The California State Lands Commission will meet today in Oxnard to consider certification of the Final EIR on Cabrillo Port, a floating natural gas facility planned 14 miles off the Ventura County coast.

"This process is too important to the people of California for the press to come to it late and without an understanding of the facts. At a minimum, the press should be printing facts confirmed by the joint state and federal regulatory process.

There is an independent source supporting these facts, the Final EIR. Printing 'spin' in place of facts is a disservice to Californians, the State Lands Commission's work, the US Coast Guard's work and shortchanges California's energy future. It's all in the final Environmental Impact Report. People need to read it, even editorial writers," says Mr. Cassidy.

Renee Klimczak, president of BHP Billiton's unit that will bring Cabrillo Port online says, "We agree that California will need conservation and renewable energy to reach a sound and sustainable energy balance for our growing state. But that will take several years. And we'll need natural gas to get us there."

Ms. Klimczak and Mr. Cassidy sent letters to local papers with the following statement:

"A Yes vote by the State Lands Commission will allow for the rigorous permit process to continue and give Californians a better chance to move away from polluting coal and oil and toward the clean renewable energy sources we need to sustain our economy and environment. The reality is you can't solve the state's energy needs with renewables like wind and solar for at least twenty years.

While we work towards that goal, Cabrillo Port brings a new, reliable source of clean natural gas into the state, which is exactly what California needs, according to both the California Public Utilities Commission and the California Energy Commission.

100% of the natural gas from Cabrillo Port will be directed to California, producing over 10% of the state's daily natural gas consumption.

Your writer says we won't get cleaner air locally. That's false. Area marine vessels will be converted to cleaner burning fuels and more transit buses, trash haulers, cabs, private cars and fleet vehicles will be converting to natural gas knowing that a stable supply of reasonably priced natural gas will be continuously available.

You question our assertion that Cabrillo Port will meet the highest safety and environmental standards. We're sorry you didn't read the EIS/EIR more carefully. Not only will we meet or beat those standards, we'll be required to, in order to get our operating permits.

The LNG facility in Mexico will not be dedicated to California and will not meet California's toughest-in-the-nation environmental requirements. Why would California impose the strictest environmental standards for its projects but then import fuel from projects built without the same rigorous standards and fewer environmental protections?

This is the right time for the Cabrillo Port Project. The project in effect cleans Ventura County's and California's air by more than is required by law. The project will clean up dirty tug boats and use the best available technology to power its operations.

It will also pay for first-of-its kind marine monitoring and environmental protections. Cabrillo Port has committed to comply with every local, state, and federal law applicable to it, including Ventura County's air rules. There has been no rock left unturned by this company in trying to meet every law, in spirit and in fact."

Email This Article

Related Links
Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com
Our Polluted World and Cleaning It Up
China News From SinoDaily.com
Global Trade News
The Economy
All About Solar Energy at SolarDaily.com
Civil Nuclear Energy Science, Technology and News