Erroneous Notions on Liquefied Gas

“Firms Eye Baja for Liquid Gas Terminals” [June 4] offers the opinion that environmentalists will almost certainly be opposed to these projects.

Indeed, it is likely that environmentalists, as well as all other readers of your paper, will continue to be opposed as long as The Times continues to propagate the myth that liquefied natural gas is “compressed,” as the article states. It is not.

In fact, the fuel (which is almost pure methane) is in the liquid state, reduced to 1/600th of its gaseous volume, because it is cooled below its so-called critical temperature. As long as it remains below this temperature, it will remain in the liquid state. At these temperatures, compression is irrelevant.

Please note that although the LNG will burn at the edges of the liquid (it is after all a fuel, the very reason companies are considering importing it in the first place), it will not, in fact cannot, explode. Simply put: No oxygen, no boom.

Peter E. Jonker

Pasadena