Tuesday, July 12, 2005

Déja Vu at Long Beach LNG hearing

The local papers in Long Beach should just start practicing "cut and paste" when it comes to stories about liequefied natural gas:

A U.S. Coast Guard meeting Monday to hear concerns from the public on maritime safety and security of a proposed liquefied natural gas terminal in the Port of Long Beach followed a pretty familiar pattern.

A group of residents opposed to the terminals denounced it as unsafe and a terrorist target while proponents touted the terminal's potential economic benefits and the good safety record of LNG terminals worldwide.

The meeting at the Long Beach Marriott was held for Coast Guard officials to gather testimony before giving recommendations to federal energy regulators on the suitability of the port for an LNG terminal.