Hundreds attend LNG terminal hearing

A proposed liquefied natural gas terminal for the Port of Long Beach brought hundreds of residents to a public hearing Nov. 14. Environmental and security concerns were the focus of the session on a plan by ConocoPhillips and Mitsubishi to build an LNG import facility that could send out up to 700 million cubic feet of gas daily.

An environmental impact report recently released by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission examined the pros and cons of placing the terminal and an 80 million gallon storage facility at the harbor. The FERC study called the project “environmentally acceptable.”

Some of the more than 300 people on hand hoisted anti-LNG signs and placards, but there were plenty of supporters.

“I am confident that (planners) are vitally interested in the health and welfare of the citizens of Long Beach, the safety and security of the Port of Long Beach and the economic viability of the city,” resident Alex Saenz said during the hearing at City Hall.

Opponents of the LNG terminal have cited the possibility of a terrorist attack or natural disaster as reasons for rejecting the terminal at the site.

Three more public hearings are planned.

The 25-acre LNG facility would be operated by the Mitsubishi-Conoco subsidiary Sound Energy Solutions. The $450 million facility could produce as much as 10 percent of the state’s natural gas supply and about 20 percent of Southern California’s needs.

LNG would be delivered to the port, reheated and moved as natural gas along pre-existing pipelines.

—The Associated Press