Long Beach at odds over LNG

The Los Angeles Times provides an extensive expose on Long Beach's struggles with Liquefied Natural Gas:

Long Beach must have seemed the perfect location for a liquefied natural gas terminal when Mitsubishi Corp. unfurled its plans more than two years ago for the $450-million project.

This is not a city that shies from the ugly realities of energy production. Oil pumps still bob in the Los Cerritos marshes, and those palm-dotted islands offshore are really poorly disguised oil derricks.

But despite this port city's reputation as pro-industry, the proposed LNG terminal has set off a furious debate over safety.

Under pressure from a coalition of LNG critics, the City Council will consider Tuesday whether to cut off talks with a Mitsubishi subsidiary, a move that could doom the terminal.