Environmentalists protest being kept out of a meeting about a Philly port for liquefied natural gas

Environmental activists say they were blocked from entering or testifying Thursday at a hearing of the Philadelphia LNG Task Force, which is exploring the possibility of the first liquefied natural gas export facility along the Delaware River in or near the city.

Longtime activist Zulene Mayfield, who owns a home in Chester, a potential site of the facility, attempted to enter the hearing but was told she had to leave because the room at the Courtyard Philadelphia South at the Navy Yard was at capacity. At the time, others were allowed to stand in the back and along the walls of a small conference room where the hearing was held.

“I want to talk about this sham process that this Liquefied Natural Gas Task Force is doing,” Mayfield said at a news conference before trying to enter the meeting room. “This committee and their process is deceptive. It reeks of systemic racism when you lock out a community that you know will be affected and impacted.”

Mayfield was joined at the news conference by a member of the task force, Pennsylvania State Rep. Joseph Hohenstein (D., Philadelphia), who also objected to activists being kept from entering, or testifying. He said he had attempted to add panelists, including Mayfield, to the hearing agenda on Wednesday but was told it was too late.

“Despite my reservations, I placed my trust in the chair of the LNG Task Force that we would have an open debate that would provide a space for the voices of environmental justice communities so that they could speak truth to power,” Hohenstein said. “That trust has been lost, and it will take much to regain it.”

However, State Rep. Martina White (R., Philadelphia), chair of the task force, said in an email before the meeting that “Rep. Hohenstein has his facts wrong.”

White said Hohenstein submitted names of prospective panelists “after the slots for the testifiers was filled.” White said others would have a chance to testify at future meetings, which have not yet been scheduled.

“We look forward to working together in a bipartisan way to engage all of the different stakeholders involved in this conversation,” White said.

White introduced legislation that created the task force a year ago. It was passed by legislators and signed by former Gov. Tom Wolf.

White said she initiated the task force in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the energy problem that presented to Europe. Pennsylvania, she said, could fill part of the void by providing natural gas for export, but a port would be needed.

Though the task force does not name a specific port, the only currently known plan for such a facility is in Chester. There, Penn America Energy has targeted a 60-acre waterfront site now occupied by a warehouse complex. Chester Mayor Thaddeus Kirkland has supported the plan because of the tax revenue and job opportunities it could create.

» READ MORE: A proposed LNG plant in Chester would be gigantic and hardly anyone knows about it

The task force is expected to send its recommendations to Gov. Josh Shapiro later this year.

Mayfield, who owns a property just off the Chester waterfront, has long fought projects she thinks will bring pollution and traffic that will hurt the community.

The panel at the hearing did include Adam Nagel, a representative of PennFuture, a nonprofit environmental advocacy organization. The other four panelists represented industry, business, or trades. Nagel told the panel that PennFuture opposed an LNG facility because of the danger he said it presented in creating or shipping the liquefied gas, as well as pollution from methane venting. Methane is a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.

“Philadelphians are far too familiar with the health impacts from the fossil fuel industry given the city’s long history as a former site of the largest oil refinery on the East Coast — primarily Black and brown residents of South and Southwest Philadelphia faced health battles for generations due to their proximity to the former PES refinery,” Nagel said.

However, industry representatives presented LNG as safe while providing a big economic opportunity for the region.

David Cuff, president of the Pilots’ Association for the Bay and River Delaware, said the professional mariners who work the Port of Philadelphia and elsewhere on the river are highly trained and have a solid safety record. He said they’ve piloted thousands of large ships, including LPG carriers, petroleum tankers, and other vessels. An LNG facility would mean more work.

“The ship-handling skills and local knowledge held by the state pilots are second to none in any port in the world,” Cuff said.

Lisa Himber, president of the Maritime Exchange for the Delaware River and Bay, said 50,000 jobs are directly related to the Port of Philadelphia, which is responsible for $50 billion a year in economic activity, and generates $2 billion in state and local taxes.

“With global demand for LNG increasing every year,” Himber said, “a new LNG terminal here can only strengthen the port’s competitive position.”

State Sen. Anthony Williams (D., Philadelphia), a member of the task force, said that he understood the environmental concerns but that jobs are desperately needed.

“My hope is that in this space, that we create employment … good union-paying wages,” Williams said.