Critics: Proposed plant would negatively impact ecosystem

08:35 PM CDT on Wednesday, June 29, 2005

By Janice Williamson / 11 News

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Energy experts have said Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) is critical to supplying the future natural gas demand for homes and industries.

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Critics contend the open-loop process will dump cool water into the Gulf, killing fish larva and zooplankton by the millions.

BP is planning to build a Liquid Gas plant on Galveston's Pelican Island. But another terminal by ConocoPhillips is being called a potential fish-killing machine.

The warm waters of the Gulf are flush with fish. Romeo Page wasn't just hoping to land a day's catch; he was casting for information about a proposed LNG terminal about 50 miles off shore.

"Concerned about the fish," said Page. "We've already got the seaweed putting out bad odor down here. We don't need anything out here killing the fish."

Farther out than the eye can see, ConocoPhillips wants to build and open-loop regasification plant.

"Water is used to warm up the LNG so it returns into gas," explained Joyce Miley, ConocoPhillips.

Miley said it is a proven process used worldwide. "ConocoPhillips has been involved in LNG since 1969 and we have been involved in protecting the environment. And our employees have always been extremely important," she said.

Critics of the Beacon Port Project strongly disagree. They contend the open-loop process will dump cool water into the Gulf, killing fish larva and zooplankton by the millions.

"We believe that that's going to have a big impact on our ecosystem," said Brianna Kerstein, Gulf Restoration Network. "While they've studied the impacts on some specific fish for other facilities, they haven't been able to study the full impacts of what this will do for the entire ecosystem."

Conservation groups, commercial and recreational fishermen said that with eight LNG terminals proposed in the Gulf of Mexico, waves of protest could be their only hope.

The public hearing took place Wednesday evening at the San Louis Hotel in Galveston. The Coast Guard is gathering information it can use as it begins work on an environmental impact study.

It will be at least a year before a permit can be approved for the proposed Beacon Port Project.