SOUTH PORTLAND — The City Council will not enact a six-month moratorium to slow down plans for a liquefied petroleum gas storage and distribution facility at Rigby Yard.

City councilors could not vote when they met Monday night because it was only a council workshop, but after a public hearing and discussion that lasted more than two hours, it was clear there isn’t enough support for a moratorium.

A moratorium would need support from at least five of the seven councilors, and only three said they would approve a moratorium.

“We don’t have five votes, plain and simple,” said Tom Blake, who was unanimously elected mayor Monday night.

Blake, who supports a moratorium, will serve a one-year term, replacing Linda Cohen, who opposes a moratorium.

Councilors agreed vote on the moratorium Dec. 9 to formalize their position.

In February, NGL Supply Terminal Co. submitted a preliminary plan to build a depot capable of storing 1 million gallons of liquefied petroleum gas at Rigby Yard.

The company has since scaled back its proposal to not exceed 744,000 gallons.

The depot would replace NGL’s propane storage terminal on Commercial Street in Portland, where the state will expand the International Marine Terminal next spring to build a multimillion-dollar cold storage facility.

NGL is a subsidiary of NGL Energy Partners of Tulsa, Oklahoma, which includes Brunswick-based Downeast Energy.

Residents have expressed concerns about the potential for a catastrophic explosion if the depot is built at Rigby Yard, a 245-acre industrial site that for decades has served as a pass-through and layover for commercial trains. The site is between the city’s densely populated Cash Corner and Thornton Heights neighborhoods off Route 1.

Councilor Brad Fox, who supports a moratorium, said the storage depot would be too close to people’s homes.

“Rigby Yard is completely surrounded by people who live in South Portland,” said Fox. “We are sworn to protect them. That is my issue here.”

Blake, Fox and Councilor Patricia Smith support a moratorium. Councilor Melissa Linscott did not rule out supporting a moratorium, but even if she did, it would not get the five votes it needs.

The councilors who oppose a moratorium – Cohen, Claude Morgan and Maxine Beecher – appeared unlikely to change their position.

Morgan said he feared that a moratorium would be a “play for time” that would cause economic harm to the company.

“(A moratorium) feels like we would be changing the rules in the middle of the game,” said Morgan.

Cohen pointed out that many South Portland residents heat their homes with propane. She said there are propane storage tanks throughout the city.

“If (propane) can’t come into South Portland, it has to come in somewhere,” she said.

The city’s Planning Department staff is offering feedback on the project, but the proposal is considered incomplete and has not gone before the Planning Board for final review.

“NGL is encouraged by the council’s discussion tonight,” said Kevin Fitzgerald, regional operations manager for NGL Energy, in a prepared statement. “We look forward to presenting our proposal to the Planning Board, providing detailed information about its safety features and answering any questions from staff and residents alike.”

Dennis Hoey can be contacted at 791-6365 or at:

dhoey@pressherald.com

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