Long Beach LNG Decision pushed to December

Having a stopped clock is better than a stopped project for proponents of a liquefied natural gas terminal in Long Beach, California. For now, their lease on life has been extended until September:

Three hours of heated debate and a razor-thin City Council vote Wednesday morning didn't change much about a proposal to build a liquefied natural gas terminal in the Port of Long Beach.

The 5-4 council decision to continue negotiating with the developer likely means that residents and public officials will have to wait until fall for a decision on whether the terminal will be built.

An environmental impact report on the terminal is due in early September, and is expected to provide the council and Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners with answers to long-running safety questions.

That will put them 18 months behind the Cabrillo Port--perhaps California's most advanced and well-designed LNG proposal--which began its EIR process in March 2004.