Gas pipes plan worry activists

Dive instructor Jeff Torode has taken thousands of visitors to see the coral reefs off the South Florida coast, and the response has grown predictable: the underwater gardens and passing fish leave people in awe.

''People can't believe it's there. They are amazed,'' said Torode, owner of South Florida Diving. ``The tranquility of it, the beauty of it, and the quiet -- it's phenomenal.''

Phenomenal but under assault, Torode and other reef watchdogs say.

Pollution, ship groundings, beach replenishment and inlet dredging all have taken a heavy toll in recent years. And environmentalists say a new threat is imminent: plans to build natural gas pipelines along the sea floor from the Bahamas to Broward County.

Despite environmental concerns, two pipeline projects are nearing the end of the U.S. approval process. Company officials say construction could begin by year's end, assuming approval by the Bahamas. Environmentalists there are fighting the project.

Under both proposals, liquid natural gas would be shipped via tanker to the Bahamas from points as far off as Africa. The liquid would be converted back to gas at terminals in the Bahamas and sent through the underwater pipelines to Port Everglades and Dania Beach.

In an effort to limit damage to Florida's reefs, the companies plan to use a horizontal drilling technology to thread pipes beneath the sea bed. But environmentalists say the drilling technology is risky, particularly given the natural challenges of offshore work, and could release coral-choking mud.

= [100.0] = [100.0] ''Horizontal directional drilling is an inherently messy process -- not the kind of thing that can take place in a fragile ecosystem,'' said George Cavros, of the Broward Sierra Club.

''It's like saying let's drill for oil in Yellowstone Park,'' Torode said. ``People would say what, are you crazy?''

South Florida's coral reefs, the only barrier reef system in the continental United States, are considered a vital ecosystem and an economic engine, drawing thousands of snorkelers, divers and fishermen.

NEW STUDY URGED

Reef watchdog groups such as Cry of the Water say additional research on the pipelines is required and have urged the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a new environmental study before issuing final permits.

Corps project manager Ken Huntington said it was unlikely the agency would require a new Environmental Impact Study -- a process that can take months or years. He said the existing studies were thorough and included plans to mitigate any damage.

''We've been reviewing the projects for about two years,'' he said.

The projects earned key state approvals last month, and officials with the state Department of Environmental Protection said they expect to issue permits in the coming weeks.

The Corps permits could follow this summer.

Jayne Bergstrom, a program manager with the state DEP, said phone-book-size lists of conditions and requirements would accompany agency permits.

''We have monitoring plans for dredging, for drilling, for ship movements, for designated work spaces,'' Bergstrom said.

``For anything that could possibly go wrong there is a contingency plan.''

Both the Army Corps and the DEP are still receiving public comment.

REMOVING OLD TIRES

Under an arrangement with the state, the companies, Tractebel Calypso Pipeline LLC and AES Ocean Express LLC, agreed to pay up to $1.5 million for environmental damage and to remove thousands of tires from a failed 1970s artificial-reef project as part of mitigation.

Some tires have broken free and damaged underwater life, and environmentalists fear tires dislodged in a hurricane could crash into the pipeline.

But Dan Clark, of Cry of the Water, said removing tires is no substitute for protecting the corals.

''We can't afford to knowingly and willingly destroy more reef,'' he said. ``It will have a cascading effect on our fisheries and our economy.''

Other critics have raised security concerns.

Raymond McAllister, a professor emeritus of ocean engineering at Florida Atlantic University, said he fears a ship running aground or terrorist activity could rupture the pipeline and cause a dangerous fire.

Company officials say the plans have been vetted by federal and local security officials.

In event of a break, a shutoff valve would be activated in Florida, and gas remaining in the pipe would be sucked out though a release valve in the Bahamas, said Lafayette Herring, manager of project development with Tractebel.

Herring said the system would be equipped with monitors to detect leaks.

A THIRD PROJECT

AES, a subsidiary of AES Corp. of Arlington, Va., plans to run its pipeline from Ocean Cay in the southern Biminis to Dania Beach.

Tractebel, a subsidiary of the French utility group Suez, aims to build a pipeline from near Freeport, Bahamas, to Port Everglades.

A third project, by Houston-based El Paso Corp. and FPL Group, is working through the federal and state regulatory process.

The projects come at a time of growing demand for natural gas, believed to be the cleanest-burning fossil fuel. U.S. energy policy calls for increasing reliance on the gas, and Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan spoke last year about the importance of access to the world market.

According to utility regulators, the state needs another 1.6 billion cubic feet of natural gas by 2012.

If all goes as planned, the AES and Tractebel projects could supply 1.6 billion cubic feet by 2008.