LNG sparks debate in Ventura

Assemblyman Keith Richman, one of Ventura County's only politicians to go on the record in support of liquefied natural gas, participated recently in a discussion over the role of LNG in meeting the State's energy needs:

Assemblyman Keith Richman, R-Granada Hills, and Bill Powers were part of a panel on the LNG issue. The seminar was held at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel as part of the University of California, Santa Barbara's Economic Forecast Project.

Richman, who supports importing LNG, said that a combination of faulty deregulation laws, aging power plants, dwindling natural gas supplies and an unwillingness to invest in new power generation is putting California at risk of more blackouts similar to the ones in 2000 and 2001.

"There is no question that the electricity crisis continues," Richman said. "We need new generation. There is no question we need new generation."

Powers disagreed. Powers owns an air-quality consulting firm in San Diego called Powers Engineering and is a member of the Border Power Plant Working Group, a watchdog group developed to monitor LNG port projects proposed for Mexico.

Powers blamed energy deregulation and illicit gas trading for the state's high energy prices. His data showed a 10 percent decline in natural gas demand in California between 2002 and 2006.

"Do we strategize and implement steps to keep that decline going in the future, or do we build natural gas terminals and ramp up demand?" Powers asked.

Who wants to bet that energy demand will decline in California any time soon?!?