The Maine Fuel Board has given a green light to erect a liquid propane gas (LPG) storage tank on Mack Point in Searsport.

That leaves one less hurdle for DCP Midstream to clear before it can break ground for its proposed $40 million LPG tank. The project requires final approval from the Searsport planning board, which has yet to rule the application complete. The planning board granted DCP Midstream, extra time to obtain the fuel board permit.

The planning board was expected to hold a special meeting September 24, but it wasn’t clear if DCP would be on the agenda. In the meantime, opposition from a grassroots group called Thanks But No Tank continues. That group has filed an appeal of the DEP permits in Kennebec County superior court, alleging DEP didn’t follow its own rules in granting permits to DCP. A decision is expected soon.

Rosslyn Elliot, spokeswoman for DCP, said the tank “has undergone extensive evaluation and reviews by state and federal regulators on all aspects of this proposed project, and has also contributed a voluntary economic impact study upon recommendations of local constituents.”

Stephen Miller, head of Islesboro Islands Trust, said he wasn’t surprised at the fuel board action, and that it is not a setback for opponents of the tank. He said fuel board standards are “woefully inadequate” for a project of this magnitude.

Miller said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers last spring declined to conduct an environmental impact study before issuing a permit, and that decision could still be appealed.

A number of elected officials in Penobscot Bay communities have sent letters of concern to Searsport, stating that a project this scale is a regional issue, not just a local one. Critics of the tank have warned of heavy truck traffic, “exclusion zones” around tankers crossing the bay, and the possibility of disaster.

Others warn of the visual impact of a 14-story tank, towering over existing tanks at Mack Point, and they predict the tank could discourage tourism, hurting the region’s economy.

DCP’s Elliot, vice president of public affairs for the firm, said, “Searsport was identified as the best port to situate a facility given it already has an appropriate port; no dredging is required; the port already serves 160 ships annually and has processes in place for operation. With an LPG terminal in Maine, the state would have greater certainty of supply.”

Islesboro selectmen recently voted unanimously to ask Searsport selectmen to “endorse” the need for a risk assessment of the big tank.

The Islesboro’s selectmens letter states, “Islesboro and eight other towns in the Penobscot Bay region expressed concern about safety, economic and environmental impacts that the LPG facility may pose.” The letter goes on to point out that, “Neither Maine Department of Environmental Protection, the Army Corps of Engineers, nor the Searsport Planning Board required DCP Searsport LLC to undertake or otherwise finance an All Hazards Risk Assessment. Because the chorus of concerns and questions remained unanswered, Islesboro Islands Trust engaged the services of quite possibly our nation’s most experienced safety and security analyst, Richard A. Clarke, and his consulting company, Good Harbor, to perform the independent and objective assessment of safety risks.”

Miller said that Clarke has begun research on his risk assessment and could complete the job in several weeks.

Steve Cartwright is a freelance writer based in Waldoboro

This story has been updated to include quotes from DCP Midstream.