Laura Tate states that liquefied natural gas (LNG) can be compressed to one six-hundredth of its volume. I believe that what she means is that natural gas can be condensed by cooling it to -259 degrees F to form LNG which reduces its volume to one six-hundredth (0.16 percent) of it’s gaseous volume. This proposed liquefied natural gas processing facility, isolated and surrounded by water, is an excellent location of choice in terms of safety. Scaling of the map shows it to be located 12 miles from Arroyo Sequit. If an explosion were to occur at the terminal, 12 miles from land is a safe distance.
The article mentions the proposed nuclear plant at Latigo Canyon, which reminds us that that Little Boy had effective devastation range of 1.5 miles and that was because of the high winds it generated. Yes, Laura, natural gas is highly flammable. It wouldn’t be of value is it wasn’t. It’s the stuff that we pipe into our homes to cook and heat with. The same stuff that heats barbecues, warms Jacuzzi’s, powers mail trucks and school buses. Seawater and sunlight make an excellent regasification system, so if the LNG storage tanks were to spring a leak, the LNG would quickly become vaporized and, being lighter than air, disperse up and away from any populated area so containment measures wouldn’t be required. So let’s be like natural gas and lighten up.
It’s heartening to hear that the energy companies have finally discovered Malibu’s vast untapped energy resource, methane, the principal component of natural gas, generated by our many septic systems feeding the sea and waiting to be harvested by these off shore vessels. Natural gas cooks our meals and we, as dutiful citizens, use these meals to feed our septic systems which feed the sea which feeds the conversion systems which feed the distribution pipelines which feeds our stoves which feed us. Recycling at its finest. The affluent-effluent conservancy as it were.
Jack Singleton