In Mexico, Sempra (SDG&E's parent) is spending a Billion dollars to build a terminal for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). LNG is created overseas by compressing and cooling natural gas from gas fields. The LNG is then pumped into special, huge ships for transportation to the U.S. At the terminal in Baja, the LNG will pumped from the ships into tanks and converted back from liquid into gas. Next, the gas will move into pipelines for distribution to the U.S. Recently, Sempra's CFO, Mark Snell, reported to a Lehman Brothers CEO Energy/Power conference that the Engeria Costa Azul LNG re-gasification terminal is more than 80% complete and that he expects it to begin operations in 2008.
Unfortunately, the gas from the LNG contains more butane, ethane, and propane than our current natural gas supplies. Burning it produces much more oxides of nitrogen; and oxides of nitrogen are a key ingredient of Smog. So Sempra's LNG will result in more smog. The new gas could be cleaned up to match the quality of current natural gas supplies; but Sempra does not want to invest in such equipment. Instead, Sempra is hoping that re-adjusting the gas burning equipment will prevent more oxides of nitrogen. However, think how much effort it would take to adjust the hundreds of thousands of gas burners in stoves, furnaces, etc.!
The location in Mexico prevented the usually early environmental reviews. So now, at this late date in construction, the only choice seems to be pressuring the owners of the pipelines, TransCanada, and two State agencies: the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and the State Lands Commission. Lawsuits have been filed by the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the City of San Diego, and others.
Question: Why isn't the San Diego Air Pollution Control District also joining in the lawsuits to protect the public?
