Energy Panel Says Liquefied Gas Terminal Acceptable

A liquefied natural gas terminal proposed for the Port of Long Beach was deemed “environmentally acceptable” in a report released Friday by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

The draft report -- which was prepared by the commission, the port, the U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies -- was the product of more than a year of research and concluded that the proposed terminal would not pose a threat to the environment, a major victory for project proponents.

The terminal has been proposed by Sound Energy Solutions, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corp., and would be used to import liquefied natural gas from ships, store it and then ship the fuel by pipeline to regional distribution centers.

The report concluded that the terminal would meet acceptable noise and air pollution limits and that the plant’s holding tanks and pipelines could withstand all but the most devastating earthquakes.

Opponents of the terminal say it would be too close to Long Beach and that an earthquake or terrorist attack could trigger an enormous explosion. But authors of the report concluded that while the facility might make an attractive target, an attack was unlikely.

They said that several layers of security would reduce the risk.

Four public hearings on the draft report are scheduled for November and December, and a final environmental impact report must be completed before a final decision on the terminal.