The Malibu Times ran a story erroneously connecting state and federal regulatory consideration of BHP Billiton’s proposed offshore liquefied natural gas receiving terminal and a tragic accident involving liquefied propane gas at a port in Jordan. Unfortunately the Malibu Times did not contact BHP Billiton for comment. Had it done so, the Times would have learned that the accident in Jordan did not involve liquefied natural gas, that the ship involved in the incident isn’t even registered as being equipped to carry liquefied natural gas, and that liquefied natural gas has fundamentally different properties than liquefied propane gas making liquefied natural gas inherently safer to ship, store and use in your home.
As California considers its current options and its commitment to a renewable future, it is clear that natural gas will continue to play a critical role in addressing the state’s energy needs in an environmentally responsible manner. Natural gas is necessary to the development of biofuels, hydrogen and other renewable technologies, and it continues to serve as a clean burning hedge against the limitations of our current renewable capacity. For these reasons and because our population and economy are growing, the demand for natural gas is growing. Yet, domestic supplies are declining. These facts have led BHP Billiton to propose to provide a reliable supply of natural gas for California through a process, (shipment of LNG), that has proven incident free over decades of experience. Erroneous comparisons to entirely different products, in this case LPG, misinforms your readers and prevents balanced consideration of the facts.
Kathi Hann
Public Affairs – Cabrillo Port
BHP Billiton LNG International
Editor’s note: Phone calls were made to BHP Billiton representatives for comment on this story. They were not returned to the reporter. The Times noted that several news sources stated the accident was due to liquefied natural gas, and that other sources said it was propane gas.