LNG TOO PERILOUS FOR OFFSHORE SITE.

Byline: LLOYD LEVINE

Local View

THE Southern California coast is one of our greatest gifts from Mother Nature. From surfing and boating to just hanging out at the beach, the coast provides recreation and respite for families, and draws visitors from every part of the world, fueling the region's economy.

Now our irreplaceable Southern California coast may be at risk. The world's largest mining company, BHP Billiton, has proposed building a massive Liquefied Natural Gas complex just off the Southern California coast.

If this project is approved, BHP Billiton would build a floating terminal for supertankers bringing LNG from foreign countries. To hold the 72 million gallons of LNG delivered by the supertankers, the complex would include three storage tanks rising 160 feet out of the sea. From the storage tanks, two pipelines would be laid across the ocean floor for 22 miles before they reach land.

I understand the need to seek alternative sources of energy as our state grows. But BHP Billiton's proposal carries a risk we can't afford to take.

BHP Billiton assures us that this huge offshore complex would be perfectly safe. But this unproven technology would be put into practice for the first time off our coast at Oxnard and Malibu.

Liquefied Natural Gas should not be confused with the natural gas that many of us use in our homes. LNG is a concentrated form of natural gas and can burn at extremely high temperatures. Because of its massive size, an accident or terrorist attack at the BHP Billiton processing plant could create a flash fire that would burn out of control. A blaze that involved only two of the three planned storage tanks could produce a fire extending more than 7 miles, according to safety experts. In February, the federal Government Accountability Office declared that LNG safety studies are inadequate and we need to know more about LNG transport and processing.

Despite assurances of safety, large-scale explosions at LNG facilities have happened in the past. Just two years ago, an LNG pipeline in Nigeria sprung a leak that ignited and caused the pipeline to explode. The resulting fire consumed 16.5 square miles before it was extinguished -- after 48 hours of firefighting.

If we were going to trust a company to experiment with this new technology, the first thing we should do is look at its safety record. Let's take a look at BHP Billiton. In the Gulf of Mexico, BHP Billiton promised residents that its natural gas platform was "hurricane proof." So what happened to that natural gas platform during Hurricane Rita in 2005? It was torn from its moorings and drifted for more than 100 miles before coming to rest, upside down.

Fully 43 percent of the goods imported into America travel through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Just a few days' delay in the movement of goods can cost our businesses millions.

The proposed BHP Billiton LNG complex off our coast is just too risky. There are proven alternatives to meeting our energy needs. Energy conservation, solar energy, wind power and vast quantities of geothermal power -- available right here in California -- along with existing natural gas supplies can meet California's energy needs.