Stop LNG before it comes to the Jersey Shore!

I should back up a little and explain that Liquefied Natural Gas or LNG is natural gas (primarily methane, CH4) that has been cooled to minus 260 degrees Fahrenheit, the point at which gas condenses to a liquid.  In its liquid state, LNG has half the volume of water to allow it to be stored and transported easily over long distances by specially designed and constructed seagoing vessels that are sizeable tankers, over 3 football fields long and carrying 35 million gallons of LNG.

LNG, however, does not come from the United States. Private corporations will transport this fossil fuel to America via ship from different foreign countries, quite a few with unstable governments that have violent pasts or a history of not respecting basic human rights or safeguarding the environment.  In 2006, LNG imports to the United States were from a mix of mainly shady countries including Trinidad, Tobago, Egypt, Nigeria, Algeria, and Russia. Moreover, tankers could import gas from other Atlantic Basin regions and countries, such as western Africa and Venezuela.

The third plan is a bit trickier. The proposal requires no massive port facilities such as a floating terminal or a man-made island. It is from Excalibur Energy and entitled, “Liberty Natural Gas.” Excalibur Energy is a new energy conglomerate made up of Canadian Superior Energy Inc. and Global LNG, Inc. The corporation proposes to place four LNG turret buoy importation terminals anchored to the seafloor about 16 miles off Asbury Park. The ships themselves would provide LNG storage until all of a vessel's contents have been turned back to gas. This new technology involves heating the LNG back to a gas on-board the tanker as opposed to having to build a facility to reheat the LNG. The foreign gas would then be sent into a new deepwater 36” pipeline that would be about 50 miles long. To lay this new pipeline, the seafloor would be torn up starting with the Atlantic Ocean and going past the tip of Sandy Hook and into Sandy Hook Bay and Raritan Bay; and past various Bayshore communities, such as Atlantic Highlands, Union Beach, and Keyport to reach South Amboy. Then eleven miles of onshore pipeline would carry the foreign gas to an existing industrial corridor in Linden, where the pipeline would interconnect with existing natural gas pipelines. A company called Exmar has developed this evolving technology that allows for LNG to be re-gasified onboard LNG tankers in order to be delivered directly into a pipeline. Supporting this LNG facility would promote a relatively new form of technology, the submerged turret buoy technology, and place a heavy burden on the fragile ocean ecosystem and sensitive bay ecosystem for years to come. This LNG plan would negatively impact the sea floor, the water quality in the Atlantic Ocean, Sandy Hook Bay, and Raritan Bay; and could potentially endanger some of the rare marine species found in the these ecosystems, such as Right Whales, Common or Bottlenose dolphins, Harbor seals, and various bottom dwelling critters, such as Blue Claw Crabs, Fluke and Winter Flounder.  

Since the gas is foreign it has a different molecular composition than our domestic brand of natural gas. The difference may be slight, but it can be more dangerous. For example, recent reports in the Washington Post have revealed that homes in Maryland have exploded in recent years due to new and expanded Liquefied Natural Gas importation facilities in the Chesapeake Bay region. A study found that differences in the imported liquefied natural gas that a gas utility began using in August 2003 were drying the rubber seals of aging metal couplings that link sections of gas pipe. The changes in gas composition caused couplings to leak and cause explosions.  The Washington Post further stated that the frequency of leaks began to soar in late 2003, soon after the gas company started supplying the community with imported gas, mainly from Trinidad, brought in by tankers through Dominion's Cove Point liquefied natural gas terminal in Calvert County. Do we really want to expose our historic and long-standing communities to dangers of pipeline leaks and explosions from imported LNG?

Moreover, the possible impacts from installing a new sub-sea pipeline at the bottom of the ocean and bay cannot be overlooked. Some of the long-term negative impacts could include damage to commercial and recreational fishing by both construction of the project and the imposition of proposed safety and security zones around the LNG carriers in the ocean. This action could potentially disrupt a way of life along the Jersey Shore and potentially put businesses and families that depend on fishing and crabbing out of business. Also, what would happen if there was ever a leak in the pipe from corrosion, metal fatigue, manufacturing defects, or human error? Even a minor leak could create a 'pool fire' or ignitable 'vapor cloud' that is extremely dangerous, threatening life and property.  If the company does not install enough shut-off valves the highly flammable liquid could bubble up to the surface and ignite by the fire of a simple cigarette.

Furthermore, LNG is not a clean energy source and it would not help to solve the global warming crisis in New Jersey. Right now, Exxon is extracting oil and gas in a pristine marine environment that is home to the critically endangered Western Pacific Gray Whale and a gas project in Peru is opening up one of the most pristine rainforest valleys in the Amazon, threatening the livelihoods of indigenous communities. Also, while it’s true that natural gas power plants emit about half as much carbon dioxide as coal plants, the natural gas combustion required to produce and transport LNG to the plants adds 20 to 40 percent more carbon dioxide than burning natural gas alone. This includes extracting the gas from the earth, processing the gas to meet U.S. standards, transporting it through pipelines, chilling it and minus 260 degrees, shipping it overseas, and then converting it back to natural gas. Moreover, LNG increases air pollution since foreign LNG has many more contaminants that domestic natural gas does and therefore produces more air pollution whether it is being burned by industry, power plants or in your household heater. In the end, LNG (methane) is a source of greenhouse gasses, and investing in LNG infrastructure increases our dependence on climate changing fossil fuels.

The list of negatives can go on and on, but the bottom line shows that we should be focusing on alternative sources of domestic energy, not on building security and health risks from fossil fuels that could decimate the ocean and bay ecosystems. The negatives clearly outweigh the positives.

What we need in New Jersey are both a smart and comprehensive energy plan that meets energy needs by focusing on a variety of energy alternatives and a rational and wide-ranging ocean management plan that protects the beauty and bounty of the ocean. Privatizing open waters would be fundamentally wrong and serve as a dangerous precedent for industrializing a source of joy and income in New Jersey that people have spent years and millions of dollars trying to clean up.

Please send an email or letter today to express your concern about locating LNG facilities and pipelines in the waters off New Jersey’s coastline. It’s important that state officials understand that we're in a new era.  We no longer wish to be dependent on imported fossil fuels!

You may contact the Governor of New Jersey via this website address: http://www.state.nj.us/governor/govmail.html