and eventually zone and regulate the potential future uses of Rhode Island’s coastal waters for different uses-including wind generators.

While no governmental process is a panacea, we believe the SAMP represents a sound approach that gathers valuable scientific data and considers the input of a wide range of stakeholders to develop a comprehensive plan for the future.

Save The Bay will not end-run the SAMP process and take a position for or against any hypothetical project within its study area. First we need the hard facts, then we can undertake a meaningful analysis of environmental risks, potential benefits, and any trade-offs on existing or future uses.

The SAMP process does not and cannot take the place of applicable state and federal regulation and permitting. Our main goal at this point is to ensure that the process is transparent, open, considers and works to obtain the best possible scientific information.

We also want to be sure that existing users, including the commercial and recreational fishing communities as well as waterfront municipalities, are explicitly included in the decision making process and never marginalized.

We are committed to bringing our best talent- legal, scientific, advocacy, and educational resources, to the table. And we’re in it for as long as it takes to get good information and make good policy that benefits the Bay and its people. JT

Salt Pond Kayak Safari this Saturday, September 27th

2007-09-27T16:19:00.001-04:00

Salt Ponds Coalition, our partners in conservation for Rhode Island's South County Coast, are hosting this great paddle on Point Judith Pond (where I spent summers as a kid and still do). I'll be there to give some perspective and provide support for the Coalition. -JT

For Immediate Release
Contact: Mark Bullinger

Salt Ponds Coalition Executive Director
401-322-3068

Salt Ponds Coalition to Host Guided Kayak Outing on Point Judith Pond
Fun and Informative with Expert Interpretation

CHARLESTOWN—The Salt Ponds Coalition (SPC) will sponsor an interpretive kayak trip on Point Judith Pond on Saturday September 29th, starting at the Marina Park boat launch (just off of Route 1 at the South County Hospital exit) in South Kingstown. The group will meet at the launch ramp at 8:30am and the plan is to get underway by 9:00am.

During the paddle, noted historian, naturalist, and author Prentice Stout, will point out places of interest and discuss the history of the pond. Art Ganz, a retired marine biologist, will talk about the pond environment with a focus on shellfish. John Torgan, Narragansett BayKeeper and seasonal resident of Point Judith Pond, will discuss conservation issues and describe the fishing fleet in the Harbor of Refuge. Pond Watcher Steve Endres will describe the process by which SPC monitors water quality in the pond. And, an expert on birding will offer insight on the pond and salt marsh habitat and point out interesting subjects encountered along the way.

"These trips are great fun," said Art Ganz, President of Salt Ponds Coalition and founder of the SPC kayak trips. "We will enjoy a leisurely paddle on a beautiful stretch of water and hear from people who know a lot of interesting facts about the ponds." Paddlers of all abilities are welcome, as are canoes, as long as they are able to safely navigate the local conditions. The trip will cover the upper section of the pond and will avoid areas of high boat traffic. The trip should be over around noon. For more information, please visit saltpondscoalition.org, or call 401-322-3068. SPC recommends participants bring sun block, drinking water, appropriate safety gear, and, of course, the boat and paddle of their choice.

Rain/high-wind/fog date is October 6th.

# # #

The Salt Ponds Coalition (SPC) was incorporated in 1986 with the objective of protecting and preserving the nine coastal ponds along Rhode Island's south coast. The mission of the Coalition is to educate the residents of the salt-ponds watershed area on issues relating to the health of the ponds; act as a conduit between citizens of our coastal communities and state and federal governments; implement programs to enhance the environment of the salt ponds; and make the Coalition's ecosystem experience available to other organizations. SPC welcomes new members to join in the effort to protect the salt ponds.
For more information on joining the SPC, please visit
www.saltpondscoalition.org or call 401-322-3068

Salt Ponds Coalition
PO Box 875, Charlestown, RI 02813
Saltpondnews@saltpondscoalition.org

Weaver's Cove LNG is Dead

2007-05-31T11:17:00.000-04:00

The recent letter from US Coast Guard Captain Roy A. Nash, Captain of the Port of Providence and Southeastern New England, denies a critical certificate and effectively seals the fate of Weaver's Cove LNG. (Read the letter at http://savebay.org/USCGDeniesWeaversLNG.pdf) Despite Weaver's Coves' spokes-flac's comments that they plan to press on, it now seems impossible that Hess' vision of a massive LNG facility in Fall River will come to be.

While we are not opposed to LNG in general, the Taunton River is too fragile, ecologically important, and crowded a waterway to support a facility of this scale. The dredging alone would have severe and permanent impacts on the river bed and marine life. We urge Hess and Weaver's Cove to try again and propose a different location for and LNG port that is not as sensitive or as densely populated.

More importantly, it is now time to press forward with plans to designate the Taunton River as a National Wild and Scenic River. Legislation has once again been introduced in this year's Congress to do this, and Save The Bay is profoundly grateful to Representatives McGovern, Frank, and Senator Kerry for doing it. We also commend Rhode Island's delegation, particularly Senators Reed and Whitehouse and Congressman Kennedy for their work on behalf of the Taunton River. This is not a NIMBY game as some like to say. It's about having a vision for what we DO want our rivers and coastline to be. We want the Taunton to be beautiful and ecolgically-sound forever and we want to keep it as a regional and national treasure. Now that Weaver's Cove LNG is in the recycle bin of bad ideas, it's time to move to secure Wild and Scenic for the Taunton. -JT

Deval Patrick Opposes Weaver's Cove LNG

2007-05-04T13:10:00.000-04:00

Wednesday night I went to the Fall River Town Meeting hosted by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. To the delight of the Fall River audience, the Governor re-asserted his opposition to the Weaver's Cove LNG project.

Governor Patrick did ask the audience to help identify an appropriate site for an LNG terminal to meet the region's energy needs, and stated that he is not opposed to LNG as a fuel source.

I thought his comments were spot-on, and we appreciate his leadership on this critical issue. JT

"Most Important Fish In The Sea"

2007-04-19T15:11:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow evening (Friday April 20th), Save The Bay will host a discussion and booksigning by author H. Bruce Franklin about his latest book The Most Important Fish in the Sea about the history of the Atlantic menhaden fishery in the United States.

Menhaden management is a controversial topic and I'm sure Professor Franklin's talk will stimulate a lively discussion.

The event is at Save The Bay at 6:30 PM. It is free and open to the public, but reservations are required. Please e-mail me at jtorgan@savebay.org if you would like to come. JT

New LNG Website

2007-03-23T16:19:00.000-04:00

Hi-

It's been a busy winter, and I'm ready for spring! Lately, I've been spending a lot of time working on the menhaden issue and on Save The Bay's work with our partner groups along Rhode Island's South County Coast.

The latest on menhaden is that we're still working hard to facilitate a compromise between the recreational anglers who are pushing for a full commercial closure in the Bay and the Lobstermen who are extremely concerned that the proposed closure would jeopardize their bait supply and hurt their industry. We think there's some middle ground here that will achieve greater protection for the fish while still allowing a sustainable fishery and getting much better data.

On The South County Coast, we've been working to promote marine conservation, better coastal management, and improved water quality. I've had the privilege of working with the Nature Conservancy recently on a broader ecosystem-based management plan for the region. We're hoping to ramp that work up in the coming months

Today I want to direct your attention to a new website www.stopweaverscove.com. We helped design this site to serve as a resource to everyone involved in the fight for responsible LNG siting. There's breaking news there, so check it out! -JT

Update on Over-Winter Striped Bass

2007-02-24T11:48:00.000-05:00

I've heard from lots of readers asking for an update on over-winter striped bass in Rhode Island. Yesterday, Captain Al Anderson, charter boat captain and the king of winter bass fishing on the Thames River in CT, contacted me to share an article he wrote on this subject for the Underwater Naturalist, a publication of the American Littoral Society. Rather than try to summarize, I reprinted the text of Captain Anderson's fascinating article below. Thanks Captain!

I have been fishing a few times in the Providence River this winter. November, December and early January were exceptionally mild, and so fish seemed to be spread out throughout the river and were difficult to catch. On New Year's Eve Day (Dec 31st), I observed a large school of adult menhaden in the Seekonk River with bass pushing them (but failed to catch any).

More recently, fiercely cold weather has concentrated schools of bass in the Upper Providence River and Water Place in the vicinity of the Manchester Street Power Station. When not iced over, I have had good success there.

I'd say about 30% of the fish I caught had the sores, lesions, and fin-rot I described last January. I still don't know what that disease is, but the few biologists I have spoken to say they do not think it's mycobacteriosis which has infected fish in the Chesapeake. The common explanation is that these winter fish get beaten up and undernourished in winter, and are susceptible to infection. For what it's worth, I saw no diseased fish between March and November '06. I'm still very concerned about it, though, since no one knows for sure what it is.

Thanks for reading, and feel free to contact me at jtorgan@savebay.org.

See some recent pics below:

Tag Recapture of Thames River Over-Winter Stripers
by CAPT. AL ANDERSON
Vol. 27, No. 1 15

Several years ago I learned the Thames
River in Norwich, CT, hosted tremendous
numbers of over-wintering striped bass.
This raised a slew of questions, to which I
could find no answers.

Recognizing a unique situation, I embarked on a project
of tagging these fish in the hopes of learning
more about their biology. Since then
I've confirmed some of what we know, as
well as creating questions only others will
be able to answer.

Over a period of seven years, beginning
in 1997, 111 trips were made to the
Thames to catch, tag and release overwintering
striped bass from November
through April. During this period 6,569
stripers, mostly juveniles, were tagged for
the American Littoral Society (ALS). The
bulk of the fish were caught in the river
channel north of the Pequot Bridge to the
basin area at Chelsea Landing below
downtown Norwich.

Unseasonably warm weather in the Fall
of 2001 allowed increased effort to nearly
double the numbers marked that season.
In 2002, charter trips to the river nearly
tripled, undoubtedly due to increased
awareness by the angling public. When
asked if I've ever recaptured one of these
6,569 fish, the answer is no! This hasn't
happened yet, but many have been recaptured
in the Thames and elsewhere by
other anglers.

Thames River

Three major Connecticut rivers carry
freshwater into Long Island Sound. The
largest, the Connecticut, with a drainage
basin of 11,200 sq. miles, is followed by
the Housatonic River (1,930 sq. miles),
and the Thames (1,400 sq. miles). Both
the Shetucket and Yantic Rivers feed the
Thames River (formerly called the
Pequot), which collectively drain 510 sq.
miles. Only the Thames River reportedly
hosts significant numbers of over-wintering
striped bass, and there is no evidence
of a striper spawning population there.

Over-Wintering

It appears that 30 or 40 thousand or more
striped bass have congregated here each
winter in recent times. In 1999 Bob
Sampson, Jr. and I used an underwater
video camera to survey an area in the basin
at Chelsea Landing. In it was a school of
fish 250 yds. long by 15 yds. wide by 10
yds. deep. Sampson calculated that approximately
30,000 fish made up this school,
which he profiled in a story for a N.E.
Edition of The FISHERMAN magazine.
Furthermore, my research uncovered a
Boston newspaper article reporting that
following a warm, wet Southeaster that
broke up river ice, 20,000 stripers were
haul-seined at Chelsea Landing over several
days in February, 1729. Tremendous
numbers of fish undoubtedly over-wintered
here long before colonial times.

Several features may facilitate overwintering
here, including water depths
approaching 48 ft., significant daily tidal
flushing (2.7' rise), proximity (14 miles)
to the deeper waters of Long Island
Sound, flow of freshwater from the
Shetucket and Yantic Rivers, and high
late-season forage abundance (vertebrate
and invertebrate) due to connection with
several large tidal coves and creeks.

Captain Anderson runs a charter fishing
boat out of Snug Harbor, RI. He concentrates
on striped bass but also goes offshore
for tuna, cod, and other prey. He can be reached at ahatuna@aol.com

Underwater Naturalist
Catch, Tag & Release

Fishing occurred by means of rod and
reel from several outboard powered boats
trailered to various river launching ramps.
Tackle was either conventional, spin or fly
rod. Single hook lures such as bucktail
and plastic tail jigs, small tubes and flies
were used to minimize tissue damage or
injury, as initial attempts ('97) using
multi-hook plugs were found to be highly
unsatisfactory.

The bulk of the fish were caught along
river channel edges with conventional
tackle trolling mini-umbrella frames
sporting several single hook lures on relatively
short lines, which resulted in short
fight times. Fish boated were placed on a
tagging board and eyes quickly covered
with a wet towel to minimize any stress
due to thrashing. "Lock-on" loop tags
were placed in the back between the anterior
and posterior dorsal fins.

Time out of water for unhooking, tagging,
measuring, and releasing was kept to
a minimum. Weights were not taken, but
estimated from a published striped bass
length to weight chart.

Seasonal surface water temperatures
ranged from the low 50's F to low 30's F.
Upper river areas demonstrated a constant
seaward flow of fresh water over a deeper
wedge of tidal salt water, in which most
fish were located. Trip catch, tag and
release averaged 59 stripers; however
ideal conditions allowed for as many as
150 fish to be marked in a single trip.
Juvenile fish, less than age 3 (<11">

Recapture Rates

Most ALS tagged stripers are recaptured
within three years of tagging. Thus,
near maximum possible returns have now
occurred for fish marked in '97-'00 . For
these four years, 2,298 tags have yielded
133 returns, for a 5.8% recapture rate
(Table 1), somewhat higher than the mean
of 4.5% for ALS taggers.

By the end of 2003, 252 (3.8%) of the
6,621 ALS tagged bass had been reported
recaptured. The potential to recapture any
of these tagged fish is, of course, an ongoing
situation. For example, a fish
tagged in '01 may be recaptured in 2004,
adding to the total number. Checking
Table 1, there were slightly more recaps
for fish tagged in '02, due to much larger
numbers marked that year. Conversely,
those T/R in 2003 have been out the least
amount of time, hence less chance for
recapture despite marking significant
numbers. If our recapture rate of the first
Ned Kittredge in his just-launched skill in downtown Norwich, CT, on a cold January
morning.

Next stop: striped bass.
Vol. 27, No. 1 17
three years of approx. 6% holds, we can
expect many more returns for 2001, 2002,
and 2003 tagged fish.

Recaptured fish in '97 averaged 16"
(Total Length) at tagging, and ranged
from 13" to 22". In '98, recaptured fish
averaged 18" TL at tagging, and ranged
from 13" to 29", and in '99 averaged 20"
TL at tagging, ranging from 13" to 30".
In 2,000, recaptured fish averaged 21" TL
at tagging, ranging from 13" to 30". In
2001 fish averaged 17" TL at tagging, and
ranged from 14" to 27". In 2002 fish
averaged 17" TL at tagging, and ranged in
size from 12" to 44". In 2003 fish averaged
19" TL at release and ranged in size
from 12" to 38". ( Table 2.) The progressive
increase in size of fish marked in '97-
'99 may have been due to several factors:
return of a year class for several years,
modification of fishing techniques, and
chance recapture reporting of larger fish.

Unfortunately, failure to provide valuable
recapture information by some fishermen
prevents valid reporting on length
and weight increases during at-liberty
times.

Would it surprise you to learn 48 of the
98 recaptures (49%) for the years '97-'99
came from the Thames River itself? Of
these, 11 were at liberty for over a year,
suggesting some fish return several years
in a row. At the present time, 85 fish
(34%) of all Thames stripers tagged
through 2003 have been recaptured therein,
the majority between November and
April.

Of the remaining 167 fish, 141 came
from 21 other New England rivers (See
Appendix), along with one each from the
Hudson and East River, NY. Studies published
in 1987 by Fabrizio estimated that
Hudson River origin bass make up 90% of
the Long Island Sound fishery.

Not all recaptures report the body of
water involved. If an inland municipality
was named, it was assumed the recapture
occurred in a river flowing through it, i.e.,
Derby, CT, is on the Housatonic River.
For that reason, several rivers named were
assumed to be the site of recapture though
not actually mentioned in recapture
reports.

Catch & Release Mortality

A striped bass hooking mortality study
published by Diodoti and Richards (MA
DMF) in l996 concluded that angler experience,
which was significantly correlated
to handling time, was a major factor
affecting survival of released fish. They
reported that experienced anglers helped
reduce fight times, substantially lowering
the mortality of catch and release.

Our results reflect a minimal fight time
due to small fish size and the use of short
lines, single hook lures, followed by brief
handling time, all complemented by seasonally
low water temperatures that
enhance survival rates. No doubt intense
seasonal fishing pressure along the river
significantly contributed to the elevated
recapture rate as well.

Habitat Preference

Does it surprise you to learn the bulk of
the recaptures came from New England
rivers? Juvenile fish prefer these habitats,
as estuarine environments offer tremendous
feeding opportunities. However, as
fish age and mature, habitat preferences
change, which undoubtedly contributes to
diminishing tag recaptures. Increased
swimming strength creates improved foraging
ability enabling them to make use of
deeper and stronger current waters of bays
and sounds. This habitat change reduces
the chance of recapture by shore-based
fishermen, who far outnumber those in
boats.

Therefore, it seems reasonable to
assume this may be the primary reason
why most ALS tagged fish, which are
school size (juveniles), are recaptured
within 3 years of their tagging.

Maturation leads to increased swimming
ability which changes habitat preferences.
Consequently, they become less susceptible
to recapture by shore based anglers.

Time at Liberty

Time at liberty for '97 to '99 tagged fish
ranged from as little as 4 days to 906 days.
For fish tagged in '97, the average time at
liberty was 327 days. However, the average
time at liberty was only 217 days for
fish tagged in '98, and 214 days for '99
fish. Several '97 tagged fish with near 3
year at-liberty periods contributed to this
disparity. A total of 28 trips occurred during
'97-'99, 12 during a winter-spring period
and 16 during an autumn-winter period.
Although it appears a disproportion
exists between the recapture percentage
for '98 tagged fish as compared to '97 and
'99, given the small sample number
involved, 5 additional recaptures (<1%)>

Hudson River Stocks

Various publications have reported that,
based on tagging information, Hudson
River-origin fish migrate annually in an
easterly direction. Assuming the bulk of
Thames over-winter fish have a Hudson
origin, tag-recaptures from ME, NH MA,
RI, and CT continue to confirm this
behavior.

Recaptures have come from 22 other
New England River systems including the
Merrimack River, MA, and adjacent estuarine
environs, which ranks as the primary
recapture zone. I'm reminded this estuarine
environment play a tremendously
important role in the maturation of these
stocks.

Also, to a lesser degree, other southern
New England rivers, along with coastal
ponds, are presently being utilized by
over-wintering populations, possibly the
result of competition in the Hudson
(resources in the Hudson may no longer
be able to support any more fish).

Stock Origin

Our recapture of tagged fish would help
answer the question of whether
Chesapeake or Delaware origin stocks utilize
the Thames for over-wintering.
During '97-'03, friends, clients, or myself
recaptured a total of 22 tagged stripers
from the Thames marked elsewhere.
These fish bore either U.S. Fish &
Wildlife Service (USFWS), American
Littoral Society (ALS), or Hudson River
Foundation (HRF) tags.

Two of the 6 USFWS stripers were
marked south of the New York Bight area,
one from Delaware Bay, the other from
Newport News, VA. This suggests that
few fish with a mid-Atlantic origin join
those from the Hudson to winter-over in
the Thames. In support of that premise,
we have yet to recapture any other
Thames stripers tagged in the Chesapeake
or Delaware areas.

The other 4 juvenile stripers were
tagged for the USFWS by either the New
York Department of Environmental
Conservation (NYDEC) or the
Connecticut Department of
Environmental Protection (CTDEP) in
either New York or Connecticut waters.
All ALS recaptured fish were initially
tagged north and east of New Jersey, suggesting
a Hudson-origin for these fish.

Schooling Fidelity

Our HRF tagged fish recaptures
occurred in '00, '01 and '03, all initially
tagged one or more years prior in the
lower Hudson or New York Harbor. In
December of 2001, three of the 7 HRF
tagged stripers were recaptured on three
consecutive trips to the Thames. All
recaps occurred in same area, and all were
initially marked within weeks of one
another off lower Manhattan.

Assuming these fish came from the same massive
school in the Hudson, their recapture supports
the establishment of schooling
fidelity at a young age. At the present
time HRF tag-recaptured fish outnumber
those of other tagging agencies, further
evidence suggesting most Thames overwintering
fish have a Hudson origin. Few
juvenile Hudson-origin fish are believed
to migrate south to mid-Atlantic areas,
with little evidence, if any, for their overwintering
in that region of the seaboard.

Hudson River Foundation

The Hudson River Foundation began a
Tag Recovery Program in 1984, and since
that time more than 250,000 striped bass
have been tagged. Tagging occurs chiefly
between November and April, targeting
age-1 to age-3 fish in the lower Hudson
off Manhattan. Fish are caught with use
of trawl nets by professional biologists,
and internal anchor (belly) tags are
attached prior to release. In the winter of
'01, approximately 14,000 stripers were
tagged. Annual recaptures from all tagging
years range from about 700 to 1400,
with recapture sites occurring from the
Bay of Fundy to Cape Hatteras.

Juvenile fish make treks that boggle the
mind. In fact, school-size stripers may
travel greater distances than adult fish. I
was introduced to the marvels of striper
movements decades ago ('68) when a
small striper I tagged in the Annapolis
Basin, Nova Scotia, was recaptured the
following spring in the Choptank River, a
tributary of Chesapeake Bay. I believe
this was the first record of an internationally
traveled tag-recaptured striped bass
for the ALS.

Brokenstripedness

Contrary to angler opinion, the origin of
a fish cannot be recognized by a visibly
pronounced broken stripe pattern called
"brokenstripedness". Although this morphological
aberration occurs in both wild
and hatchery reared fish, brokenstripedness
is significantly more pronounced in
hatchery reared fish. Millions of hatchery
reared fish released into both the Hudson
and Chesapeake tributaries demonstrate a
high percentage of this morphological
deformity. Studies suggest it is not genetically
based, but relates to a hatchery environment.

Recapture data indicate that stripers are
able to find their way back to favored
areas two or more years running. For
example, I've tagged bass at Block Island's
North Rip and recaptured them in the
same area a year or two later not once, but
on seven different occasions. All 12 of
my personal striper recaptures occurred in
areas in which they were initially tagged
weeks, months, or years prior.

After wintering in the Thames, the onset
of sexual maturity may drive a striped
bass to return to its birthplace in the
Hudson to spawn. Both juvenile and adult
bass winter-over in the Hudson; however
some young fish may return to the Thames
in the fall to spend another winter.

Stock Contingent

At the present time, evidence suggests
the bulk of these O-W fish are Hudson
River stock origin, and are a probable long
term contingent. How does a one year old
striper know to search out the Thames for
over-wintering? My guess is those fish
are programmed to do so (it's in the
DNA). This probably came about eons
ago due to intense competition in the
Hudson resulting from high stock abundance.

Could it be those fish that wintered
in the Thames ages ago, which provided a
sanctuary due to its deep water, close
proximity to L.I. Sound, a diurnal tidal
saltwater wedge, and high forage abundance
were so successful they passed the
"instinct" on to future generations? My
guess is yes.

Thames river over-wintering striped
bass are doing what countless generations
have done before them. No doubt the rich
forage abundance of New England rivers
centuries ago, coupled with a species biomass
greater than could be supported in
the Hudson, led to the development of this
behavior. The Thames has long suited this
behavior, serving now as a window back
into history. I feel privileged every winter-
time I visit it.

These fish are creatures of habit. They
are programmed that way because it has
contributed to success of the species.
However, we can't help but wonder about
their future. In the meantime, there will
be days spent tagging when air and water
temperatures will have me questioning my
sanity. The more we learn about striper
behavior, the more questions arise, confirming
much remains to be learned.
Rivers of Recapture
NEW YORK
East River, Hudson River
CONNECTICUT
Connecticut, Housatonic, Mystic, Niantic, Thames
RHODE ISLAND
Barrington, Pawcatuck, Pettaquamscutt, Providence,
MASSACHUSETTS
Annisquam, Bass, North, Seekonk, Westport,
Weweeantic
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Merrimack, Piscataqua
MAINE
Saco, Mousam, Scarborough, Kennebeck, Penobscot
TAGGING ACTIVITY
Year Fish Number of Trip Catch Number
T&R TRIPS AVER. RECAPTURED %
1997 377 9 42 26 6.9%
1998 560 11 51 33 5.9%
1999 582 8 73 43 7.2%
2000 779 12 65 31 4.0%
2001 1,340 22 61 45 3.0%
2002 1,855 31 60 56 3.0%
2003 1,076 18 66 18 <>

Dredging Trash Fouls RI South Coast

2007-01-26T15:54:00.000-05:00

From today's Providence Journal:

Beachgoers find one man’s trash is not another man’s treasure

01:00 AM EST on Friday, January 26, 2007

By Katie Mulvaney Journal Staff Writer

John Torgan, Narragansett Baykeeper with Save the Bay and Peter Manning, a Matunuck surfer, observe trash just east of the Ocean Mist, such as the beer can, below, that has washed ashore during the beach replenishment project.
The Providence Journal / Frieda Squires

SOUTH KINGSTOWN — The beach replenishment project is surely bringing sand to Matunuck’s shores, but along with it is coming reams of rope, rubber gloves and pop-top beer cans galore.

Lobster bands littered the beach like confetti yesterday as concerned citizens and environmental officials inspected the coastline near Deep Hole, a prime fishing and surfing spot. It appears that the dredging project under way at the Harbor of Refuge is digging up three decades of trash that has fallen or been thrown off boats. Now that waste is landing on the beaches as a result of a plan to dump the dredged material just offshore to restore Matunuck’s storm-stripped beaches.

“This was supposed to be clean sand and gravel from Point Judith Pond. … We were under the understanding there was no garbage,” said John Torgan, Baykeeper with Save the Bay.
Save the Bay, which was contacted by the Rhode Island Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, is asking that work be suspended until it is determined to be safe to proceed.

“We may need to stop this dredging project until this is all sorted out,” Torgan said.

Laura Ricketson, spokeswoman for the state Coastal Resources Management Council, said the refuse was not hazardous.

“None of it’s contaminated. This is all stuff that has been either lost overboard or tossed overboard,” she said.

A tour of the beach in the vicinity of Deep Hole and the Ocean Mist found fishing nets, rubber gloves and boots, hoses, a leather belt and hundreds of pop-top beer cans, some apparently dating to when the harbor was last dredged 30 years ago.

Ricketson said there were no plans to stop the dredging. The CRMC is the state sponsor of the dredging operation, which is being overseen by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

“If we pull out now, the channel will not be navigable,” she said. “We have to weigh having non-hazardous material wash up on the beach and having the channel not be safe.”

Work began last month to remove 90,000 cubic yards of sand and sediment from about 20 acres encompassing the harbor channels and anchorage areas. A natural buildup of silt and sand in the port’s channel was making navigation hazardous, according to the Army Corps.

Under local pressure to help replenish the area’s eroding beaches, the Army Corps agreed to dispose the dredged material at two locations in the intertidal zone off Matunuck. On average, a dump scow has been releasing two loads a day.

By contract, Newborn Construction Inc., the contractor, must separate the trash from the fill, said Michael Walsh, project manager for the Army Corps. While workers are detecting larger items, smaller debris, such as beer cans, is getting through.

Walsh said he had heard only one other complaint about debris which followed a coastal storm about a month ago.

“Our hope is what’s washed up is a pocket,” Walsh said. “In the harbor, some people throw stuff away. I think we hit a spot where people were being irresponsible and dumping offshore.”
The debris is believed to have been pulled from the dock area, Ricketson said.

Newborn has agreed to clean the beaches in the coming days, weather permitting, Walsh said. The project must be completed by March 15, in time for winter flounder to spawn.

“At this point we’re going to have it cleaned up, as necessary,” she said, describing the work as “manageable.”

The debris has proved upsetting to those who frequent the beach.

A friend told Peter Manning, a local surfer, about old beer cans washing up earlier this week. A collector, he was shocked by what he found.

“I wanted to vomit,” he said. Waste that he and others spotted included radiator hoses, fan belts and an oil filter.

“They need to stop dumping so close to shore. This is toxic stuff,” he said.

Manning spent yesterday morning alerting state and environmental officials, along with members of the Rhode Island Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation. The foundation raised concerns in the planning phases of the project about the makeup of the dredged material. The Army Corps has said it tested clean.

“We understood that this area had to be dredged. We just wanted to make sure pollution wasn’t added to the water column,” said David Prescott, chairman of the state chapter. “Our biggest concern is that this is done in the right way and that this isn’t going to affect our beach in the wintertime.”

“This was supposed to be clean sand and gravel from Point Judith Pond. … We were under the understanding there was no garbage.” John Torgan, Baykeeper with Save the Bay

Weaver's Cove Secret LNG Meetings Avoid the Main Issues

2007-01-19T12:32:00.000-05:00

Today's story in the East Bay section of the Providence Journal (below) demonstrates that Weaver's Cove LNG is still alive and kicking, despite numerous recent setbacks for the proposed facility in Fall River. It is ridiculous and outrageous that Weaver's Cove is meeting with local and municipal officials to discuss security issues without the host community's participation. This is another blatant attempt by Hess LNG to buy community support by promising to finance the onerous security entourage this proposal would require to protect LNG tankers throughout Narragansett Bay.

More to the point, whatever happened with last year's "Mini-tanker" proposal Weaver's Cove was pushing? Is it possible that whole modification was just a bluff to keep the project's dubious viability alive after Congress preserved the old Brightman Street Bridge by law? Maybe so, but the Coast Guard and other security experts still want to see more information on how these mini-tankers would navigate that narrow gauntlet between the old and new bridges of the Taunton River. Until detailed, professional pilot assessments and security analyses are submitted, the permit process for Weaver's Cove is stalled.

The Army Corps will not process the dredging application without a favorable navigation safety recommendation from the Coast Guard, and none of the other federal, state, or local permits really matter if Weaver's Cove cannot dredge. My advice to Hess? Let's talk about offshore LNG and dump Fall River. JT

Local officials attend closed-door LNG meeting

01:00 AM EST on Friday, January 19, 2007

By Michael P. McKinney Journal Staff Writer

FALL RIVER — With a security guard watching the stairs, the company proposing a liquefied-natural-gas terminal barred reporters and the public from an invitation-only meeting yesterday that began getting safety and security input from several Massachusetts police and fire officials for the Weaver’s Cove Energy project’s eventual emergency management plan.

For many residents in Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island’s East Bay, a major question at hearings has been how, in more detail, safety and security would be handled at a Fall River site and with LNG-carrying tankers traversing water in two states. But at the private Quequechan Club, the 2 p.m. meeting — up the stairs in the second-floor Mount Hope Room — was off-limits to three reporters as well as a man who opposes the location of the project about a half-mile from his home.

A similar closed meeting for invited Rhode Island police, fire and other first-response officials is expected to be held at the club today.

But James A. Grasso, a company spokesman who took questions at length inside the club’s lobby where the reporters gathered, said there was important reason for several such expected meetings being tailored to first responders whose specialties are emergency preparation.
“It’s a security-preparedness meeting,” Grasso said, “and if we open it to the public, some of the things they are going to be talking about would not be very secure for very long.”
He said: “We are in the process of formulating a plan and we believe we need local officials, state officials and federal officials” from whom to solicit input. And he added that just like the city’s hospitals, as well as other city facilities that already involve chemicals such as chlorine or propane, the LNG facility must come up with the emergency preparation and response plan as part of the permitting process.

Grasso said he thought that at some point, some of what is part of these meetings could be disseminated, but that it was premature at this point to say. He reiterated that the LNG industry has a strong safety record for 40 years.

But officials of the very city that would host the facility boycotted yesterday’s meeting, after Mayor Edward M. Lambert Jr., the police chief and fire chief consulted on the matter. One city volunteer emergency-management official showed up, but later left, Lambert said, after learning that Fall River was not taking part. Lambert said invitations from the company to individual departments’ officials, such as the police chief, had not included notification to the mayor’s office.

“We have long agreed that there was no way to put together a viable security plan for that facility, and we communicated that many times to Weaver’s Cove,” said Lambert, who has staunchly opposed the project and made clear that city officials did not want to be, or appear, “co-opted” by the company.

And Lambert asserted the meeting was little more than a “charade” put on for shareholders of the company proposing the project. He argued that with two other LNG sites getting approvals during former Gov. Mitt Romney’s administration, the Fall River proposal “is dying a slow death.”

Grasso denied the meeting was put on for shareholders, saying it had been long planned and involved acquiring data in recent years to present to attendees. He also said, “Why would [city emergency officials] boycott the meeting? It’s in their best interest to attend.”
And he asserted that not having Fall River’s emergency officials’ involvement does not stop the company from moving forward to get its emergency-management plan approved.
Topics discussed yesterday were not clear, but some who left at the conclusion would say only that it was a general introductory session.

A precise count of attendees was difficult. Grasso estimated 25 to 30. After reporters had asked several arriving attendees for names and departments, Marcia MacClary, a spokeswoman for Weaver’s Cove Energy, told the security guard to tell people walking in that they did not have to give names or whom they represented.

Among those who attended were Lt. Robert Perry, representing the office of Bristol County District Sheriff Thomas Hodgson; Barry Wante, a homeland security officials with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency; as well as uniformed representatives of the Massachusetts Environmental Police.

Latest on Weaver's Cove LNG

2007-01-11T10:02:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, the international trade journal World Gas Intelligence reported that the two offshore LNG projects proposed near Gloucester, MA, are seen as leading the Weaver's Cove LNG project for Fall River. While officials from Hess LNG are spinning it to say that the State's support for the offshore projects means they recognize the need for LNG in general, Hess is missing the point everyone else finally seems to get: No one supports the Weaver's Cove project because the environmental and public safety risks are far too great.

While we certainly don't wish an LNG terminal on our neighboring waters, any offshore LNG option makes more sense than putting a terminal in a densely populated city at the top of a congested waterway. Offshore terminals may appear to cost more up front, but it's much easier to permit, safer for the general population, easier to secure, and minimizes any use conflict. Inshore terminals may appear cheaper up front, but when we calculate the costs of dredging and disposal, site remediation and construction, environmental damage and mitigation, and consider the lack of political support and indefinite uncertainty of a number of key permits, who would invest in Weaver's Cove at this point?

If they have any clue, Hess, Poten and Partners, and the other backers of Weaver's Cove will come up with a competing offshore strategy rather than continue to beat this dead horse. -JT

Don't Miss East Bay Anglers' Winter Seminar

2006-12-08T11:48:00.000-05:00

On January 9th, 2007, 7PM at Barrington High School, the East Bay Anglers Association will be hosting a special mulit-media fishing seminar designed to appeal to audiences of all ages. The event will feature presentations from 4 expert local fishermen and outdoor writers Mike Laptew, Bill Nolan, Captain Jim White, and Steve "Van Staal" McKenna.

All of these guys know a ton about Narragansett Bay. Mike Laptew is a legendary underwater photographer and an old friend of Save The Bay. He'll be showing some of his latest fabulous under-bay footage. Nolan, White, and McKenna are all top-notch anglers and know how to make fishing fun and exciting for a wide range of audiences.

I will be there representing Save The Bay and to support the East Bay Anglers. This is a great way to beat winter cabin fever and connect with like-minded fishing fanatics from ages 3 to 103.

This may be a sold-out show... to reserve tickets, call Will Barbeau at 245-8375

Save The Bay is proud to support the East Bay Anglers

- JT

EPA Reissues Strong Brayton Point Permit

2006-12-01T10:59:00.000-05:00

EPA Region 1 today re-issued the discharge permit for Brayton Point power plant. The decision can be viewed on EPA's website here.

This is a major victory for the Bay, or at least a small part of one. The text of our press release follows:

Save The Bay Applauds
Strong EPA Permit for Brayton Point

For Immediate Release:
Dec. 1, 2006
Contact: John Torgan (401) 272-3540, ext. 116
jtorgan@savebay.org

Spalding calls for “aggressive” effort to make reach compliance

PROVIDENCE (December 1, 2006) – The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 1 today issued the final pieces of a permit requiring the Brayton Point power plant to reduce its use of water by roughly 95%. Today’s ruling by EPA responds to a 2003 appeal by the plant’s owners, Dominion Power of Virginia, and further appeals are likely.

“Brayton Point has been ruining Mount Hope Bay for decades and this permit is long overdue. EPA has done great work, but as long as this permit is under appeal the damage continues. We urge Dominion to accept the new permit conditions and begin an aggressive construction schedule to come back into compliance with the Clean Water Act,” said Curt Spalding, Executive Director.

Brayton Point Station, in Somerset Massachusetts, is New England’s largest and dirtiest power plant. Each day, the station withdraws nearly one billion gallons of water from the Bay to cool its generators, which it then discharges at temperatures of up to 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Not only does this process warm the shallow waters of Mount Hope Bay, Narragansett Bay’s northeastern arm, it also sucks in and destroys trillions of fish eggs and larvae each year.

In 1985, Brayton Point added a new cooling water intake and increased its discharge, and generating capacity, by about 45%. Immediately, fishermen began to report troubling declines in the local fish stocks, calling the once productive Mount Hope Bay “a dead zone”. A decade later, a study by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management documented an 87% decline in the fish populations of Mount Hope Bay, a trend not reflected in other parts of the Bay or New England region.

Save The Bay strongly advocated for the once-through cooling system to be banned. In 2002, EPA issued a draft discharge permit calling for Brayton Point’s flow to be reduced from nearly one billion to forty five million gallons per day. The plant’s owners appealed that permit to EPA’s Administrative Appeals Board (EAB) in Washington, DC. In February, 2006, the EAB handed down a ruling supporting Region 1’s permit in part, but remanding certain key parts back to the regional office. Today, EPA essentially upheld its original work.

After several 60-day administrative review windows, the permit is expected to be appealed to the US Court of Appeals 1st Circuit. During appeals, the existing operating regime of the plant will continue.

###

Yet another LNG Hearing...

2006-11-27T10:45:00.000-05:00

Hi, folks-

The State of Massachusetts is holding a public hearing on the Chapter 91/Waterways license for the proposed Weaver’s Cove Energy LNG project Monday, December 11th at 6:30PM at the Venus De Milo in Swansea, MA. This is another important opportunity to get comments and concerns on the record. The full public notice follows:

DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
WATERWAYS REGULATION PROGRAM

Notice of License Application pursuant to M. G. L Chapter 91 Waterways License
Application Nos. W04-1023D (Dredge), W04-1031 (LNG Facility) & W04-1030 (Pipeline)
Weavers Cove Energy, LLC & Mill River Pipeline, LLC

NOTIFICATION DATE: November 30,2006

PUBLIC HEARING DATE: December 11,2006

COMMENT PERIOD CLOSES: January 2,2007

Public notice is hereby given of the Waterways applications by Weavers Cove Energy. LLC to
dredge approximately 2.3 million cubic yards of sediment within Mount Hope Bay-Federal
Navigation Channel and the turning basin, to construct and maintain a liquid natural gas (LNG)
receiving 8 storage facility with auxiliary facilities, bulkhead, unloading platform 8 trestle service
platform 8 trestle, boat ramp, and floating dock, storm water outfall pipes and fill within the Mount Hope Bay Designated Port Area, off of 1 New Street in the municipality of Fall River in and over filled and flowed tidelands of the Taunton River, The Mill River Pipeline, LLC to dredge/backfill and to construct and maintain a gas transmission pipeline off of 1 New Street in the municipality of Fall River to an area off of Annette Avenue in the municipality of Somerset under filled and flowed tidelands of the Taunton River. The proposed projects have been determined to be water-dependent.

The Department of Environmental Protection Waterways Program, will conduct a Public hearing on the aforesaid projects on Monday. December 11. 2006. 6:30 PM. at Venus de Milo, 75 Grand Army Highway, Swansea, MA. The Department will conduct a public hearing in order to receive information to be used in its decision on whether to grant Waterways Licenses pursuant to M.G.L. Chapter 91. Directions to the Venus de Milo can be obtained by contacting the restaurant at, (508) 678-3901.

Additional information on these projects may be obtained by contacting Michael Howard of Epsilon Associates at (978) 897-7100.

The Department will consider all written comments on these Waterways applications received
within 30 days subsequent to the 'Notification Date". Failure of any aggrieved person or group of
ten citizens or more to submit written comments to the Waterways Regulation Program by the
Public Comments Deadline January 2, 20071 will result in the waiver of any right to an
adjudicatory hearing in accordance with 310 CMR 9.13(4)(c).

Projo Story on LNG Hearings

2006-11-16T11:02:00.000-05:00

The first RIDEM hearing on Weaver's Cove LNG's happened on Tuesday night. There's another hearing on 11/20. See the attached Providence Journal story by Alex Kuffner, also available on www.projo.com:

Lynch asks DEM to put a stop to dredging plan

01:00 AM EST on Wednesday, November 15, 2006

By Alex KuffnerJournal Staff Writer

TIVERTON — Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch last night called on the state Department of Environmental Management to suspend its review of an application to dredge a section of Mount Hope Bay that would clear the way for tanker ships to reach a proposed liquefied natural gas terminal in Fall River.

At a public hearing on the dredging plan at Tiverton High School, Lynch, a staunch opponent of the construction of the $250-million terminal, called the application submitted by Weaver’s Cove Energy and Hess LNG inadequate and said the companies had shown “callous disrespect” and “gross disregard for officials in the state” and its coastal residents.

He said that in their application to dredge up to 230,000 cubic yards from 33 acres in the Rhode Island portion of the Bay, the companies had failed to provide essential information about the potential negative impact on water quality and marine life.

“What do they do? At best, provide misinformation,” he said to DEM officials and an audience of 50 people from Rhode Island and Massachusetts, most of whom had come to speak against the proposal.

In a statement released before the hearing, Lynch urged the DEM to hold a separate evidentiary hearing on the dredging application.

“The general public, like RIDEM, deserves a response to these legitimate and serious ecological issues, and unless the applicant can be forthright about the known consequences of its plans, the RIDEM should not be wasting its time, and that of the public’s, reviewing an incomplete application,” he said in the statement.

The project companies have received approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Committee to build an LNG facility on 73 acres in Fall River’s north end fronting the Taunton River. The terminal would be supplied by tankers traveling north through Rhode Island waters. However, the 35-foot-deep shipping channel in Mount Hope Bay and the Taunton River is too shallow for the massive ships.

Weaver’s Cove and Hess propose deepening a seven-mile stretch to 37 feet and they need permission from local and state agencies to move ahead. The bulk of the project would be carried out in Massachusetts. In total, the companies would remove 2.6 million cubic yards of material from 191 acres in the Bay and river.

The companies say they would limit dredging during the three-year project to seven months a year from mid-June to mid-January to minimize damage to fish habitats.

Of the 15 people who submitted comments last night, 14 raised objections. Nobody from Weaver’s Cove or Hess spoke. The lone supporter of the proposal was Don Church, a retired Rhode Island boat pilot, who said Fall River’s economy would suffer without an adequate shipping channel.

The many opponents cited the harmful effects of disturbing what they said are buried toxic sediments that include zinc, copper and mercury and the potentially devastating effects of dredging on dwindling populations of winter flounder, herring, tautog, Atlantic sturgeon and other fish.

John Torgan, of Save the Bay, said dredging could exacerbate periods of hypoxia in Mount Hope Bay, cutting off oxygen to fish and shellfish. He and others told the DEM that the Taunton River, Mount Hope Bay and Narragansett Bay are part of a single ecosystem and asked them to also consider the dredging work in Massachusetts when reviewing the companies’ application.

Eric Hesher, of Portsmouth, said Rhode Island waters would suffer if buried pollutants around Fall River are dug up.

“Anything that’s up there is going to come down here,” he said.

State Rep. Raymond E. Gallison Jr., D-Bristol, Portsmouth, went one step further than Lynch’s request to suspend the dredging application. Gallison said Weaver’s Cove and Hess have no grounds to apply for a dredging permit because of a recently ratified state law he introduced that effectively prohibits LNG tankers from entering Rhode Island waters. The companies have said the law is unconstitutional.

Paul Roberti, a lawyer in Lynch’s office, said he and others would not give up their fight.
“The one thing we have are our natural resources,” he said. “They are not for sale. We will fight this to the end. This project will never happen.”

RIDEM to hold 2 Public Hearings on LNG Dredging

2006-11-13T17:50:00.000-05:00

RIDEM is holding 2 hearings on the RI component of Weaver Cove's dredging application. Although the RI portion is relatively small, it's still important to attend or write a letter of testimony.

Save The Bay is urging DEM to deny the permit and water quality certification based on the fact that this would be a damaging project and it has the potential to harm critical habitat for winter flounder, river herring, and other key estuarine species. The proposed disposal of all the dredged sediment (3 Million + cubic yards) would be in the Rhode Island sound site, so it would negatively impact RI's resources both during dredging and disposal. The dredged channel, called "improvement" dredging, is actually new deepening which will cause a permanent impact on the bottom of Mount Hope Bay and the Taunton River.

The public notice follows:

News Release: RI Department of Environmental Management235 Promenade Street, Providence, RI 02908(401) 222-2771 TDD/(401) 222-4462

For Release:
November 3, 2006

Contact:

Gail Mastrati 222-4700 ext. 2402Stephanie Powell 222-4700 ext. 4418

DEM TO HOLD TWO HEARINGS ON WEAVER COVE ENERGY LLC'S REQUEST TO DREDGE NAVIGATION CHANNEL IN MOUNT HOPE BAYPROVIDENCE -

The Department of Environmental Management announces that it will hold public hearings on November 14 in Tiverton and November 20 in Bristol regarding a request from Weaver's Cove Energy LLC of Fall River, MA for a dredge permit and water quality certificate to dredge approximately 140,000 cubic yards of sediment from the state's portion of the existing federal navigation channel in Mount Hope Bay.Under the proposal, the depth of the channel would be deepened from its original 35 feet to 37 feet.

About 40,000 cubic yards of sediment would be removed from depths of up to 35 feet as maintenance dredging. The remaining 100,000 cubic yards, considered "improvement dredging," would deepen the authorized channel by two feet. The proposal would also allow a one-foot depth margin of error because of the nature of the dredging equipment, which could add an additional 90,000 cubic yards of sediment to the total amount dredged.

The hearing on November 14 will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Tiverton High School auditorium, 100 North Brayton Road in Tiverton. The November 20 hearing will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Mount Hope High School auditorium at 199 Chestnut Street in Bristol.

Written comments will be accepted at the hearings and also via mail by November 20 to Ronald Gagnon at DEM's Office of Technical and Customer Assistance, 235 Promenade Street, Providence, RI 02928.

Questions regarding the public hearings should be directed to Ronald Gagnon at 222-6822 ext. 7500. Documents related to the proposed project can be reviewed at DEM Headquarters in Providence by appointment by calling 222-6822 ext. 7307.

Weaver's Cove LNG in Deep Trouble

2006-11-13T14:54:00.000-05:00

The proposed LNG terminal for Fall River has taken several major hits in this past week. First of all, the election will help take the momentum away from those who would force risky energy development into communities against the political will of the region. There are no guarantees, but it's likely that a democratic Congress will actually listen to the Governors and Delegations of Rhode Island and Massachusetts when they say they don't want Hess/Weaver's Cove in Fall River. Those "environmental" agency officials who are pawns of the oil and gas industry will be replaced, if we're lucky, with reasonable people who will work to plan a sustainable energy future for the Northeast instead of kowtowing to industry pressure from a greedy few.

Also, several proposed offshore LNG development projects will now get a leg up on the land-based competition. See today's Boston Globe story below on that...

It seems that between the Canadian Maritimes' facilities that can pipe LNG to New England and any of the proposed offshore facilities, there is no need to site any LNG terminals that would unduly risk the environment, the safety of our cities, or the rights and responsibilities of states to have a role in siting. A regional soultion has always been the most sensible soultion to the need for gas, and if they have any clue at all, Weaver's Cove and Hess will finally realize that their damaging proposal is a non-starter and that they should go back to the drawing board. JT

Romney may swing debate on LNG sites

Offshore approvals could slow land plans

By Beth Daley, Globe Staff November 13, 2006

In his last days in office, Governor Mitt Romney could dramatically alter the controversial debate about where to put new liquefied natural gas terminals as he decides the fate of two gas ports in the deep waters off Gloucester.

If Romney allows construction of one or both of the ports, 8 and 13 miles southeast of the fabled fishing city, they would get a head start on nearly a dozen proposed land-based LNG terminals from Rhode Island to Eastern Canada.

The offshore facilities could supply much of New England's projected natural gas needs for the immediate future, say some energy analysts, so their approval could delay -- if not outright kill -- the land-based projects.

The land terminals, including ones in Fall River and on a Boston Harbor island, have provoked stronger opposition from communities and politicians than the offshore ones because of safety concerns.

Federal laws give Romney no final say over the land-based projects, but he has veto power over the offshore proposals. In the past, he has said he favors offshore LNG over terminals on land because they are far from people in case of an explosion. But a spokesman last week said Romney is reserving final judgment until a public comment period is completed and a final state environmental review is released next month.

The US Maritime Administration, the lead permitting agency for offshore LNG, wrapped up public hearings last week on one of the projects, called Northeast Gateway. Tomorrow, the last hearing will be held on Neptune, the other project. Written comments on both will be accepted for several more weeks. The governor then has until Dec. 26 to make a decision on Northeast Gateway and Jan. 2 -- his second to last full day in office -- for Neptune. If he does nothing, the projects will automatically be approved.

New England needs at most two new LNG ports in the next five years to meet the region's growing energy demand, analysts predicted, and the offshore projects can be built much faster -- less than a year, compared with three years for land terminals. Natural gas consumption in New England is expected to grow some 25 percent by 2021, according to the Northeast Gas Association.

The Fall River proposal, known as Weavers Cove, has been approved by the federal government, but it remains mired in legal challenges and has faced intense public opposition because thousands of residents live nearby. "Clearly the offshore proposals will affect other projects and Fall River," said Neal B. Costello, a Boston lawyer who represents energy companies and is not involved in the current LNG proposals. "If these offshore projects do go forward, Weavers Cove is facing not only a political hurdle but an economic one."

A Weavers Cove official said last week that they still would build even if the offshore projects are approved because the proposed Fall River terminal is necessary to meet energy demand in the future.

Some analysts say it is too early to predict which LNG projects will be winners and losers because there are so many variables -- from the securing of long-term supplies of gas from overseas to lawsuits to stop construction.

A large LNG facility called Canaport is under construction in New Brunswick, and its plans to push gas into the New England market could erode the need for new LNG receiving ports or terminals. Some analysts say the Fall River terminal is needed because it will have the infrastructure to receive, store, and transport supercooled gas on peak demand days. The offshore ports are designed primarily to deliver vapor into the system that can't be stored, analysts said.

"The offshore projects will compete, but it won't necessarily drive Weavers Cove out," said John Meeske, president of Energy Market Decisions Inc., an energy firm in Hopkinton. "It could delay for a few years a land-based terminal, but it doesn't necessarily mean it will not be built, because demand continues to grow."

If Romney grants approval, Northeast Gateway officials say, they could be operating by December 2007. Neptune, proposed by Suez, the conglomerate that owns an Everett LNG facility, plans to go on line in 2009. Construction of an offshore terminal would not result in the closure of the land-based terminal in Everett.

The two offshore LNG ports would act as permanent floating factories. Ships from overseas would dock and regasify supercooled gas on board before pumping it into a pipe system connecting to the mainland. As soon as one of the massive ships -- some almost 2 1/2 football fields in length -- completed its weeklong unloading, another would take its place. Each ship could hold enough super-cooled gas in its tanks and labyrinth of pipes to heat about 30,000 homes for a year.

The only existing offshore LNG port -- in the Gulf of Mexico -- is run by Northeast Gateway's parent company, Excelerate. However, eight other offshore proposals are under review around the nation by the Maritime Administration, and two others in the Gulf of Mexico have been approved.

The governor's final say over offshore LNG lies in the Deepwater Port Act of 1974, which granted refusal rights over proposed offshore oil ports to adjacent coastal states. That law was amended in 2002 to include natural gas.

"The point hasn't been lost on me that a governor cannot stop a proposal like Weavers Cove, which clearly endangers the people he represents, but [the law] allows him to prevent one offshore," said Mayor Edward Lambert of Fall River. "It's incongruous."

The offshore proposals are opposed by fishermen who fear a loss of fishing grounds and others who worry about impacts to the federally endangered right whale and other marine mammals. But they have not generated the same outrage that Weavers Cove or other on-shore sites have.
In fact, state environmental officials have praised the offshore projects' water intake system, which has dramatically reduced the amount of ocean water needed to warm the LNG to about 5 million gallons a day from an originally proposed 54 million gallons.

The projects could exclude fishermen from about 7 square miles of fishing grounds, but federal officials say they are researching whether boats could steam through the closed zone to other fishing areas.

Beth Daley can be reached by e-mail at bdaley@globe.com.

State of The Bay

2006-10-26T15:08:00.000-04:00

This week's big news is that we finally released State of The Bay report. It ran in Monday's Providence Journal on page 1, and kudos to the projo's Metcalf reporter Michelle Lee for doing a great job on it. The full report is on www.savebay.org, and I've reprinted the text of the projo story below. -JT

Mixed report on Bay health

11:22 AM EDT on Monday, October 23, 2006

By Michelle J. Lee, Journal Staff Writer

The waters of Narragansett Bay are cleaner, with fewer pollutants — but low oxygen levels, among other problems, have damaged several fish and shellfish populations in the last six years.
These were the findings of the second extensive study done by Save the Bay, the state’s largest environmental organization. The report will be released today.

“State of The Bay 2006-2007: An Assessment and Action Plan” evaluated 11 health indicators covering a wide variety of issues, including toxic pollutants, public access to the waterfront and the condition of bottom-dwelling creatures and marine mammals. The issues were graded on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the highest.

The overall grade in the report was 4.3, a slight drop from the 4.5 grade in Save the Bay’s 2000 report. However, Narragansett Bay is a complex ecosystem and it is difficult to simplify its total health, said Baykeeper John Torgan.

“Declines in living resources outpaced our work to save the Bay,” Torgan said. “We’re not aggressive enough. This report is to show what we need to do to get a 10, to get high scores for the Bay.”

The report lists several recommendations for reviving Narragansett Bay, including: creating a strong water-monitoring program, passing bonds to pay for sewage-treatment plant upgrades, crafting management policies to address overfishing, building fish runs and removing dams to help decimated fish stocks; and drafting legislation to reduce the creation of toxins such as mercury.

Narragansett Bay covers 147 square miles and runs nearly the entire length of Rhode Island. The estuary provides spawning grounds and habitats for hundreds of animal species. It also offers many boating, fishing and swimming opportunities.

Torgan said programs to restore eelgrass beds and salt marshes along the Bay have been successful. There has also been tremendous progress in reducing nitrogen and other nutrients, a major problem cited in the first report. Nitrogen and organic pollutants in wastewater and storm-water enter the Bay and fuel large growths of plankton and algae. When the plants die, they draw off oxygen in the saltwater.

The biggest threat to the Bay, according to the report, is hypoxia, or low dissolved-oxygen levels. Most marine animals depend on dissolved oxygen to breathe, and areas where low oxygen levels and unusually warm water temperatures have spread, creating “dead zones” at the bottom of the Bay.

The decline in several species of fishes and shellfish can be attributed to a combination of decreased oxygen, warmer climates, overfishing and nutrient pollution, according to the report.
The fish decline mirrors a nationwide trend with some species such as American eel and herring disappearing because of unknown circumstances, said Curt Spalding, executive director of Save the Bay.

In 2003, adverse heat and oxygen conditions led to the deaths of 1 million menhaden in Greenwich Bay and millions of steamer clams in the Providence River.
The fish and clam kill sparked political action, with Governor Carcieri and the General Assembly supporting environmental studies and new ecosystem-management plans. In 2004, a law was passed for a 50-percent reduction of nitrogen dumping from sewer treatment plants by 2008.

Financing for the new initiatives has been uneven. In 2004, there was no initial money to finance efforts but voters approved a $20.7-million bond proposed by Carcieri. Progress stalled again in 2005 and last year when the legislature made cuts to bond proposals that would have paid for water-quality monitoring programs.

Still, there have been some advances. The Governor’s Narragansett Bay and Watershed Planning Commission has a new director. The Narragansett Bay Commission, which operates the state’s two largest sewage plants, cut nitrogen discharges to 2 million gallons this summer, compared with 136 million gallons in 2003. Volunteer watershed councils have been created to watch the rivers that feed into the Bay. Greenwich Bay, the site of the big fish kill, got a new management plan. Last month, Carcieri said he would propose an $85-million bond issue for environmental projects such as cleaning coastal cesspools and upgrading sewage treatment plants.

The new Save the Bay report is intended to build on momentum. The report was timed to coincide with election season in hopes of getting policymakers to commit to the report’s recommendations, Torgan said.

The report also contains an agenda with measurable goals to improve water quality, aquatic life and connecting the public to the Bay. Suggestions include reducing greenhouse gases, creating policies to protect certain marine areas and threatened fish species, and opening new beaches and parks.

Spalding remains optimistic that Narragansett Bay will improve if there is increased financing for monitoring, a regional management plan, more restoration projects and better marine life management.

“It is hopeful,” Spalding said. “There are actions ready to happen.”

To view “State of the Bay 2006-2007: An Assessment and Action Plan,” go to www.savebay.org/advocacy_SOTB06.asp.

Michelle J. Lee is a fellow with the Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting Institute.

I'm Back!

2006-10-19T11:13:00.000-04:00

Hi-

Sorry I have been offline for a while. I am delighted to announce the birth of my son, William Joseph Torgan, born August 31st. I have been working as well as tending to the little guy, but just haven't had the time and energy to keep up the blog along with everything else. I will begin posting again each Thursday and whenever there is breaking news, so please check in!

As far as issues go, there is a ton of stuff going on. On LNG:

Save The Bay continues to fight the Weaver's Cove LNG project through the regulatory process and in the communities. We are partnered with the Attorney General and are conducting independent research on the environmental impacts of dredging. We are working with a coalition of Bay users including Marine Trades and Yachting groups on the disruptive impacts to existing uses. We are also meeting with legislative leaders and the Congressional Delegations of both states to urge them to block the necessary approvals. If the project passes regulatory approvals, we are gearing up for appeals and legal challenges.

On the health of the Bay: We will be releasing a major report "State of The Bay and The Bay Agenda" on this coming Monday. I will include a link to it on this blog, so be sure to check the blog next week. JT

Another Manifestation of Climate Change

2006-08-25T12:58:00.001-04:00

Despite the self-serving rants of some conservative pundits and politicians, global warming is real. The causes are still a subject of debate, though it seems likely that pollution from fossil fuel combustion is the prime culprit. Sea level rise is now included as a constant on USGS maps of the coast and average water temperatures are up both in terms of averages and extreme events.

The manifestation of climate change in Narragansett Bay is sometimes subtle, and at other times strikingly obvious. The clam kill we saw earlier this month was caused, in part, by hot water temperatures in the Bay following a record-setting heat wave. Temperature alone doesn't cause fish and clam kills, it also takes excessive decomposing algae from blooms fueled by nitrogen in wastewater. Rotting algae suck up the dissolved oxygen and the higher the temperature, the less oxygen the water can hold.

The exotic creatures we're observing in the Bay this year are unusual, even for late summer. It's true that we see "bubbles" of the gulfstream bringing tropicals every year, but this year has brought some really strange accidentals. Meanwhile, the native fish assemblage is crashing and this is not a good sign for the Bay. The excellent story by Tom Mooney of the Providence Journal (below) treats this subject well.

What is the take-home message and what can we do about climate change? In addition to supporting policies and elected leaders who are committed to weaning us off our fossil fuel dependency and who have the courage to support wind and renewables, we can act locally to reduce pollution from wastewater. While reducing sewage pollution alone will not reverse climate change, it will help take some of the pressure off the highly-stressed Bay ecosystem, and allow the fish and other marine life to breathe easier. -JT

Fish follow warm water
01:00 AM EDT on Friday, August 25, 2006
BY TOM MOONEYJournal Staff Writer

Mike Laptew has snorkeled for 45 years and makes underwater photography his profession. But the school of fish that filled his viewfinder Wednesday afternoon in the warm waters off Newport mystified him.

About 60 to 80 of the six-inch fish darted around, feeding above a bed of eel grass in eight feet of water.

Curious, Laptew, of North Kingstown, snapped some pictures and sent them yesterday by e-mail to a biologist with the state Department of Environmental Management. "Mystery fish," read his attachment.

The identification came back soon thereafter: the fish were mackerel scud, a sub-tropical fish more often found along southern coastal states.

If the scud are lost, at least they're not alone.

An unusually large number of tropical fish, as well as southern game fish such as cobia, black and red drum, even tarpon, have been reported in Rhode Island waters this month -- not to mention a several-hundred pound manatee, a gentle and endangered mammal that is more than 1,000 miles from its Florida home.

All seemed to have hitched what for most will be a one-way ride on the Gulf Stream. For once the local waters, now in the 70s, start to cool, swimming home won't be an option.
The Gulf Stream is a warm and powerful current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and swings around Florida before flowing north along the eastern United States and Newfoundland. Its strongest current is usually found over the continental shelf that sits about 90 miles off Rhode Island's coast.

Often in summer or the start of autumn, winds or storms will force a bubble or eddy of warm Gulf water to split off from the stream. As the Gulf Stream heads northeast, the eddy will spin off, continue traveling north, and get trapped between the islands of Southern New England and arm of Cape Cod.

Temperatures in Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island Sound yesterday hovered in the 70s. And earlier this summer, following a heat wave, temperatures in the Upper Bay surpassed 80 degrees, a temperature that exacerbated the problem of low dissolved oxygen levels and may have contributed to a massive die off of soft-shelled clams.

Scientist point to the summer's warm spell, the Gulf current and global warming as possible contributors for the number of warm-water visitors this summer.

"I don't know for sure what the reason is," says John Torgan, baykeeper with Save the Bay. "I've been careful about linking all of this to global climate change. There have been some unusual winds and currents that have brought some of this tropical warm water in. However, there are some things we do know that are different."

For instance, said Torgan, the average Bay water temperature has increased 3 degrees over the past few decades, which could be contributing to a shift in the assemblages of fish species, with cold-water species like cod and haddock moving farther north and fish more tolerant of warmer water moving in.

"What's different is we've seen warmer water and we're seeing an increased sighting of these rare or accidental species in Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island Sound."

Jean Bambara is an aquarist at Save the Bay's Exploration Center at Easton's Beach in Newport, which helps educate people about fish and plant life in Narragansett Bay. Once a week or so Bambara will pull a seine net through the shallow waters of Jamestown looking for tropical fish that she can display at the center.

"We're always catching tropicals during the summer months but I mean there are a lot more," said Bambara. "Probably about double the amount."

Among her catches so far this season have been juvenile orange filefish, snowy grouper and lookdowns -- "all the pretty tropical ones that people pay a lot of money for." Often she will catch banded rudderfish, spotfin butterflyfish, grey triggerfish, bandtail puffer fish and bicolor damselfish.

Larger tropical fish such as crevalle jacks, permit and sennets -- which are a smaller version of a barracuda -- are also being caught in Rhode Island waters, said Torgan.
Bambara said she received a phone call from a local lobsterman the other day who wanted to donate to the center something he caught in one of his traps: a large trigger fish.
Dave Beutel works as a sustainable fisheries specialist at the University of Rhode Island, where he is often talking to commercial fisherman, several of whom run fish traps off the Rhode Island coast.

Among the fish caught in those traps so far this summer, he said, have been cobia, which looks like a cod with a flatter head, red drum, which rarely travel north of Virginia, a pilot fish and a sheepshead, a fish common off Florida and Georgia that looks like a giant scup and eats barnacles off pilings.

"I'm going to bet that somebody will call any day with a report of a barracuda," Beutel said. "That usually happens around now."

Tarpon were reportedly caught off Newport a few weeks ago, which was not the first time. A picture of a 5-foot tarpon caught at the Goat Island Causeway a quarter-century ago still hands in the Clambake Club in Middletown.

As for the traveling manatee, the DEM says it hasn't received a reported sighting of the plant-eating creature since Tuesday, when it was seen nosing around Wickford Harbor.
The manatee has caught the attention of the U.S. Geological Survey, which has a team of researchers who track the endangered animals.

Survey researchers at first thought the manatee might be Chessie, a manatee that wandered by the Statute of Liberty in 2001. But researchers compared pictures of both animals and determined the markings on their skin did not match.

"In previous centuries it was probably common for manatees to migrate up the coast," said Catherine Puckett with the geological survey. Sightings of "sea monsters" in Chesapeake Bay were probably migrating manatees. "But there are so few of them now" -- a few thousand -- "that fewer of them migrate at all anymore."

Manatees like water temperatures above 68 degrees. They can swim 30 miles a day. Last week it was spotted off Woods Hole. If it is now in Rhode Island, it could be making its way back home.

"The thinking is," said Puckett, "he is probably going to turn around and head back south because of the onset of cooler weather."

tmooney@projo.com / (401) 277-7359

Clam Kill and Low Dissolved Oxygen

2006-08-10T16:29:00.000-04:00

The clam die-off and low oxygen conditions that made headlines last week is still going on.

(See http://www.projo.com/news/content/projo_20060805_bay5.1fcb4a8.html , and http://www.projo.com/news/content/projo_20060803_clams3.2008b0e.html).

Although water temperatures have moderated a bit, there is still a vast area of hypoxia in the bottom waters of the Upper Bay. Near-anoxic conditions exist in the cooler, deep dredged channels, and the shallows are still very warm. I was asked to submit a brief article on this whole thing to the national WaterKeeper magazine, and a draft of it follows below.

While I am always cautious about the use of the term "dead zone", Bay conditions are certainly setting up much like they did before the August 19, 2003 "fish kill" in Greenwich Bay. The only missing ingredients are heavy rain and another heat wave. While the bottom waters are in tough shape, huge schools of bluefish from silver dollar-sized juveniles to nine and ten pound slammers are exploding each evening across the Upper Bay. These blues and the juvenile menhaden, anchovies, and silversides they chase are able to tolerate and even thrive on the algae and plankton-rich surface waters.

We'll be out on the Bay in the coming weeks monitoring the conditions, and will continue to push for better science, wastewater capacity and efficiency improvements, and to get rid of cesspools and upgrade failing septic systems. Pollution is definitely a factor in the health of the Bay, and while we can't control the weather (or climate!), we can do more to keep sewage out of the Bay. -JT

Massive Clam Die-Off in Narragansett Bay

In August, after a record heat wave, millions of baby soft-shelled (steamer clams) began washing up on the shores of the Providence River and Narragansett Bay. Extremely high water temperatures (over 80 degrees F) combined with nutrient pollution from wastewater treatment facilities to create a hypoxic “dead zone” that extended throughout much of the Bay.

Narragansett BayKeeper first learned of this through citizen complaints and headed out on the boat to test water quality and survey the scene, accompanied by a reporter and photographer from the Providence Journal. The crew found dead and dying clams knee-deep in some places, along with a heavy stench and clouds of flies. BayKeeper quickly confirmed and documented the hypoxic conditions and high temperatures believed to have caused the kill.

The story ran the following day, prompting regional news coverage and a strong public outcry. Three years prior (August 2003), a similar scene of dead clams washing up preceded a massive fish kill in Narragansett Bay, as over one million juvenile menhaden came up gasping for breath and perished.

“The same conditions that caused the fish kill of ’03 are setting up in the Bay right now,” said BayKeeper John Torgan. “Record heat, excessive nitrogen from wastewater, algae blooms, and other weather and tide conditions are conspiring to suffocate everything on the bottom. We may not be able to control all these factors, but we need to take strong steps now to reduce the pollution. Improving wastewater treatment capacity and removing nitrogen are the best things we can do to prevent this.”

MEPA Approves Weaver's Cove LNG

2006-08-01T09:44:00.000-04:00

To my absolute disgust, but not to anyone's surprise, the Massachusetts Secretary of The Environment gave Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) certification today to the Weaver's Cove LNG project in Fall River. The certificate is conditioned on some of the lame mitigation and other approvals discussed in a previous blog.

It is truly a shame that this proposed project, which should have been a non-starter, has gotten this far in the regulatory process. In addition to all of the security and safety issues properly raised by Fall River and many others, this project has the very real potential of destroying the Taunton River and skewing uses of Narragansett Bay toward the industrial and away from the shared, mixed-use scenario that is naturally evolving throughout this region.

Outside of those who stand to directly benefit financially from this project, it is difficult to find anyone who supports it. We all recognize that we need energy and that gas is an important part of the mix. Still, the wisdom of putting a giant industrial project like Weaver's Cove in a densely populated and environmentally-fragile area like the Taunton is lost on me. If history is any example, Rhode Islanders and the citizens of Massachusetts would rather pay more to do the right thing than throw away our progress for the sake of the speculative benefits and great risks offered by this project.

There are a few narrow-minded people who long for the olden days when Narragansett Bay was a manufacturing and import/export economy, and these people will support any project that suggests it will stimulate economic development, no matter what the cost to people and the environment. Under the banner of NIMBYism, they accuse opponents of placing their own misguided interests of safety, security, and environmental protection above jobs and corporate progress. Perhaps these few LNG supporters really just want to ensure that the tycoons of the oil, gas, and shipping industries stay in control of the rest of the masses, and that the common people be kept down?

I think those greedy and myopic reptiles should start living in the 21st century. The future of Narragansett Bay and its tributary rivers is not oil, gas, and heavy industry. It is in the shared vision of the Bay as a public resource, clean and vibrant, beautiful and compelling, the cornerstone of our identity, staple of our quality of life, our sense of place in the world. That future belongs to us. JT

Weaver's Cove LNG Offers Lame Mitigation Plan

2006-07-21T10:03:00.000-04:00

The Weaver's Cove LNG proposal in Fall River is still alive and kicking. Today is the deadline to submit comments to the State Of Massachusetts M.E.P.A office on the latest environmental impact report. I usually don't post our more technical comments on this blog, but I want readers to get a sense of how outrageous the Weaver's Cove proposal is. I think these comments reflect our position on the project clearly. -JT

July 20, 2006

Secretary Stephen R. Pritchard
Executive Office of Environmental Affairs
Attn: MEPA Unit, Analyst Rick Bourre
100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900
Boston, MA 02114

Re: Supplemental Final Environmental Impact Statement (SFEIR)

Dear Secretary Pritchard,

Save The Bay has reviewed the June 15, 2006 SFEIR for the Weaver’s Cove LNG project. We find that the project, as proposed, would result in permanent and irreversible impacts to the Taunton River and Mount Hope Bay. The SFEIR fails to meet the fundamental tests of MEPA to avoid and minimize environmental impacts to the maximum extent practicable as required by law[1]. Recognizing the narrow scope of MEPA’s jurisdiction, we urge that MEPA certification be denied.

1) Proposed Mitigation is Improper and Inadequate

a) The Applicant’s FEIR has inappropriately proposed off-site mitigation to address the severe impacts that will be caused by the new deepening dredging and the creation of a massive turning basin in the Taunton River. The proposed set of mitigation measures in the FEIR may not be exchanged for avoidable damage. Comparisons to other mitigation and restoration projects are not valid as none of the referenced approaches were ever intended to offset avoidable damage to the ecosystem, and none were approved for these purposes.

b) The applicant grossly misrepresented and misapplied Save The Bay’s eelgrass restoration research and publications. Save The Bay’s eelgrass research and restoration efforts were never intended to mitigate any damaging projects, and it is scientifically indefensible for the applicant to suggest that paying for eelgrass restoration offsite will have any benefit to winter flounder or other marine habitat destroyed by the project.

c) Restocking of winter flounder to offset these damages would be similarly inappropriate, especially given the potential of the project to destroy existing winter flounder spawning habitat. Adding flounder to degraded, impacted habitats is not a reasonable mitigation measure to offset permanent habitat destruction and is in no way equivalent to natural conditions.

d) The on-site creation of shallow subtidal habitat via salt marsh restoration to offset damages will not compensate for losses caused directly by the project. It is not reasonable to assume that created marsh in the vicinity of a deep dredged channel and turning basin will offer equivalent or comparable ecological services as the natural habitats being permanently destroyed by the project.

e) For the same reasons as listed above, anadromous fish restoration is not viable as mitigation in this case. River herring populations in this region are so depressed that the states of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut have all banned the possession of herring and stopped all fishing. Any project that has significant potential to further degrade or impact anadromous fish or their habitat must be denied.

2) The Proposed Dredging Will Cause Permanent and Irreversible Impacts

a) The characterization of the dredging as restoring the river to its fully-authorized depth is misleading. Outside of this project, no dredging is presently planned for the project area, and the turning basin and entrance channel represent new deepening dredging that will not benefit any parties other than the applicant, but will cause significant damage to the environment.

b) The dredged channel and deep areas in the Lower Taunton River and Mount Hope Bay presently experience hypoxia and stratification during summer months.[2] Shallower areas of the Bay are better mixed by winds and tides and generally maintain dissolved oxygen levels capable of supporting most marine life. The proposed creation of the turning basin will extend the deep dredged area nearly from bank-to-bank of the Taunton River, and therefore will create a hypoxic zone across the river that Save The Bay believes will act as a barrier to migration for fish and other marine life. The applicant has failed to address the hydrodynamic and physical water quality impacts of the project, which we believe will be severe.

c) The application of dredging windows or temporal restrictions on dredging will not mitigate the permanent impacts of the deepening. While dredging windows are a valuable management tool to minimize the short-term impacts of dredging on sensitive marine life, windows will not mitigate the permanent impacts of the created hypoxic zone. Also, the proposed observance of narrow dredged windows would require the project to be conducted over multiple years, causing repeated impacts to the river and Bay.

3) Operational Environmental Impacts Not Addressed

a) In addition to dredging impacts, ship operations will continuously disturb benthic habitat in the vicinity of the project by resuspending sediment.

b) Ballast water operations have the potential to introduce non-indigenous species at high volumes. Taking on ballast also has the potential to entrain fish eggs and larvae.

c) Air pollution impacts related to the additional tanker and truck traffic has not been addressed.

In summary, MEPA certification should be denied outright, and not conditioned on any dubious promises of mitigation. To do otherwise would run counter to the public interest.
Thank you for the opportunity to provide these comments. If you have any questions, you may contact me directly at (401) 272-3540 x116.

Sincerely,

John Torgan
Narragansett BayKeeper

[1] 301 CMR 11.07 (6)(j)
[2] http://www.geo.brown.edu/georesearch/insomniacs/papers.html This link to Brown University’s ‘Insomniacs’ website shows multiple references to studies of hypoxia in Mount Hope Bay and Narragansett Bay. As a participant in water quality research in this area, Save The Bay has directly observed low dissolved oxygen conditions in the dredged channel of Mount Hope Bay and the Lower Taunton River in summer.

When Rains... It Pollutes

2006-06-29T14:37:00.000-04:00

Since the beginning of June, Narragansett Bay's watershed has received nearly 9 inches of rain. While that's short of the record, the wet weather affecting the East is already having a severe impact on Narragansett Bay.

Wastewater bypasses have been common from treatment plants, Combined Sewer Overflows (CSO's), and storm sewers. Polluted runoff has been pouring into the Bay's tributary rivers. Many shellfishing areas and public beaches are already closed due to high bacteria levels (see the RIDOH Beaches Site).

We're already seeing major algae blooms and low dissolved oxygen in the Upper Bay from all the nitrogen being flushed in, and if we get hot, still weather in the coming weeks, we may be in for some serious water quality problems around the Bay. We'll be monitoring the situation closely.

Today's Warwick Beacon did a great story on this:

Warwick Beacon
Rain could mix lethal cocktail for bay

Written by HOWELL, JOHN
Thu, Jun 29 06
By JOHN HOWELL

Near monsoon conditions this month have done more than wreak havoc with family barbecues, sporting events and vacation plans. It could also be the prelude to a major fish kill in Greenwich Bay and sections of Narragansett Bay.

That’s what people who monitor bay conditions fear.

The heavy and persistent rains are seen as the cause for a spike of nutrients – nitrogen – in bay waters resulting in algae blooms. The blooms are responsible for the water coloration, which in sections of the bay is currently a tea-brown but may also be yellow, red or green according to Joseph Migliore, principal environmental scientist with the Department of Environmental Management office of water resources.

But more important to the creatures living in the water, the blooms of plankton deplete the level of dissolved oxygen. And when the dissolved oxygen falls below 1 milligram per liter, finfish and shellfish start dying.

Migliore says whether Greenwich Bay experiences another massive fish kill like that of 2003 depends on a variety of factors. Winds and tides have an impact on the level of dissolved oxygen as well as the “flushing” of bay coves and inlets. Wave action, the result of wind, serves to restore oxygen to the water. Temperature also plays a role. Warmer water loses its ability to retain oxygen, so a spate of sunny weather that would spell relief for those of us on land could be the death knell for some aquatic organisms.

Signs are pointing to the potential for a lethal cocktail, especially for Greenwich Bay that doesn’t get the tidal activity of Narragansett Bay.

John Williams of Warwick Cove Marina and the Greenwich Bay Watershed Group, which monitors bay water quality on a weekly basis, started seeing the alarming indicators last week. The group measures water temperature, dissolved oxygen and salinity at several assigned locations under a program financed by the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program and the New England Grass Roots Environmental Fund. Samples taken the morning of June 24 found dissolved oxygen levels at 3.5 to 7.2 at a meter below the surface. At a meter from the bottom, however, conditions deteriorated. The readings read from a high of 3.9 at middle ground to 1.1 at Sally Rock.

“This is a wake-up call more than a proclamation of death,” Williams said yesterday, “we’ll leave that to the coroner.”

John Torgan, BayKeeper for Save the Bay, is concerned by the reports and what he is seeing on the bay.

“Unfortunately the conditions are similar to those that led up to the fish kill of 2003,” he said. He added that water conditions are particularly poor in the East Passage and “we are seeing major algae blooms.” Torgan said conditions are setting up “for periods of low dissolved oxygen” and for “dead zones in the bay.”

While the inability of the Providence wastewater treatment plant to process the loads it receives during periods of heavy rain – a condition that is being addressed with the construction of underground tunnels that will enable the retention of water until it can be treated – is seen as a major contributor of nutrients into the bay, it is not the only source. “It’s not just Providence that’s causing this,” said Torgan. He cites how storm runoff washes fertilizers into the bay as well as untreated water from failing septic systems and cesspools.

“When it rains, it [nutrients] pour into the bay,” he said.

Scientists believe there may be more factors at work.

Christopher Deacutis, chief scientist with the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program based at URI, says the introduction of fresh water, which is lighter than salt water, sets up a layering of waters within the water column. In effect, he said, the rain “seals off the bottom” from the mixing that occurs from wave activity. Further, Deacutis said, wind direction is thought to have a significant impact on Greenwich Bay water quality. It is thought that a westerly wind pushes the more sedentary waters on the Cowesett shoreline out into the bay where they are carried back again by the tide.

Finfish can escape by leaving areas that are low in dissolved oxygen, but shellfish are stuck.
Fortunately some shellfish can wait out the period of low to no levels of dissolved oxygen. Deacutis said mussels are among the most vulnerable and can last about a week. Soft shell clams can make it about two weeks and older mature quahogs can go for a month.
“Quahogs clam up, go into hibernation,” said Deacutis.

The next two weeks would appear to be especially critical. Deacutis notes that tides at this time are weak and that next week we will have a neap tide when the rise and fall of the tide is at its least variation.

Migliore says the “bay is very nutrient rich right now and the runoff is washing additional amounts of nutrients.” In this potent concoction, he said, is a number of competing plankton “some good and some not so good.”

The condition is not much different than a home aquarium.

“If you put too much fish food in the tank all of a sudden it goes green,” he said.
The difference, of course, is that reducing the nutrients flowing into the bay takes years to upgrade wastewater treatment plants and get residents to tie into sewer systems. Other actions such as wetland restoration also have an impact.

But for now, Migliore says, “there’s nothing we can do about it.”

Huge Win on Nutrient Pollution!!!

2006-06-19T15:51:00.000-04:00

Today, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) and the Narragansett Bay Commission (NBC) announced a landmark agreement to reduce nitrogen loads from the two major wastewater treatment facilities that serve the Providence area. The Field's Point and Bucklin Point plants are now slated to begin construction of facilities that will reduce nutrient loads to the Bay from these plants by more than half.

This is something we pushed hard for over several years, and it's time to congratulate DEM and the NBC as well as all the people who helped make this possible. Nutrient pollution is still the most significant threat to the health and stability of Narragansett Bay's ecosystem. While today's agreement goes a long way toward addressing the problem, too much nitrogen is still flowing into the Bay from upstream sources (This means you, Worcester, Woonsocket, and East Providence, to name a few!). We also need to make sure we're monitoring to measure the effects of these improvements. JT

Read Save The Bay's news release on this historic agreement below:

Save The Bay welcomes nitrogen reduction agreement between NBC and DEM

Providence, RI – Save The Bay today praised the Narragansett Bay Commission and RI Department of Environmental Management’s agreement to dramatically reduce nitrogen discharges to Narragansett Bay from the Fields Point and Bucklin Point facilities.

In response to ground-breaking legislation passed in 2004, DEM first issued the draft permits in June of 2005. NBC’s agreement to reduce nitrogen discharges to 5mg/liter, once the new technology is installed and operating will lead to dramatic improvements in water quality for Narragansett Bay.

“While we will be reviewing the details of the agreement, we are enthusiastic about the agreement’s broad framework,” said Save The Bay Executive Director Curt Spalding. “This can indeed mark a great victory for the Bay and the many people who have worked hard to relieve the Bay of excess nitrogen loading.”

Spalding praised the bold first step and leadership of NBC in reaching this agreement. Their example should provide the impetus for other dischargers in East Providence, Woonsocket and upstream in Massachusetts to take similar steps. Save The Bay will continue to work to secure those nitrogen reductions as well, he said.

“This announcement is very timely,” Spalding continued. “It highlights the importance of two pieces of legislation pending at the RI General Assembly right now: A request for funds to monitor the conditions in Narragansett Bay and the $25 million Clean Water Bond that is necessary to provide capacity for the Clean Water Financing Agency to fund projects just like these.”

Save The Bay actively advocated for nitrogen reduction, even before the “wake-up call” of the 2003 fish and clam kill. The organization warned of the threat to the Bay weeks before the monumental event and has since led the effort to reduce nitrogen discharge by municipal wastewater treatment facilities.

“We cannot fully celebrate this victory without the General Assembly approving funding for Bay monitoring. We need benchmarks before the upgraded Combined Sewage Overflow (CSO) system is online and in advance of nitrogen reduction at Fields Point and Bucklin Point. We cannot judge the performance of these two important improvements without monitoring Bay conditions. Similarly, financing of these and other water improvement projects hinges on passage of the Clean Water Bond. Save The Bay urges the Assembly to do the right thing.”

A Plug for the Natural News

2006-06-13T11:02:00.000-04:00

Today, the second edition of the Natural News (http://www.naturalnews.net/) hit the e-newstands. This new publication, spearheaded by Rhode Island's Mary Grady, showcases the latest happenings and features in environmental and sustainable living in the Rhode Island area. Mary is a freelance writer and teaches Environmental Studies at Rhode Island College and Northeastern University. She's also an old friend of the Bay and Save The Bay.

I encourage readers of this Blog to visit the Natural News website and sign up. It's free. -JT

New Report Shows Serious ByCatch Problem in NE

2006-06-01T16:24:00.000-04:00

A new report by the Marine Fish Conservation Network released today shows that bycatch, or incidental take of non-targeted fish species, is a serious problem here in New England as well as nationally. The report describes how federal fisheries managers have failed to control or even monitor discarded fish as required by law.

The Northeast groundfishery, according to the report, throws away nearly 2 pounds of bycatch for every pound of fish kept and sold. This accounts for 215 million pounds of fish discarded and wasted annually.

This is totally unacceptable and appalling. We need to get the Magnusson/Stevens Act re-authorized in Congress this year, and it needs to address this problem by setting bycatch limits, requiring observers, and allowing public access to the information. -JT

See the report Here

LNG Simulation Run Story

2006-05-30T17:05:00.000-04:00

On Friday, we had a great trip out on the Bay with Attorney General Patrick Lynch and a range of experts on marine safety and security to perform an independent analysis of the risks of shipping LNG to Weaver's Cove in Fall River. The folowing article, by reporter Sean Flynn, appeared in Saturday's Newport Daily News. I think the article sums it up well. JT

Boat trip aims to sink LNG proposal

By Sean Flynn/Daily News staff

Save The Bay took a group of maritime officials, security experts and elected leaders on a boat ride Friday along a 26-mile route a supertanker carrying up to 33 million gallons of liquefied natural gas would take from Newport Harbor to Fall River, Mass., where Weaver's Cove Energy LLC plans to build a large LNG terminal.Robin Wallace, director of the Rhode Island State Yachting Committee, was aboard Save The Bay's 45-foot trawler, the M/V Aletta Morris, with Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch.

The proposal has been approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, but it still needs a certificate of waterway suitability from the Coast Guard.Wallace and the other passengers aboard the trawler want to persuade the Coast Guard not to grant that certificate.Wallace, a member of the New York Yacht Club and chairman of its race committee, said his club is teaming up with Ida Lewis Yacht Club to financially support a new Save The Bay campaign to raise awareness about the risks of the LNG proposal.John Torgan, Save The Bay's Narragansett Bay Keeper, said the Rhode Island Marine Trades Association, the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers and the Rhode Island Shoreline Coalition have made a similar pledge. He said Save The Bay hopes to raise about $100,000 for the campaign.

Those groups may have different reasons for joining the campaign, but they are all concerned about the "disruptive impact the LNG traffic and the necessary security measures would have on the bay.""It came about because of our desire to have a unified approach on behalf of recreational sailors," Wallace said, speaking for the yacht clubs.

Under federal regulations, the Coast Guard must maintain a security "exclusion zone" around the supertankers that extends two miles off the bow, one mile off the stern and 1,500 feet on either side of the vessel. That zone would cover the width of the waterway between Fort Adams in Newport and the eastern shore of Jamestown.

"Every time a supertanker passes, our most historic harbor is shut down," said Lynch as he held a map of Newport Harbor on the breezy deck of the M/V Aletta Morris.That could have a serious impact on Newport as a worldwide recognized sailing center, Wallace said."Once Newport gets a track record of events being interfered with by LNG tankers, it will become less attractive for recreational sailors to come here," he said. That could have a long-term effect on the area's economy, he said.Downgrade of Newport's appeal?The city lost the America's Cup Races in 1983, but Sail Newport was founded that year. The Newport Yacht Club moved to the city in 1988. These organizations and others have continued to attract sailors here, Wallace said."They sail here, keep their boats here and fit out their boats here," he said. "They buy sails, electronic equipment and other necessities. They support our restaurants and hotels."

According to Wallace, Bruno Peyron of France who was here recently to prepare for his cross-Atlantic trip, said, "The Newport area is the best in the world to prepare for a major event because there are so many resources here."The Newport to Bermuda race that begins June 16 will attract more than 250 boats."Newport's reputation is so good that organizations want to come here without us paying them," Wallace said.

That is not always the case. He said that more and more professional organizers want communities to pay for the privilege of hosting an event and reaping the economic benefits of such an event. He said a community in Portugal paid more than $500,000 (500,000 euros) to host the Farr 40 World Championship in September 2007.In the face of such competition, Wallace said Newport must become more attractive, and not become part of an LNG supertanker route that would diminish its appeal."

No one disputes the need for more LNG terminals, but they can be sited in places without having a destructive effect," he said.Assistant Attorney General Paul J. Roberti, chief of the office's regulatory unit, was also on the boat ride. He said there are now two proposals to site a terminal about 17 miles off the coast of Gloucester, Mass. He said a number of sites have been explored off the coast of Maine, all in sparsely populated areas. One Maine community, he said, voted to welcome development of an LNG terminal."There are alternatives out there," Roberti said. "But if Weaver's Cove happens, these reasonable alternatives may not be pursued." That could happen, he said, because it is less of an investment to develop an LNG terminal on land than offshore.

The experts

The three maritime experts on board Friday will write a report for the attorney general's office, which will submit it to the Coast Guard. One of the experts is Ron Gorsline, a former Navy SEAL who trained law enforcement personnel to provide security at the Cove Point LNG terminal in Maryland. He also trains Coast Guard personnel on LNG security issues."The biggest trouble spot is from the Braga Bridge (in Fall River) to Weaver's Cove," he said Friday as he surveyed Mount Hope Bay. The old Brightman Street Bridge will not be demolished under federal legislation successfully sponsored by U.S. Rep. James McGovern, D-Mass.If the bridge remains, there will be only 8 feet of clearance on smaller tankers as they pass between the bridge piles."It's a densely populated area and a restricted area for navigation," Gorsline said. "There is no maneuverability here. I don't see this as being a good option."

Jay Bolton, a U.S. master mariner with 39 years of international seafaring experience, said, "I'll do a risk-benefit analysis. There are some significant risks involved in the narrow channels and shallow water."Torgan said an estimated 3 million cubic yards must be dredged in Mount Hope Bay near Weaver's Cove to form a turning basin for the supertankers.The third member of the team is Merle Smith, a Vietnam veteran and former Coast Guard commander, who has served as legal counsel for the Electric Boat Division of the General Dynamics Corp. He will focus on the security necessary for the planned 70 to 120 tankers a year traveling up and down Narragansett Bay.

State Rep. Raymond E. Gallison Jr., D-Bristol, and Newport City Councilman Stephen R. Coyne were among the elected officials on the boat.Gallison pointed out the security zone around the tankers would extend onto land at points along the route, including part of the campus of Rogers Williams University."Will they have to vacate buildings every time a tanker passes?" he asked."The Coast Guard has already said they won't be able to protect the tankers from a well-planned and coordinated attack," he said.These questions and concerns will now all be directed at the Coast Guard."On this issue, Rhode Island is going to be entirely dependent on the Coast Guard," Roberti said.

© Copyright 2004 - 2001. The Newport Daily News. All Rights Reserved.

Menhaden in the Bay

2006-05-10T10:28:00.000-04:00

For the past 4 weeks, the staff of Save The Bay has been treated to the sight of massive schools of adult menhaden in the Providence River in front of the Bay Center. Called "The most important fish in the sea" Atlantic menhaden are a key fish species in Narragansett Bay as they provide forage for sportfish and also remove lots of plankton through filter-feeding.

Unlike river herring, menhaden spend their entire lives in salt water. Known to spawn above the continental shelf hundreds of miles offshore, they also lay eggs in estuaries. Eggs, larvae, and juveniles (called 'peanut bunker') are common in the Bay. Historically, large adult menhaden (>12") were also common in the Bay, but have declined since the mid-1970's and had not been regularly observed in big schools until 2005, when a large school of adults appeared again in the Providence River.

Stock assessments from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and estimates from the RIDEM suggest that the species is not overfished, and that a viable, sustainable coastal stock remains. Unlike the Chesapeake states and Gulf states, Rhode Island does not practice "reduction" harvesting and only allows commercial seining of the species for bait purposes. Reduction refers to the process of processing the fish to remove their oil and turn the protein into fish meal for fertilizer or animal feed, and has been implicated as a major factor in stock declines in menhaden and other dependent species in those areas where it is practiced.

The commercial seining of menhaden in Narragansett Bay for bait is controversial. Many recreational fishermen object to the presence of the large seine boats all the way up into the city of Providence, scattering if not decimating the schools and ruining the fishing. Many recreational fishers also object to the sight of bycatch such as striped bass and bluefish in the seine nets. Some commercial fishermen, some lobstermen, and the management agencies claim that there is no Bay-dependent stock, that they are not being overfished, and that the seiners support recreational fishing through bait shops.

Whether these seine boats are significantly depleting the Bay's populations is a matter of debate, but it seems reasonable that we should draw a line somewhere to limit the scope of the commercial netting even if just to protect the recreational fishery. My opinion is that the seiners are overfishing the Bay's stocks already. Drawing a line from the Conimicut light to the Nayatt light and prohibiting commercial seining north of that line would be a great start toward conservation and effective management.

It is probably too late to pass legislation in this year's General Assembly establishing real conservation zones, but it's something we should strongly consider for next year. It's wonderful to have these big "pogies" back in the River and we'd like to see them year after year. -JT

Let's lose the Cesspools!

2006-05-03T09:42:00.000-04:00

It's unbelievable that Rhode Island still allows cesspools in coastal areas. A cesspool is basically a pit in the ground into which raw sewage is dumped. That sewage, along with all its nasty bacteria and other pollutants, then flows right into the Bay. For the past 5 years, Save The Bay has fought unsuccessfully to change the law and phase-out cesspools. Resistance from builders, realtors, and various other petty politics has prevented this no-brainer from passing. This year, a weakened version of the original bill is pending in the general assembly and even that looks like it might not pass. It's an outrage. -JT

Below is text from an open letter from STB to legislators and policy makers:

It is time to take the first steps to rid Rhode Island of its cesspools. The cesspool phase-out legislation before the House and Senate (H7699 and S2505) this year does just that by targeting the cesspools that pose the greatest threat to human health, public drinking water supplies, public beaches and Narragansett Bay. Save The Bay urges you to support this legislation.

The legislation will require inspection and removal of approximately 3,000 to 4,000 of Rhode Island’s estimated 50,000 cesspools by the year 2012. The affected cesspools are only those within 200 feet of:
· a public well,
· a water body with a public beach,
· the intake of a surface drinking water supply, or
· the shoreline (CRMC’s jurisdiction).

Owners of properties with cesspools are required to either replace the cesspool with a proper individual sewage disposal system (ISDS) or tie into sewer lines if available or planned. In addition, the bill provides prospective purchasers of property statewide ten days to obtain an inspection of the on-site sewage system to determine if a cesspool exists and its condition. This provision should create an incentive for the removal of cesspools at the point to sale throughout the state, although it does not require it.

Finally, the bill does not apply in a community which has its own municipal on-site wastewater management plan that meets the purposes of the legislation and contains provisions for waivers in cases of undue hardship.

Cesspool phase-out legislation has come before the RI Legislature for each of the last four years – each year since 2001 when the ISDS Task Force recommended removal of all cesspools in RI. Four years is far too long to wait to address a public health threat and although this bill is limited in its scope is represents a critically important beginning. Failing cesspools pose a direct threat to keeping Rhode Island’s waters drinkable, swimmable and fishable. Save The Bay asks you to defend these most important of public resources.

Rally against Weaver's Cove LNG

2006-04-25T17:10:00.000-04:00

The proposal to create a large-scale Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) tanker terminal in Fall River by Weaver's Cove and Hess may be sailing along through the federal permitting process, but the States of Rhode Island and Massachusetts are united in their determination to keep it out of the Taunton River.

Senator John Kerry's appearance at a Fall River anti-LNG rally yesterday helped keep the momentum of the LNG opposition movement alive. Lately, much of the official news on the Weaver's Cove project has been discouraging: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) denied our motion to reopen the public record and require a supplemental EIS, and FERC punted most of the substantive safety and environmental decisions to the Coast Guard, Army Corps of Engineers, and the States.

The locals in Fall River, led by the popular and charismatic Mayor Lambert, Joe Carvahlo and the Coalition for Responsible LNG Siting, have done a phenomenal job keeping this issue in the public's eye and this rally event was another example of their courage and vision . Despite great coverage by the local media and Save The Bay's best efforts to reach out to the public on this, many Rhode Islanders and Massachusetts residents still don't seem to understand the massive environmental, economic, and public safety risks of the Weaver's Cove proposal. Clearly this plan should have been a non-starter and it is a surprise and disappointment that it has gotten this far.

It seems like just about every year, there is some new scheme to convert a major portion of the Bay's public waters into private, for-profit, industrial or energy facilities at the expense of the environment and public trust. These kinds of proposals always promise a panacea of economic development, jobs, and energy security and claim to pose only a minimal or insignificant risk to the existing communities.

Save The Bay has a long memory for mega-boondoggles, each of which was supposed to be a "silver bullet" cure for all that ailed the local economy. Does anyone remember Commerce Oil's plans for Jamestown, the Tiverton oil refinery proposal, Patience Island LNG, Rome Point nuclear power plant, or the Quonset Point Container Port?

All of these proposals had strong support from big-business types, but ultimately they failed under their own dead weight. They failed, but not because of obstuctionist enviromental groups or burdensome government regulations. They failed because they were way out of proportion with Narragansett Bay and its coastal communities. They failed because they were bad business decisions, but it took the bright shining light of public review and disclosure to expose their fatal flaws.

Ultimately, we expect that Weaver's Cove LNG will go extinct like all those other ill-fated ideas. While it may be cruising through the industry-friendly FERC,other agencies like the Coast Guard, the Corps, and the states still have the time and the responsibility to act in the Bay's defense. In the meantime, we are committed to the fight. JT

Lessons From the Mussel Kill

2006-04-18T09:42:00.000-04:00

Below is the abstract from an article published in Ecology by Brown University scientists Andrew Altieri and Jon Witman showing that large numbers of blue mussels in Narragansett Bay died in 2001 due to low dissolved oxygen.

Over the past five years, I have fielded a number of pollution complaints related to dead and dying blue mussels washing up on shorelines throughout Narragansett Bay and in Point Judith Pond. I strongly suspected that these events were caused by prolonged periods of low dissolved oxygen in the Bay. Until this article, though, there was little scientific evidence of a causal link between dead musssels and nutrient pollution.

It makes sense. So many of the major pollution problems we have observed throughout Narragansett Bay in recent years are rooted in the same cause- too much nitrogen from wastewater is polluting the Bay. That nitrogen causes excessive algae to bloom, turning the water a murky green and blocking the sunlight from penetrating the Bay's water. As this algae dies and settles on the bottom, it forms a stinky muck. As bacteria break down the muck and as the algae goes through its nightly respiration, these processes consume all the dissolved oxygen in the water.

Low dissolved oxygen can cause fish kills if it happens suddenly, as it did in Greenwich Bay in August, 2003. It has also caused massive numbers soft-shelled clams to wash up dead, as well as sea stars, oysters, and blue mussels. It is this same algae that piles up on the Warwick and Cranston shorelines causing rotting egg odor so strong it drives people from their homes.

What are the lessons to be drawn from this? First, we have to adopt advanced wastewater treatment practices at all the Bay's major wastewater facilities. This can be done equitably, and no single plant or company is solely responsible. Rhode Island has established nitrogen limits for some wastewater plants, but much of the treated wastewater flowing into the Bay still has very high nitrogen levels. Passing the clean water bond issue in November will help the state raise money for these sorely-needed upgrades.

Second, we need to eliminate cesspools entirely and get coastal communities to upgrade septic systems wherever it is practicable. It's shameful that we still have so many raw pits of sewage and clogged septic systems discharging directly into the Bay.

Third, we have to do a better job monitoring the Bay. Last year, the Rhode Island legislature failed to appropriate any money for Bay monitoring. Without standardized and comprehensive monitoring, we're not getting the information we need to accurately measure the health of the Bay. Lacking complete science is no excuse, though, for delaying decisive action where it is clearly needed.

Independent and unbiased scientific reports like this one provide clear and irrefutable evidence of the problem. In the face of facts like this, it's difficult to comprehend how anyone can still doubt the extent and obvious causes of nutrient pollution in the Bay. -JT

Ecology: Vol. 87, No. 3, pp. 717–730.
LOCAL EXTINCTION OF A FOUNDATION SPECIES IN A HYPOXIC ESTUARY: INTEGRATING INDIVIDUALS TO ECOSYSTEM
Andrew H. Altieri and Jon D. Witman

Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Box G-W, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912 USA
Abstract.We integrated across individual, population, community, and ecosystem levels to understand the impact of environmental stress by tracking the foundation species Mytilus edulis in the hypoxic estuary Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, USA. Our initial surveys revealed that the mussels occurred in nine extensive (2–28 ha) dense (814–9943 individuals/m2) subtidal reefs that attracted a diverse suite of predators (sea stars, crabs, gastropods). Hypoxia occurred in the summer of 2001, and a mussel transplant experiment revealed overall reduced growth rates of individuals, and higher mortality rates among larger mussels. At the population level, large decreases in densities and cover of mussels were correlated with dissolved oxygen concentrations, leading to extinction at one site and reductions of over an order of magnitude at others. Within one year, seven of the eight remaining populations were edged to extinction, and the previously extinct population was recolonized. At the community level, a predator exclusion experiment indicated that predation was an unimportant source of mussel mortality during the hypoxic period, in part due to the emigration of sea stars, as predicted by the Consumer Stress Model. However, mussels were too intolerant to hypoxia to have a net benefit from the predation refuge. The seasonal (summer) occurrence of hypoxia allowed sea stars to return following a lag, as predicted by a stress return time model, and the resumption of predation contributed to the subsequent extinction of mussel populations. At the ecosystem level, the initial filtration rate of the mussel reefs was estimated at 134.6 × 106 m3/d, equivalent to filtering the volume of the bay 1.3 times during the 26-d average residence time. That function was reduced by >75% following hypoxia. The effect of hypoxia on each level of organization had consequences at others. For example, size-specific mortality and decreased growth of individuals, and reduced filtration capacity of reefs, indicated a loss of the ability of mussels to entrain planktonic productivity and potential to control future eutrophication and hypoxia. Our study quantified patterns of loss and identified pathways within an integrative framework of feedbacks, summarized in a conceptual model that is applicable to similar foundation species subjected to environmental stress.
Key words:Asterias forbesi; benthic–pelagic coupling; bivalve; dissolved oxygen; disturbance;; environmental stress; eutrophication; filtration; mussel; Mytilus edulis; predation; refuge.
Manuscript received 8 February 2005; revised 12 July 2005; accepted 1 August 2005; final version received final version 16 August 2005.. Corresponding Editor: P. T. Raimondi.

Omega Dam and the Ten Mile River to be Restored

2006-04-13T15:30:00.000-04:00

Herring stacking up at Omega Dam may finally get the boost they need to get into the Ten Mile River by next year. A long-awaited feasibility study by the US Army Corps of Engineers is finally complete and calls for the installation of fishways at three key locations: Omega Dam, Hunts Mill Dam, and the Turner Reservoir.

The Corps, in partnership with Save The Bay, RIDEM, East Providence, the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program, NRCS, and the RI Saltwater Anglers Association, is now moving forward with the design and specifications for the restoration of the Ten Mile. The project is expected to cost about $2 million, with 65% coming from Federal funds. Construction is expected to begin in 2007, but this is still contingent on finding state and local match.

The Ten Mile once supported large populations of blueback herring and alewives, but today nothing can pass its dams and restrictions without being manually transported. After the State of Rhode Island passed regulations prohibiting the taking and possession of river herring this spring, the Saltwater Anglers obtained a special permit to perform “dip-assist” transplantation of fish over Omega Dam until the fishway is built. Known as the “Human Fish Ladders”, these salty dogs like RISAA and Save The Bay member Paul Bettencourt are largely responsible for sustaining populations there for many generations.

It is a high priority for both Save The Bay and RISAA to make sure that this restoration gets funded and moves forward. Just as important is our collective commitment to maintaining public access and water quality improvements to this dusty jewel of Narragansett Bay. -JT

Why We Care About Federally Regulated Fisheries

2006-04-07T10:48:00.000-04:00

This week, the reauthorization of the Magnusson-Stevens Act, the federal law governing ocean fisheries, comes before Congress. At stake for our region are 36 federally managed fish species.

Just last week, the Marine Fish Conservation Network issued a report on the status of our nation's fish stocks. The news is grim. Currently only 13% of federally-managed fish stocks are considered healthy. Of the 36 species managed in New England, only 10 are considered healthy. Many of these, including cod, haddock, flounder, herring, striped bass, and many others are dependent on Narragansett Bay and other local estuaries at various life stages. Save The Bay has been a member of this network since the 90's, and MFCN has done a great job of advocating conservation at the national level.

The federal fisheries act needs to be reauthorized. That is unanimous among commercial and recreational fishing communities. In Rhode Island, at least, fishermen appear to understand and value conservation as an investment in the future of the industry as well as the environment. The battered and heavily-regulated commercial fishing groups seem resigned to new stricter regulations and are adapting to stay in business. Recreational groups also seem to be more in tune with the need for tougher catch limits than in past years.

Still, there are interests out there seeking to insert riders into the act that would weaken existing laws. That just shouldn't fly. With river herring headed toward an endangered species listing and other stocks in severe decline, conservation is really the only option. -JT

Short-term Victory

2006-03-28T10:30:00.000-05:00

Last week, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) issued emergency regulations to prohibit fishing for alewives and blueback herring in fresh and marine waters of the State. Save The Bay strongly supports this closure, and it is a strong first step toward conservation of these essential creatures of the estuary. Thanks again to all who wrote, called, and testified. It worked!

As spring arrives in Southern New England, it remains to be seen whether we will have a significant herring run this year. The first few reports of fish are trickling in, but it's time to get out and start scouting the streams to collect some data. If fishermen can't catch fish, we can all certainly be helpful by getting out there and participating in stream monitoring efforts to better estimate the populations and viability of the remaining runs.

BayKeeper intern Rick Tavis is helping Save The Bay set up an information network about Rhode Island's herring runs. Rick will help connect monitoring volunteers with their local streams, organizations, and DEM. Rick is also working to create a sister blog to this one where buckeye watchers can get news and information and report their observations on-line. The site is still under construction, but may be viewed here.

Feel free to e-mail questions or observations to me directly here. -JT

Still Saving The Herring

2006-03-17T10:45:00.000-05:00

This week's public hearing on the herring regulations was both disturbing and encouraging. It was disturbing to hear the depth of concern, frustration, and emotion from those who attended. No one spoke against the proposed ban outright, though a few folks did the usual 'pointing to any other cause than fishing' routine. Mostly, there was just a sense of resignation and sadness that it has all come to this.

In another way, it was encouraging. Only a handful of people stood up to testify on the regs, but scores of people sent letters to DEM supporting the closure. You, the readers of this blog, provided nearly 70 letters of support from individuals and organizations who obviously care a great deal about this. It was also great to hear our old friends and partners in conservation stand up for what we all know is the right thing to do.

We are not done yet. DEM appears ready to implement the proposed ban in short order, and that agency deserves a great deal of credit for its prompt and courageous action on this. Still, we need to do more than stop the fishing of herring. We must continue to work hard to secure funding and committments for research into causes for the decline, monitoring, water quality restoration and fish passage projects. We must cultivate and empower our friends and allies on the Bay and in the fishing community to become active stewards of the resource.

We must never give up hope, for all is not lost. Yesterday, Taunton River warrior Tim Watts reported the arrival of the first few fish into the Nemasket. 2002 was actually a strong year-class for herring in the Bay, and those fish should be returning to spawn this year. With a ban firmly in place and troops of volunteers, agencies, and scientists working together to protect and restore these fish, this might be the beginning of the comeback. Let's make it so. -JT

Who Saves The Bay? The effort to protect river herring is part of Save The Bay's mission to protect, preserve and restore Narragansett Bay and its watershed. This work is made possible through the support of our members and others who care about the Bay's health and future. Please help by making a donation or becoming a Save The Bay member. Click here to learn how you can support Save The Bay.

Partners in Buckeye Conservation

2006-03-08T15:10:00.000-05:00

Wow, Thank you all so much for your quick responses to Save The Bay's action-alert on herring (see previous blog). Your calls, e-mails, and letters are already making a difference.

Save The Bay is not alone on this. I want to recognize and applaud the efforts of a few of our partners. First, there is Steve Insana of Buckeye Brook Coalition (website). No one has worked harder to save herring in Rhode Island and Steve was the first to call for the closure.

The Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers (website) are also key to this effort. Their president, Steve Medeiros, has done a fantastic job educating anglers about the importance of conservation and has turned potential opponents of the ban into some of the state's greatest environmental stewards.

I also want to mention Conservation Law Foundation (website). Not always popular in the fishing community, this potent legal advocacy group is springing into action on herring and we are proud to be their partners.

But, this is not an awards ceremony! We still have fish to save so write your letters and get out to the hearing! Any questions? E-mail me directly at jtorgan@savebay.org . JT

Support The River Herring Ban

2006-03-08T10:41:00.000-05:00

This coming Monday is a critically important meeting for River Herring (6PM 3/13/06 at Corless Auditorium, URI Bay Campus). As you may have read in a recent blog, populations of river herring in Rhode Island have crashed over the past 5 years. RIDEM observed decline of more than 95% across the board , with numbers dropping from the hundreds of thousands to tens of thousands since 2000.

At the hearing, DEM will take public comment on a proposed ban on all river herring possession, commercial and recreational, in marine and fresh waters of Rhode Island. The decline in river herring has been observed coast-wide, and this species is clearly in serious jeopardy. While we have made progress restoring water quality and building ladders and passage systems, the young herring are simply not returning from sea.

Why is this? Many different theories have been proposed to explain the decline including climate/water temperature shifts, overfishing, offshore intercepts of river herring in the Atlantic herring fishery, and illegal poaching to name a few. All of these theories are plausible and the answer may be a combination of many factors, but none of these theories has any real scientific support.

The only real option at this point is to close the fishery. This closure should include a comprehensive monitoring program. Save The Bay and the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers are calling for the formation of a special river herring committee, and for the state to provide an annual report and stock status. We are also working hard to promote river restoration and fish passage projects to open more habitat to the fish. If we don't take these steps immediately, river herring are in serious danger of disappearing forever.

If you want to help, send a letter to DEM supporting the proposed closure. A sample letter can be found here. View the RIDEM press release here. Also feel free to e-mail me for more information at jtorgan@savebay.org. JT

Desalination and the Environment

2006-02-24T09:44:00.000-05:00

Whenever we hear the term "desalination", it conjures an image of a water factory turning an inexhaustible supply of seawater to an unlimited amount of drinking water. This idealized vision is something like modern alchemy, although the technology does exist and is not terribly complex. Still, the practical application of desalination is much more complicated, expensive, and energy-intensive than most alternatives almost anywhere in the United States.

In Narragansett Bay's watershed, we receive an average of about 42 inches of rain per year. With this much rain pouring into our rivers, reservoirs, and groundwater, it would seem that natural sources of fresh water would always be cheaper and more easily available than desalinated seawater. However, rising demand for fresh water has led communities and municpalities in Rhode Island and Massachusetts to turn to desalination as a means of supplementing or replacing natural supplies.

Two desalination plants are presently proposed for the Bay: One on the Taunton River, one on the Palmer. The first, Aquaria, is proposed for Dighton, MA, on the Taunton. Save The Bay, along with the Taunton River and Jones River Watershed Associations, fought the development of this plant for more than a decade. Proposed for a rare freshwater-tidal portion of the river, our groups were concerned that the facility would remove too much freshwater from the estuary and cause impacts to migratory fish and river habitat. We appealed state permits for the facility, and entered settlement negotiations with the applicants. Ultimately, we dropped our appeal in exchange for more stringent river protections, monitoring, and a stewardship funds. Our groups remain committed to watching over this project to ensure that the Taunton is adequately protected. It looks like this project will actually be constructed in the next two to three years.

The Swansea facility, proposed for the Palmer River, is presently under review by State and Federal environmental agencies. We are also reviewing the latest version, and comments are due for this on March 24th. See the MA Environmental Monitor for more details on that here.

Environmental impacts from desalination can include effects of brine discharge, entrainment of fish eggs and larvae, antifouling chemicals such as chlorine, corrosion by-products such as copper and other metals, and thermal pollution from warmer-than-natural discharges. Effects on salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, and other paramters are possible.

When choosing locations for desalination plants, Save The Bay discourages siting plants on estuaries, critical fish habitats, or other designated marine sancturaries. They should be operated using the best available technology for minimizing impacts to fish and other river or marine life. Finally, they should be carefully monitored, and shut down if unexpected environmental impacts are discovered.

There is a bill in Congress now H 1071 that includes a $200 million subsidy for the development of desalination facilities, but the bill does not specify any of the environmental standards or safeguards described above. While desalination plants can be sited and operated to reduce environmental impacts and can be a safe and sustainable water supply, it is not automatically so just because a facilitiy uses desalination.

It's time for the States and the Federal Government to establish policies for desalination facilities to clarify the process and provide for environmental performance standards and other safeguards. As water resources become increasingly scarce, we need to make sure desalination really is an environmentally-sound and viable option. More to come on this... JT

River Herring Moratorium Proposed

2006-02-17T16:21:00.000-05:00

About 30 people attended yesterday's public workshop to discuss the status of Rhode Island river herring stocks. RIDEM Biologists Mark Gibson, Phil Edwards, and Jason McNamee presented the most recent stock assessment, and it is grim.

Narragansett Bay's tributaries until recently supported hundreds of thousands of these fish, but populations region-wide are rapidly declining, and 2005 had some of the lowest counts ever recorded. The state's largest run, Gilbert Stuart, declined from 290,000 in 2000 to 17,000 in '04, a 95% decline in abundance. Other runs showed similar trends.

Most of the discussion was about why this is occurring, and no clear answers were evident. Theories such as climatic change, ocean-intercept fisheries, and changing predator/prey relationships were examined, but none has sufficient evidence to point to a primary cause.

The State of Rhode Island and Save The Bay have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in recent years for herring restoration and water quality improvements. Apparently, fish that make it back to the Bay are spawning successfully. Many of the juveniles, however, are simply not returning.

Like Massachusetts and Connecticut, it is now all but certain that a total ban on possession of river herring will soon go into effect for Rhode Island's herring runs in both fresh and marine waters. Though recreational catches may seem insignificant in the big picture, any additional fishing pressure may drive river herring to extinction in the next 3 to 5 years.

DEM is proposing a total closure on the river herring fishery, and will be accepting comments on this up through a public hearing scheduled for Monday, March 13th. Save The Bay is working with the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association to develop a position and recommend a conservation strategy to RIDEM. Our goal is to conserve enough of these fish to allow them to be fished again sustainably. Unfortunately, that strategy will likely mean closing the fishery for at least a couple of years so the stocks can be better assessed and get a chance to spawn again. This may be our last chance to save this critical piece of the Narragansett Bay ecosystem.

Herring Meeting This Thursday February 16th

2006-02-10T16:14:00.000-05:00

The Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife is hosting a public workshop to review the status of RI river herring stocks, and to discuss proposed regulations. The meeting will be at the URI Narragansett Bay Campus Corless Auditorium at 6PM, Thursday February 16th.

For more information, call Jason McNamee at RIDEM (401) 423-1943. -JT

Trouble Brewing for River Herring

2006-02-09T10:30:00.000-05:00

In a recent blog, I wrote about Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) and their presence in Narragansett Bay at this time of year. Since almost nobody fishes the Bay in mid-winter, few Rhode Islanders ever see these. Some may remember the Russian freezer boats that used to moor off Jamestown. These hulking boats would buy Atlantic herring and mackeral from local fishers and freeze them to be sold overseas. Atlantic herring are a "sea herring", meaning that they spend their lives at sea and never migrate into fresh water.

More familiar to most of us are the river herring or "buckies" that run into the tributaries and creeks of the Bay's watershed every spring. Buckies are really 2 different species that look alike, the alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) and the blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis). These fish are anadromous, meaning they spend their lives at sea, but migrate up rivers into freshwater lakes and ponds to spawn and lay their eggs. These eggs develop and young fish hatch in fresh water, growing to a couple of inches in length before making the journey to the ocean in late fall. River herring typically arrive in the Bay in early May, swarming into narrow creeks and working their way upstream. A few weeks later, the adult fish drop back downstream and return to sea.

Historically, Narragansett Bay may have had as many as fifty herring "runs" or tributaries that supported river herring. Today that number is down to about 15, most of which are in serious decline. A few notable runs are still in decent shape: Gilbert Stuart at the head of Narrow River, Buckeye Brook in Warwick, and the Nemasket in the Taunton River watershed are all still good places to find fish swimming in this ancient ritual of the spring.

In recent years, river herring stocks have declined region-wide. Fish counts at the major runs have declined from hundreds of thousands in just 2002 to less than ten thousand in 2005. No one knows exactly why, but possible explanations include overfishing, habitat destruction, and ecological shifts such as warmer water temperatures and predator/prey relationships. For years, Save The Bay has advocated (and even built) dam removal and fish passage systems to reconnect and restore herring populations Bay-wide, but these efforts alone have not been enough to save the stock.

Fishing regulations are already strict in Rhode Island, and we expect river herring to be closed later this spring.
Connecticut and Massachusetts have already taken steps to end all taking of River Herring. The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management has been responsive to this issue, and is planning public hearings and possibly emergency rules soon. The Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association and Save The Bay are working together on this problem to educate our members and gather all the scientific information we can. We will communicate the hearing dates and info, as well as background and facts to all of you in the next week or so. Save The Bay certainly support fishing when it is sustainable and are working to restore the habitat and fish stocks. Unfortunately, to save the last river herring, it appears a full moratorium will be needed in Rhode Island.

If the river herring fishery is closed, we should take the opportunity to do good scientific fish counts and all the restoration we can. Volunteer with Save The Bay, DEM, or your local rivers council to monitor herring runs. When the run gets going, we'll do a blog from Buckeye Brook with its Keeper, Steve Insana, and show you some pictures and unique local angles on this issue. Stay tuned for updates, and feel free to e-mail me at jtorgan@savebay.org. -JT

EPA Upholds Limits on Brayton Point

2006-02-02T11:05:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, the Environmental Appeals Board of EPA in Washington issued a decision that fundamentally upholds strict limits on the its use of Bay water for cooling. The decision remanded certain technical issues to EPA region I for reconsideration, but these should not affect the bottom line: A 95% reduction in heat and flow from the plant. See the story by Tim Barrman in today's Providence Journal here.

While not a complete victory, this is a strong step toward cleaning up and protecting Mount Hope Bay and the Taunton River. Brayton Point uses nearly a billion gallons of Bay water every day to cool its generators. It then discharges that water at temperature of up to 95 degrees Fahrenheit. A major expansion of the plant in the mid-1980's has been implicated in the 87% decline of fish populations in Mount Hope Bay. It entrains and destroys billions of larval fish and eggs every year in its cooling system, and warms up the water, degrading habitat for coldwater native fish like winter flounder and tautog. See EPA's website for lots of good information on this topic here.

The important thing now is to put pressure on EPA and Dominion, Brayton Point's owners, to promptly resolve the remaining issues by agreement. Further appeals will be risky for all sides and will ultimately cost more money and cause more damage to the Bay. Save The Bay has been working on this issue since the mid-1990's and it remains the single worst point source of air and water pollution in New England. This new permit represents the best hope of restoring the ecological health and balance to Mount Hope Bay. Save The Bay, along with Conservation Law Foundation, many state and federal agencies, and the people from Brayton Point have worked hard on this for too long to allow it to languish in appeals while damage to the Bay continues.

It's time to finish the job and get Brayton into compliance with the Clean Water Act. We should not be the national posterchild for dirty coal technology. These new limits are way overdue. -JT

LNG Terminal Proposed for Long Island Sound

2006-01-31T15:51:00.000-05:00

While the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) debate rages on Narrgansett Bay over the proposed facilities in Providence (Keyspan) and Fall River (Weaver's Cove), a new proposal for an offshore LNG terminal surfaced Monday for neighboring Long Island Sound (see New London's The Day). I know that my brother Keeper over there, Long Island SoundKeeper Terry Backer has taken heat for supporting such a facility on his Sound. I really don't have a dog in that fight, but I admire Terry for taking a stand to promote solutions rather than just opposing everything.

The proposal for Long Island Sound raises important issues. Offshore siting of LNG terminals vastly reduces or eliminates safety and security risks to populated areas, but they may cost more and cause more direct environmental damage. Save The Bay's work on LNG issues in Narragansett Bay has focused on the environmental impacts associated with dredging and filling in estuaries, as well as impacts to uses of the Bay and development of sensible alternatives. Rhode Island and Massachusetts officials across the board from the Governors of both states to the Congressional Delegations have opposed siting LNG terminals in populated areas based on safety and security concerns. Shoreline communities across the Bay have weighed in, but will the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and US Administration listen? The debate is heating up.

Check out Save The Bay's Advocacy Resources page, Here, to read two important LNG Studies available for download, The Sandia National Laboratories report, and the Aquidneck Island Planning Commission reports.

Atlantic Herring Stirring up Bay Life

2006-01-28T10:10:00.000-05:00

This week, staff and visitors to the Save The Bay Center at Field's Point in Providence have been treated to great winter wildlife watching. Massive flocks of common mergansers have been surrounding and herding fish near the surface where gulls and other birds are picking them off. Harbor seals have been in close as well, presumably chasing the same fish.

I haven't laid my hands on one yet, but watching through the spotting scope, I am fairly confident that these small silver fish are Atlantic herring, (clupea harengus). Unlike the blueback herring and alewives that migrate into the Bay's rivers in April and May, Atlantic herring are not anadromous- they spend their whole lives in the sea. Narragansett Bay is near the southern range of these fish, and they tend to appear during our coldest months. A great resource website on Atlantic herring is the Gulf of Maine Research Institute

A friend reported seeing numerous whales yesterday from the Block Island ferry, probably feeding on the same herring. Their arrival in the Bay has brought may more seals, as well as a wide variety of seabirds and waterfowl. If you haven't done it yet, take your family seal watching on Save The Bay's Aletta Morris out of Newport. See the schedule at Seal Watching

I have been wondering what the resident stripers in the Providence River are eating. My minnow trap at Save The Bay was crushed during a storm last week, but in recent weeks I have been catching lots of sevenspine shrimp (a sand shrimp), and a few mummichogs, juvenile tautog, cunner, and stickleback. It's nothing like the massive schools of menhaden, silversides, and anchovies we see in summer, but there seems to be enough around to support thriving life through the winter. Perhaps the river populations range out into the Bay to forage on the Atlantic herring? Or do the sea herring make it all the way into Providence? I'll see what I can find out.

More to come on this... JT

Wintering Striped Bass

2006-01-25T10:36:00.000-05:00

Many readers were surprised by the presence of over-winter striped bass in the Providence River. This is a relatively a recent phenomena observed since the mid-1990's, and may be related to a number of important changes in the Bay environment.

Striped bass in Narragansett Bay are known to spawn in the Hudson River and Chesapeake Bay esturies and to migrate seasonally along the East Coast. Bright fish from the Atlantic typically arrive on the Rhode Island Coast in April following the runs of alewives and blueback herring. In spring the stripers are abundant in the bay and its tributary rivers, feeding on menhaden, herring, squid, anchovies, and other forage species.

In the heat of summer, most stripers move to deeper colder water off Rhode Island's south coast and Block Island. In late summer and Fall they move back into the Bay, most staying until October or November before migrating south along the coast again. Most migrate, but not all.

Thousands of striped bass are known to winter in the cooling water canal of Brayton Point Power Station in Somerset, Massachusetts. Other winter populations in the Northeast tend to be associated with the warm outflows of power plants including the ones I found last week near the Manchester Street Station in downtown Providence. Others apparently stay in the Narrow River in Narragansett, where there are no warm water flows. A massive population now winters in the Thames River in Connecticut, upriver from the Millstone nuclear power plant.

After reading many reports about the Thames River fish, my wife Jillian and I took a ride to Norwich, CT on Sunday. In the harbor downtown, and all along the river, dozens of boats and hundreds of anglers braved ice and January temperatures to find them. It looked like a scene out of a cable TV bass fishing show, only colder. (No, I didn't fish because I don't have my '06 CT freshwater license yet!).

None of these striped bass wintering populations have been accurately counted or even estimated. Very little good scientific or natural history information is available. Striped bass is a great conservation success story, as populations coastwide have made a significant comeback since the lows of the mid 1980's thanks to better fisheries management, habitat protection, and improved water quality. Water temperature, and everything related to it, is probably a major factor in the increasing winter populations. Milder winters and warm-water flows have allowed stripers and the creatures they feed on to survive and even thrive in the Bay in winter.

It's not just stripers. The populations and assemblage of fish and other marine life is clearly shifting in Narragansett Bay from colder water species like flounder and cod to more temperate species like striped bass and sand shrimp. Is it global climate change? Natural cycles? We'll talk more about the Bay's overall fish populations in an upcoming post. JT

FERC Upholds Earlier LNG Rulings

2006-01-19T11:52:00.000-05:00

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) today denied rehearing requests from both Keyspan and Weaver’s Cove LNG and opponents of the proposed projects, leaving the decisions made at the July 15th FERC meeting to stand.

FERC Chair Joseph T. Kelliher explained that the Weaver’s Cove project, in Fall River, meets current federal safety standards as proposed. The Keyspan project, proposed for Providence, does not. He further explained that the removal of the Brightman Street Bridge is not a FERC condition for the approval of the Weaver’s Cove Project and therefore should not prohibit authorization of the project.

Commissioner Suedeen Kelly dissented, voting against Weaver’s Cove. Kelly argued that other planned LNG facilities in the region and in Canada are expected to come on-line soon and make Weaver’s Cove unnecessary. She also explained that the environmental impacts to the Taunton River would be significant, particularly the dredging and dredge disposal issues.

Chairman Kelliher explained that safety issues are the primary focus of the FERC review, and that FERC is ruling narrowly on issues of safety.

More on Striped Bass Disease

2006-01-18T15:45:00.000-05:00

Thanks to those who have already called and written on this. After a bit more research, my best diagnosis of the sick stripers I caught is something called lymphocystis, a condition in fish that includes yellow and white slimy growth. Lymphocystis is a viral infection, but is less serious than it sounds. It typically does not kill the fish, and is associated with environmental stresses like temperature and crowding.

Coincidentally, there was a story on NPR today on this subject. Take a listen.

Sick Stripers

2006-01-17T16:09:00.000-05:00

If you read the 'Welcome' entry, you saw pictures of the diseased striped bass I caught yesterday in the Providence River.

I don't know exactly what was wrong with them, but my theory is that these fish have Ulcerative Dermatitis Syndrome (UDS). UDS is a condition that has been observed in non-migratory stripers in the Chesapeake Bay since the mid-1990's, and is characterized by multiple lesions and sores.(Source.) It is often associated with degraded water quality and poor quality forage (little or no food). Fish get scraped up by nets, fishtraps, or power plant intakes, and then are rendered more susceptible to infection. These poor habitat conditions certainly exist in the Providence River in winter, though UCS is not officially known to occur in Narragansett Bay.

Another disease that affects Striped Bass in the Chesapeake, mycobacteriosis, is much more serious in that it kills the fish it infects, and can be transmitted to people (called fish-handler's disease, Yikes!). I don't think these fish had that, though, based on all the descriptions of mycobacteriosis that I've read.

Here's another good article you might find of interest from the Stripers Forever Web site.

If you think you know what this disease is, or have seen fish with this condition in Narragansett Bay, please write me and let me know. I am sending my pictures and descriptions to some fish pathology experts and will let you know what I find out.

I'll be tackling the issue of over-wintering stripers in an upcoming entry. Stay tuned... JT

Important LNG Decisions Thursday

2006-01-17T15:54:00.000-05:00

This Thursday, the 19th, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), will be meeting in Washington, D.C. at 10AM. Among topics on the agenda are the Weaver's Cove LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) project in Fall River and the Keyspan LNG project proposed for Providence.

The meeting will be webcast for free at www.ferc.gov. The meeting notice may be viewed at http://www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/Files/20060112172506-CA01-19-06.pdf

Save The Bay is an intervenor in these proceedings. We are monitoring them closely, and will be ready to respond and report to you this Thursday with any breaking developments. See Save The Bay's website for more info on LNG www.savebay.org.

JT