LNG Roundup

More coverage over the weekend of erstwhile California Energy Czar Joe Desmond's move to NorthernStar (the company developing Clearwater Port (the other proposed LNG facility off the Ventura Coast that has flown pretty much under the media radar).

According to the LA Times:

Under state law, Desmond cannot have any communication with the Resources Agency for a year after leaving government service. In an interview, Desmond said that also would include the state Lands Commission, the Energy Commission and the Coastal Commission -- all of which have a part in the NorthernStar terminal deal. But the law does allow him to communicate with the administration itself, including chief of staff Susan Kennedy and Schwarzenegger, and the Legislature.

Also, The Australian online sets the value for the export market of LNG to California at $60 billion, and calls out the Malibu Millionaires as NIMBY's:

Federal Resources Minister Ian Macfarlane has said the market could be worth $60 billion to Australian producers... Yet turning the opportunity into firm sales for Australian firms is proving hard. BHP Billiton is behind schedule in developing an LNG receival terminal called Cabrillo Port in California.
A decision on the proposal has been pushed back to the first quarter of next year and the plan has run into high-profile not-in-my-backyard opposition from celebrities concerned any development off the Malibu coast could affect their property values.

$60bn LNG market a hard nut to crack [The Australian Online]

High-Ranking Schwarzenegger Official Joins Staff of LNG Company [Malibu Surfside News]

Department of Revolving Doors [Los Angeles Times}