Long Beach, Port upset over FERC decision

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is trying to exert exclusive jurisdiction over the siting of a liquefied natural gas facility in the Port of Long Beach, and that has City officials fuming:

Tuesday, the City Council unanimously asked the city attorney to come up with a resolution urging the federal government to make sure local officials have a say in whether or not a liquid natural gas (LNG) terminal could be built in their city. The port’s Harbor Commissioners approved a “hands off” letter sent to elected representatives on Monday.

“I was just really outraged that our local authority could be usurped,” said First District Councilwoman Bonnie Lowenthal, one of the co-authors of the item brought to the council, along with Third District Councilman Frank Colonna.

What prompted the reaction was a request by officials from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in a recent U.S. Senate hearing in Washington D.C. That agency is currently involved in a court case with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) about who has jurisdiction for approvals of a proposed LNG terminal in Long Beach.

While legislation in Congress seeks to "clarify" the siting process for LNG, it can get in the way of approvals for projects which have already begun the process.