2theadvocate > Opinion > Blanco LNG move useful safeguard 05/22/05

Blanco LNG move useful safeguard

We believe that Gov. Kathleen Blanco has done the right thing in announcing her opposition to additional liquefied natural gas terminals off Louisiana's coast that use a controversial "open-loop" system to warm the gas for transport.

Liquefied natural gas terminals, or LNGs, receive natural gas from shipping vessels that have been dramatically cooled, to minus 260 degrees, into a liquid form that makes it easier to ship. The fuel is warmed at the LNG terminal and restored to its gaseous form so that it can be piped on shore.

The equipment used in the warming process draws seawater through huge pipes to warm the gas. When an open-loop system is allowed for this process, millions of fish eggs and other organisms could be killed, according to federal scientists.

An alternative closed loop system is widely considered to be less environmentally invasive. Some industry interests have suggested that the environmental impact of open-loop systems would be minimal, and that closed-loop systems might cost too much.

As we have mentioned before, open-loop systems appear not to have been contemplated on the east and west coasts of the United States, according to Aaron Viles of the Gulf Restoration Network, a New Orleans- based environmental group. We don't believe the regulatory scheme for LNGs off Louisiana's coast should be any more lax than those used in other regions.

The federal Maritime Administration is supposed to consider the wishes of the governor of a state near a proposed LNG in deciding whether to license a facility.

It remains unclear whether Blanco's objection would completely rule out the licensing of additional open-loop LNGs near Louisiana. However, we believe the governor has done a good thing in voicing concern about the possible impact of open-loop LNG systems.

"Until studies demonstrate that the operation of the (open-loop system) will not have an unacceptable impact on the surrounding ecosystem, I will only support offshore LNG terminals using a closed-loop system having negligible impacts to marine life," Blanco said in a letter to Maritime Administrator John Jamian.

Louisiana's ravaged coastline, created in part by poorly regulated commercial operations offshore, is a prominent reminder of what can happen when government officials fail to strike a prudent balance between economic development and environmental preservation. We must also point out that environmental stewardship and economic development are not mutually exclusive. In fact, if our natural fisheries are damaged, then Louisiana loses not only pristine beauty, but real dollars in depleted fish stocks.

Blanco has said that she supports the development of LNGs near Louisiana, but with appropriate safeguards. Her letter opposing open-loop LNG systems is a good first start in putting those safeguards in place.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/052205/opi_edi001.shtml

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