Newsletters

December 2008 - Quequechan River, LNG

WELCOME TO GREEN FUTURES !
DECEMBER, 2008

The ideals which have lighted me on my way and time after time given me new courage to face life cheerfully have been Truth, Goodness, and Beauty.  The ordinary objects of human endeavor -- property, outward success, luxury -- have always seemed to me contemptible.
 -Albert Einstein

 "Success in almost any field depends more on energy and drive than it does on intelligence. This explains why we have so many stupid leaders."
 - Sloan Wilson

 Hey, Fall River, …“FREE THE QUEQUECHAN!”

 Visionaries and creative thinkers exist in every community. Unfortunately they are always few in number and all too often their ideas for moving their communities forward are summarily dismissed by the political clique in power.

 Also unfortunately …especially in Fall River, politics is so incestuous that this close consanguinity results in what one would expect …genetically defective politicians who lack the ability to vision beyond their own term in office and who do not have the capacity to think differently from those politicians that preceded them. They seek input and advice only from those similarly handicapped from within their own immediate political family and are incapable of considering …or even understanding …the views of their community’s best and brightest.

 Perhaps Fall River’s motto of “We’ll Try” should be changed to what we’ve heard from many local officials, “We Can’t Do That Here!”

 While other cities, around the world, have been doing marvelous things with their community rivers, harbors, and other natural attractions,  Fall River stays mired in the negative ooze of its past.

 Baltimore has its Inner Harbor; San Antonio has its Paseo del Rio; neighboring Providence its Waterplace Park and Riverwalk. Sure, some will say, those are larger cities than tiny Fall River and have greater resources to power their particular urban improvements.

 Well, small and dirty Chattanooga (pop. 155,000+-) has what it calls its “21st Century Waterfront.”  Portland, Maine, (pop. 64,000+-) has its Old Port; Lowell, on the mighty Merrimack River, (pop. 105,000+-) has its Historical Park and Canal Walk; and stone’s throw away New Bedford (pop. 99,000+-) the Whaling National Park and Historic Waterfront.

 Fall River (pop. 92,000+-) is unique in being the only city on the Atlantic coast of the United States with a waterfall …not water flowing over a dam …but a real, honest-to-goodness waterfall! There would not be a city at that location, were it not for the Quequechan River.

 A city with any pride at all, does not ignore …and then trash, the very natural feature that gave birth to the city, brought wealth to its inhabitants, and gave the community its name.

 Since the end of World War II and the flight to the ‘burbs, Fall River has made a number of uninspired, half-hearted attempts to reinvent itself. Hasn’t worked in the past, won’t work now.

 Recent attempts such as creation of a “restaurant row;” new courthouse; faux trolleys; copies of memorials, gates and statues;  may be used as building blocks in revitalizing Fall River’s downtown and waterfront …but the keystone is the  restoration of the river and its falls.

 The Quequechan falls and greenways will connect the waterfront with downtown. A linear park, on the north side of Pocasset Street, would create an urban park in the heart of the city; foster community; encourage economic development; promote tourism.

 For those who aren’t capable of climbing steep hills to access the waterfront or downtown attractions, or just don’t want to walk through the park, views of the falls will be visible as they ride a funicular from the area of Battleship Cove to the top of the hill near Gromada Plaza. Small shops, restaurants, art galleries,   entertainment venues, historical areas within the urban loop from the waterfront to downtown, between Pocasset Street and Coulmbia Street, will flourish with increased resident and tourist traffic.

 Some community fossils, chronic naysayers, the perpetually defeated, and those incestuous political leaders will say it can’t be done.  They’ll give you the new city motto “We Can’t Do That Here.” Sad, very sad!

 Let’s talk about one community that had less to work with than Fall River, but had the vision to realize what could be done with the polluted and periodic river that flowed through their urban center.

 Wichita Falls, Texas, (population 99,000+-) was named after a small waterfall in the Wichita River. Unlike Fall River, industrial expansion and urban growth did not destroy the falls.

 That much smaller, than the Quequechan, waterfall in the Wichita River flowed over layers of sandstone and was washed away in the great flood of 1886. Gone, residents of the community mourned the fact that they now lived in a city named Wichita Falls …that no longer had its falls.

 Fast forward a hundred years and the technology …and more importantly the will, was there to put the falls back in Wichita Falls. So, a concrete 54 foot high, four cascade waterfall was designed and built in time for Wichita Falls centennial celebration.

 A riverwalk was then constructed along the river and falls that connects downtown Wichita Falls with the 178 acre Lucy Park .

 Here’s a blurb from a Wichita Falls community website: 

“As the River winds through town, it crosses this attractive public park, whose wide-open spaces invite Frisbee-playing and late-afternoon picnics. The park also features playground equipment, gardens, walking trails, and a pool. More than a century ago, the river originally fell several feet as it passed through the area, but these falls were eventually eradicated by a massive flood. In the late '80s, the city "rebuilt" the 54-foot falls, creating several tiers for water to rush over. They're now one of the city's most popular sites. Lucy Park is a 178 acre regional park located in the center of the city. The park is in a bend of the Wichita River which gives it a natural setting with huge pecans, cottonwoods, and numerous other species of native and introduced trees.”

 


 Our Quequechan River has almost three times the drop of the waterfall they reconstructed in Wichita Falls. Ours would be much more impressive and would spark the spirit needed to revitalize the entire downtown and waterfront areas.

 What do you say? We say, “FREE THE QUEQUECHAN!”

 Thank You-

Donations

 As most know, Green Futures is all volunteer organization. Our monthly newsletter and regular ACTION ALERTS go out to members and non-members alike.

 Our expenses are minimal, mostly postage and some office supplies. We do like to have something a little more substantial on hand should we need legal advice or action in battling environmentally damaging proposals.

 Our yearly dues have been $10.00 since our inception fifteen years ago. A sincere “thank you” to members who have already sent in their dues for the coming year.

 Non-member donations, of any amount, are appreciated and important in furthering our initiatives. If you wish to donate please send your donation to:

 Treasurer
 Green Futures, Inc.
 P.O. Box 144
 Fall River, Massachusetts 02724

 We are a 501 (c) 3 organization. Donations are deductible for income tax purposes.

 LNG – Six Years and Counting

 The Massachusetts Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs, Ian Bowles, wants a new environmental impact report from the scurrilous folks at Hess LNG’s Weaver’s Cove Energy Project.

 Here’s another wonderful LNG article from the December 12, 2008, Herald News explaining what Weaver’s Cove has to do and why they have to do it.

 Another hurdle for LNG
 By Will Richmond

 As Weaver’s Cove Energy officials map out a new plan for delivering liquefied natural gas to the area, state officials will require the company to provide more evidence to support construction of an offshore berthing station.

 Ian Bowles, secretary of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, recently announced Weaver’s Cove officials will have to author a new environmental impact report, detailing the effects an offshore berthing station will have on the environment.

 “Although it does not appear that the project design of the upland import terminal portion of the project has been revised, I find that the potential significance of the environmental impacts associated with the project change and its reliance on a novel application of (LNG) transfer technology warrant a full MEPA review process of the changed aspects of the project,” Bowles wrote.

 Weaver’s Cove officials announced the plan to build the berthing facility in March as opposition continued to mount over the safety of locating an LNG terminal on the banks of the Taunton River.

 The new facility would be located in Somerset waters and sit about 1 mile from the nearest shoreline and 2 miles south of the Braga Bridge. It would connect to the proposed facility via a 4-mile-long buried pipeline. The facility would include berthing structures to secure LNG tankers during uploading operations and support transfer piping and controls.

 According to Bowles’ letter, Weaver’s Cove would have to dredge portions of the navigational channel in Mount Hope Bay, a dedicated private channel between the navigational channel and berthing station and a turning basin where the federal and dedicated channels intersect to a depth of 41 feet.

 Additional items Bowles seeks more information on in the new report include effects on water and air quality and impacts on fishery resources.
 Bowles also requested the new report include all safety and security issues posed by the project.

 “It should characterize all potential safety impacts to populations and neighborhoods, in consideration of the Sandia Report and any other reports focusing on public safety,” Bowles wrote. “It should also discuss potential safety and security impacts to major public and private operations and infrastructure in the area.”

 Bowles specifically referred to the Brayton Point Power Station, the Braga Bridge, the Fall River Municipal Wastewater Treatment Facility and the State Pier.

 Weaver’s Cove spokesman James Grasso did not return a message seeking comment on the state’s decision.

 State Rep. David Sullivan, D-Fall River, a vocal opponent of locating a LNG terminal in Fall River, said the state is right to require more information on Weaver’s Cove’s new plan.

 “This truly reflects the type of response Weaver’s Cove has had throughout the process,” Sullivan said. “Every proposal has lacked sufficient information.”

 Sullivan said the state also needs to review the company’s plan to install the 4-mile cryogenic pipeline that will connect the berthing station to the pier because it will be the longest in the world.

 “There are some very serious questions that need to answered ... so the state is right to respond in the way it has,” Sullivan said. “Though I would prefer they just pack up and go away.”
 

 Embrace Winter –

 Winter comes only once a year. We do think that at this latitude it does stay a little longer than we would like, but since it is here now, and with a vengeance this year, ---why not embrace it?
 
 Those snowy landscapes are perfect for all types of winter activities. Maybe you’ve never tried cross-country skiing? Perfect time to try. Can’t ice skate? Great opportunity this month to learn. Almost all those birds coming to the birdfeeder look alike? Buy a field guide to identify them and then list the month, day, and time they show up and depart. See if they do the same things at the same time next winter.

 Don’t care for the above suggestions? Go to our Calendar to find other stuff worth doing this winter.
 

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