Gov. says ‘no’ to Cabrillo Port
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Friday sent a letter to the U.S. Maritime Administration announcing his disapproval of BHP Billiton’s application to anchor a 1,000-foot-long liquefied natural gas facility 14 miles off the Malibu coast. The governor’s decision follows last month’s rejection by two state panels. Outside of intervention by the federal government or a victorious lawsuit by BHP Biliton against the state, Schwarzenegger’s vote has killed the Cabrillo Port proposal.
“Liquefied Natural Gas can and must be an important addition to California’s energy portfolio,” Schwarzenegger said in a statement released Friday. “However, any LNG import facility must meet the strict environmental standards California demands to continue to improve our air quality, protect our coast, and preserve our marine environment. The Cabrillo Port LNG project, as designed, fails to meet that test.”