Coastal Conservation Association (CCA)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 14, 2008
CONTACT: Ted Venker, 1-800-201-FISH

Alabama closes door on open-loop LNG facility

MONTGOMERY, AL – Plans for an open-loop liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility 63 miles south of Mobile were shelved by TORP Technologies last week when Gov. Bob Riley voiced concerns that the possible benefits of the plant did not outweigh the risks to the state’s coastal environment. The governor’s position is consistent with a decision he made two years ago to veto a similar LNG project proposed by ConocoPhillips 11 miles south of Dauphin Island.

“Gov. Riley obviously recognizes that these facilities have the potential to cause harm to the marine environment and that it is a risk he is not willing to take. His stance as a strong advocate for Alabama’s marine resources has been unfailing,” said Edwin Lamberth, chairman of CCA Alabama’s government relations committee.

CCA opposes terminals that use “open-rack” vaporization systems, also referred to as open-loop systems. These types of 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. An open-loop system can filter more than 100 million gallons of seawater per day, creating the potential to kill billions of fish eggs, larvae and plankton annually. Since 2004, CCA has testified at public hearings, engaged its membership to send thousands of emails and worked with both state and federal agencies to prevent the use of open-loop technology in the Gulf of Mexico.

“We have come a long way since 2004 when a string of these facilities were proposed for the Gulf of Mexico and our message all along has been consistent,” said David Cummins, CCA National President. “We applaud Gov. Riley and his commitment to conserving the resources that so many people value so greatly.”

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CCA is the largest marine resource conservation group of its kind in the nation. With almost 100,000 members in 17 state chapters, CCA has been active in state, national and international fisheries management issues since 1977. Visit www.JoinCCA.org for more information.