The federal government’s  request for more information about the Jordan Cove Energy Project’s dredging plans should be welcome news to people tracking the approval process. We expect federal watchdogs to read the reports on development of the liquefied natural gas terminal and make sure the public can get that information.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s request should not strike anyone as unusual or excessive. It’s the equivalent of a federal agency spell-checking a document or crossing its T’s in environmental diligence. The government and the public need to know this stuff.

Environmental impact statements have grown into an industry of their own, filling tons of paper with detailed data and analysis that few people will read. They cost businesses and government millions of dollars. But they do ensure decision making is conducted in front of the public. As an added benefit, much of the information released in these studies is valuable to communities. Case in point: The Jordan Cove EIS will detail potential tsunami impacts, as well as including tidal and biological data, that publicly employed researchers can’t afford to investigate.

The EPA’s new request will create extra paperwork for Jordan Cove, but that’s the price a company pays for proposing development where no dock has gone before. The company can’t merely suggest it will dump silt at the federally approved sites offshore without specific plans. It now must document the potential impact of disposing of hundreds of thousands of cubic yards of sand close to shore and farther away.

Generally speaking, dredging deposits are beneficial, not harmful. They replenish beach sand stripped away by winter storms. But if shipping traffic increases, and if dredges again start removing material from other dock areas and the upper bay shipping channel, there might be a shortage of disposal space.

According to the project’s manager, consultants already have provided Jordan Cove with the data on what to do. We can thank EPA for verifying the company’s planning is adequate, and that the public will have access to it.