Southern Sierran
LNG proposals slowed by falsified statements, community protests

By Owen Bailey

Both the Malibu Times and the Ventura County Star reported in August that many of the comments submitted in favor of the proposed BHP Billiton Liquified Natural Gas terminal in Malibu were falsified.

Some were submitted on behalf of people who have never heard of the project and some were submitted with fake names or addresses.

photo by Owen Bailey Protesters line up to put forth a unified community opposition to proposed LNG terminals. More than 300 people joined hands at this event in Oxnard last month.

“It is shocking,” said Mark Massara, Sierra Club California’s coastal director. “This not only further undermines the credibility of the project, but it calls into question the integrity of the environmental review process.”

According to Massara, it is essential that the state of California investigate the source of these comments.

“In the meantime,” Massara added, “our message hasn’t changed. There is a better way.”

Trevor Smith, chair of the Los Padres Chapter LNG Task Force, agreed with Massera:

“Even Governor Schwarzenegger’s administration has recognized the wisdom of looking to conservation and expanded use of clean energy, like solar power. They came up with a plan to focus on these options first, and to only bring in more polluting fossil fuels once we have tried everything else.

“Now, if only we could get them to follow their own plan,” Smith said.

The race is on for big oil companies trying to bring LNG to California’s coast, and two of the four terminals proposed for California threaten Malibu and Ventura County.

Concerned citizens from Los Angeles, Ventura, and Santa Barbara Counties have been working tirelessly to counter the deep pockets of the oil companies and their public relations firms. Sierra Club members have been working with other environmental and community groups to spread the word that there are better alternatives to LNG.

Our energy needs can be met with safe, clean, domestic, renewable resources and with energy conservation. We do not need to risk the dangers LNG poses to our air, schools, communitites, and environment.

There has been a genuine outpouring of support from people trying to stop the oil companies from threatening their communities. May 14, more than 300 people joined Hands Along the Pipeline to show decision makers that they will not sit quietly while their quality of life is put at risk. Last November, another 400 people wearing “LNG is B-A-D” stickers attended a rally and then crowded into a hearing room in Oxnard, Calif. to oppose BHP Billiton’s offshore LNG terminal.

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