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| Return to Steven Howitt Press & Media Committee to Elect STEVEN HOWITT Press Release The Swansea Spectator September 18, 2004 I am Steven Howitt, and I am writing to you as a candidate for State Representative for the 4th Bristol District. I would like to share my views and my concern about the proposed LNG terminal. I cannot support the LNG facility as a matter of the public’s safety. A report released by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which is the licensing group for all LNG facilities did not adequately assess the probability of an accident involving LNG. However, it does describe hazardous fires that could result from a gash in a vessel transporting LNG. It also describes on-water spills from shipping boats which would result in hazardous contamination, as the spread could not be contained by a dike or other containment devices. On the water, in the shipping areas, a danger zone for fire radiation could extend for a mile, with the gas vapor potentially spreading for several miles or more. It cites the need for an exclusion zone. But how big would that zone have to be, and who could realistically define those boundaries? I feel that terminals for liquefied natural gas and shipping routes should be kept far away from residential, populated areas, particularly in light of the report’s findings. Even as research continues into the probability of an LNG terminal being located nearby, the worst-case scenarios, as remote and unlikely as they may be, should not be considered an acceptable risk. Residents have established families and communities in towns where new LNG terminals are under consideration. Clearly, there would be reason for new neighbors not to move into these neighborhoods if the terminals were to be located there. But for those persons already living in the community, the risks inherent in these new terminals, along with the need for exclusions zones around them give me enough reason to say that I can not support the project. If the safety of our families and homes can not be ensured and guaranteed, the LNG terminal should not be located in our community. I am out in the community, knocking on doors and becoming acquainted with the constituents I look to serve. I am listening to what the people in Swansea and the surrounding communities are telling me, and I share their concerns. I must agree with those who are knowledgeable and concerned about public safety. |
