Are LNG opponents handing victory to terrorists?

Reflecting on the aftermath of the London attacks, I got to thinking about a common theme in local debates over building critical energy infrastructure in California.

In Ventura County, attorney Tim Riley goes into hysterics over the dangers of liquefied natural gas. His website shows pictures with practically the entire coast of Ventura County and Malibu covered in a ball of flames resulting from terrorists' plot to attack on offshore LNG terminal. Some residents, who shouldn't be expected to understand the science behind it, buy into his fearmongering and have called for the Coast Guard and State Lands Commission to deny permits to build any LNG terminals in the State.

California needs natural gas to fuel our power plants, and LNG is just about the last solution we have. The terrorists want us to live in fear--and by trying to deny the State the infrastructure it needs to keep our economy growing--opponents of LNG are handing them a victory.