The public hearings are being held after two area citizens, including Mayor Edward M. Lambert Jr., requested them.

In his Aug. 23 letter requesting the hearings, Lambert said a hearing should be held in Fall River because its residents are "specially and significantly affected, in a manner other entities are not."

"The citizens of Fall River are entitled to participate in a federal action that could have dire consequences on their health, safety and security, and should, at a minimum, be afforded the opportunity to comment in a public forum," Lambert wrote.

The Coast Guard's proposed rule change will essentially codify the maneuver Hess LNG's tankers will have to make to navigate their way through the old and new Brightman Street bridges.

As a way to stymie Hess LNG's plans to construct an LNG import terminal in Fall River, Massachusetts Democratic Rep. James P. McGovern inserted a provision into the 2005 federal Transportation Bill that would not allow federal funds to be used to destroy the old bridge.

Hess LNG, though, countered that move by announcing it would use smaller tankers to get through the old bridge.

Critics of Hess LNG's new smaller tanker plan contended the intricate maneuvers needed to navigate safely through the old bridge were still too dangerous to approve.

But the Coast Guard, in the federal register, explains the procedure for navigating through the two bridges and says it plans to codify those maneuvers for all large ships.

The maneuver requires a vessel to transit through one bridge opening, stop, be pushed sideways by tugs for about 100 feet to align with the next bridge, then proceed forward.

"Local marine pilots, working with vessel operators, have devised a method of transiting the two bridges that involves the use of a marine pilot, three tugs, and navigating only within certain weather parameters," the federal register filing states. "The Coast Guard proposes to codify those voluntary practices in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking."

In announcing its hearings, the Coast Guard also revealed that it received public comments regarding a section of its filing in the federal register entitled "Alterations of Unreasonably Obstructive Bridges."

That portion of the filing describes procedures by which the Coast Guard determines a bridge to be an unreasonable obstruction to navigation.

The filing states the commander of the First Guard District will begin reviewing that process regarding the old Brightman Street Bridge, but noted this issue will not be part of the planned public hearings.

Lambert Monday thanked the Coast Guard for agreeing to hold the hearings and urged local residents to attend.

"This is a chance for us to rearticulate our concerns with the plans that Hess LNG has for bringing LNG into Fall River and to challenge the company's assertion that it can be done safely on a consistent basis given the challenges presented by our unique waterways," Lambert said. "These are very important public hearings that citizens should attend. ... This may be the public's last chance to weigh in before the process concludes."

The Fall River hearing will be held at 7 p.m. in the Margaret Jackson Arts Center.

E-mail Gregg M. Miliote at gmiliote@heraldnews.com.