SEARSPORT - Former national security advisor Richard Clarke is expected to testify before the Searsport Planning Board Monday, Feb. 11, as hearings on a proposed large-scale propane terminal continue this week.

The development by Colorado-based DCP Midstream would include a 23-million gallon bulk storage tank for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), distributed commercially as propane.

Clarke's security consulting firm Good Harbor was hired by Islesboro Islands Trust to perform an "all hazards" risk assessment of the proposal. Islesboro Islands Trust has opposed the LPG development. 

The report, completed in January, recommends not permitting DCP Midstream's project as proposed, primarily based on a lack of plan or resources to deal with an emergency. The report also touches on the shift in the national gas market from importing to exporting. The current proposal is for an import facility. The Good Harbor report suggests that importing would likely lose money and the town could be faced with a request in the near future to retrofit the terminal for export, which the report says would create different safety concerns.

The full report, as well as a five-page executive summary, can be viewed here.

Clarke's appearance was rescheduled after a meeting in January was cancelled due to a snowstorm. Despite the weekend blizzard, Ken Agabian, a spokesman for the Searsport LPG opposition group Thanks But No Tank said Sunday night that Clarke's presentation was still planned for Monday night.

The public hearing of the Searsport Planning Board will be held at Searsport District High School at 6 p.m. Hearings are scheduled to continue on Tuesday and Wednesday, as needed.

Ethan Andrews can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com