Coastal Conservation Association (CCA)

Conservationists Call on Governors to Keep LNG Pledge

HOUSTON, TX – The Coastal Conservation Association today called on the governors of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi to veto the liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal that McMoRan Exploration proposes to build 16 miles off the Louisiana coast. The proposed facility along Louisiana’s eastern border is proximate to the coasts of Mississippi and Alabama.

“Because of the potential environmental harm they can cause, the governors of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi have all spoken out against the type of LNG terminal that McMoRan Exploration is proposing,” said Chester Brewer, vice chairman of CCA’s National Government Affairs Committee. “CCA and our tens of thousands of members nationwide are now calling on the governors to exercise the veto power that they have to stop such terminals. The three governors took courageous stands to protect our marine resources in opposing this type of terminal and we’re asking them not to back off of their pledges.”

CCA and the governors are opposed to terminals that use “open rack” vaporization systems, also referred to as open-loop systems. LNG terminals receive imported liquefied gas and convert it back to a gaseous state by circulating seawater through a radiator-like system to reheat it. Each open-loop system filters more than 100 million gallons of seawater per day, then chlorinates it to prevent fouling in the intake pipe, creating the potential to kill billions of fish eggs, larvae and plankton annually.

McMoRan Exploration is seeking federal approval for the proposed terminal. Even though such terminals are licensed by the federal government, the governors of impacted states have a say in the process.

On the other hand, an alternate technology referred to as “closed-loop” is less harmful to marine resources. The National Marine Fisheries Service recently cited closed-loop systems as the best available technology and a best practice for avoiding or minimizing impacts on the marine and coastal environment.

In letters to Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco of Louisiana, Gov. Bob Riley of Alabama and Gov. Haley Barbour of Mississippi, CCA is calling on them to balance energy needs with the responsibility to protect the marine ecosystem as fully as possible.

“CCA has no problem with LNG terminals that are environmentally friendly and we have no problem with the companies that want to build them,” said Nelson Roth, Jr, president of CCA Louisiana. “Our problem is with the technology they propose to use. Simply put, we’re not prepared to accept harm to our natural resources so that LNG terminals can operate more cheaply.

“Supplying energy to the country does not require us to risk unknown damage to populations of marine species when there are other viable technologies that can balance our need for energy with the fragility of the marine ecosystem.”

The McMoRan project is only the latest of several open-loop LNG terminals that have been proposed in the Gulf of Mexico by various energy companies.

“Clearly we do not have to take such a huge gamble with our marine resources for these terminals to serve their purpose,” said Pat Murray, CCA Director of Conservation. “No one knows how much damage a string of open-loop terminals will do in the Gulf of Mexico so the governors were wise to pledge their opposition last year.”

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