It is the opinion of the Board of Directors Of Portersville Revival
Group, Inc. That further development of the natural gas industry in south
Mobile County is not in the best interest of the unique culture,
environment, and history of the area.
The area of the French Coast has been subject to excessive permitting
and placement of the natural gas industry. Significant damage to the
environment, culture and historical sites has and will occur from the
cumulative impacts of these facilities. The area has enjoyed little or
no direct benefit there from. Mitigation efforts have not been adequate
nor enforced. Sufficient studies of our culture, history and environment
do not exist on which an informed decision can be made as to further
permitting. The dictates of environmental justice require no more permitting.
Our opinion that no future applications for natural gas facilities (including
pipelines) should be approved, is based in part upon the Social Impact
Assessment of Dr. John Salter, cultural anthropologist and subcontractor
for the United States Coast Guard and United States Maritime Commission
. This assessment can be found in the final impact statement prepared
for the
Main Pass Energy Hub, deep water port license application,
March, 2006, Volume II, Appendix H.
Click here for Copy
of Application in .pdf format
Although the Board of Directors of the Portersville Revival Group, inc.
Opposes any further permitting and placement of natural gas facilities
in South Mobile County, Alabama; if such facilities are approved, we
ask for mitigation relief per the studies of Dr. Salter . This relief
includes:
- *establishment of a trust fund from the natural gas profits to be utilized
by local groups of interest within the potentially affected communities
to enhance marine and estuary areas, provide compensation to commercial
fishing interests for loss of income and economic resources, establishment
of educational resource programs for the advancement of commercial and
recreational fishing techniques and continued monitoring of potential
adverse effects on marine interests;
*funding by the natural gas industry of complete biological, cultural
and ethnographic surveys of the affected communities;
*distribution of landfalls to include the eastern shore of Mobile Bay;
*use of shallow -draft drilling rig and oil-field vessels
*utilization of best management practices applicable to offshore development
and monitoring (which should include paid independent professionals and
locals of interest);
*purchase of land to be donated as a historic district and conservation
set-asides to preserve local to be placed under the control of interested
groups within the affected communities;
*avoidance of oyster beds and other sensitive marine areas and utilization
of independent and community monitors;
*funding of a community protection infrastructure including full time
fire departments, medical clinics, medical helicopter service and mariculture
schools in the affected communities, ;
*independent appraisal of properties within the affected communities
to compensate local property owners for devaluation of land and displacement.
*delineation of the boundaries and phase archaeological testing of archaeological
sites 1mb1, 1mb373;
*consultation with African American interests regarding archaeological
site 1mb372 (which was destroyed by previous gas lines)
*employment of professional archaeologist and community representatives
to monitor all subsurface work. The present unanticipated discovery plans
lack sufficient protection for cultural resources of the area;
*creation of an adverse impact/disaster relief fund to be administered
by local board of trust and to be distributed in the potentially affected
communities for unanticipated adverse impacts/disasters;
*recognition of public interest groups in the potentially affected areas
as consulting parties to the proposed actions and establishment of a
programmatic agreement regarding community consultation and mitigation.