The governor issues a statement saying that any liquefied natural gas terminal proposal would have to meet strict standards of public and environmental safety before he would approve it.
By Ward Lauren / Special to The Malibu Times
The continuing groundswell of protests, presentations, public commentary and news stories about the controversial liquefied natural gas deepwater port proposed for the coast of Malibu and Oxnard has reverberated in Sacramento.
In a terse, pointed statement faxed to The Malibu Times from the office of the governor, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said, “I have NOT taken a position on the BHP project at Oxnard, or ANY LNG project. As Governor, it would be inappropriate for me to take a position on any specific project before the review process is complete. The BHP project still has many hurdles to go before it could ever reach my desk.
“Let me also be clear that ANY proposal that comes before me would have to meet strict standards of both public and environmental safety before I would approve it.”
The major hurdle that the BHP Billiton LNG project must clear at this time is the joint Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report, or EIS/EIR, to be issued by the agencies currently investigating the proposal: the California State Lands Commission, the lead state agency on offshore facilities, and the U.S. Coast Guard, under the Maritime Administration, the lead federal agency.
The joint EIS/EIR, which hasn’t been written yet, must meet the standards of the National Environmental Policy Act and the California Environmental Quality Act for the project to pass this phase of the approval process.
Residents and citizen leaders opposing the anchoring of the 14-story-tall LNG conversion vessel, called Cabrillo Port, 14 miles off Point Dume, received the governor’s statement with guarded satisfaction.
Susan Jordan, director of California Coastal Protection Network’s Coastal Advocates, said, “I think it’s clear that the governor has gotten the message that we’re trying to send to him that this project has to be stopped. While he has made comments in the past in public that appeared to be in support of this project, we’re pleased that he’s making an indication that at this point he’s not supporting any specific project.
“But we would like to see him move even further. We believe the administration needs to take a very critical look at the issue of LNG before they approve any facilities, and particularly that this is a facility that should not be approved.”
City Councilmember Pamela Conley Ulich said she felt the governor’s message indicated the efforts of the coastal advocacy network, plus those of citizens and celebrities protesting the LNG terminal, have brought the issue back to his attention.
“That’s probably why he issued that statement,” she said. “I’m cautiously optimistic that he will do the right thing and veto the terminal. But we can’t rest on our laurels. We still need to actively lobby the governor and make him realize the safety issues and the fact that we, as a town and as a country, can come together and find alternatives to fossil fuel. We all still need to keep putting on the pressure, writing and phoning and e-mailing.”
In Oxnard, Kathi Hann, BHP Billiton’s environmental advisor, said, “This is a prudent comment by the governor because he can’t really make a decision until all the facts are in and he has a chance to review them. We’re working very hard to make sure that his office and also the State Lands Commission both have all the information they need to make a decision. Their final report will be the basis for issuing the final permits.”
In recent environmental action, BHP Billiton announced it had signed agreements with two marine transportation services in the Oxnard area to replace the diesel engines in their current tug and barge operations with lower nitrous oxide engines not in use on any other tug boats in the western U.S. This will result in minimal air emissions and set a new environmental standard for marine vessels in California, the company said. Nitrous oxide emissions are a known source of greenhouse gases.
Also, the company said, Cabrillo Port will operate a closed loop engine cooling system using fresh water, not sea water, another important mitigation measure that will result in the project minimizing its impact on the environment.
The deadline for public comment on the water discharge permit under consideration by the Environmental Protection Agency ended Monday.